I'm having trouble with my dipstick!

[AuthorEditor]

Here are some photos of my dipstick after the car has sat for more than 8 hours. It was hard to get photos that were readable, but I think you can get the gist of what it looks like. These are typical. There is always oil smeared all up the dipstick, no matter how long I wait to pull it, or whether I wipe it first and then reinsert and then pull to read. At first glance it looks like there is way too much oil in there, but that is not the case. It looks the same even if I'm down a quart when I change the oil. I just pulled the dipstick out and laid it on a napkin for these photos. I didn't wipe beforehand or reinsert. This is typical. My reading of this (based on my educated guesswork) is that I'm slightly overfull, due to misreading last week and dumping in too much.

 

[ekpolk]

Author:

The stick on my wife's Avalon (2GR 3.5L V-6) is just about as bad as what you're describing. I just take care to make sure I let all the oil drain out at changes, and then carefully ensure I fill with the right amount. Then I just look for changes in the appearance of oil on the stick as much as I do the level. That stick sux, cold or hot.

As for the automatic systems, these are nothing that new-fangled (though I understand everyone's discomfort with them). The engines on the jet I flew in the Marines (EA-6) had such a system. It offered two lights. Both off meant oil above 80%. The first light ON meant oil between 40 and 80%. Both lights ON meant oil below 40% (it has been 20 years -- I might be off by a ten on those percentages...). Of course, this was the aircrew system, and our maintainers had their on-ground system (not a dipstick, though). Anyway, the point of this slight digression is that such systems aren't that novel (ours dated back to the late 1950s), and if they're OK for a $70 mil taxpayer asset, they're probably decently reliable. Then there's also the wet/dry sump distinction.

But I'd still prefer a workable dipstick...

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

Since the government regulates everything else, how about a requirement that all vehicles have a dipstick for oil and transmission as well as an easily changeable external filter for both. Maybe an easily serviced cabin air filter also.

 

[mechtech2]

The pictured dipstick shows 1/16" -1/8" over filled.

 

[AuthorEditor]

Quote:
The pictured dipstick shows 1/16" -1/8" over filled.


That's my read on it too. The overfill resulted from me misreading it at the last check. About the only way to get any kind of read is to park it for 8 hours or so, pull it carefully without wiping, and carefully place on a white piece of paper or napkin and then you can make out the dirty area in the oil smeared up the dipstick. You need really good light too.

 

[bigmike]

Is it smeared that way on both sides?

 

[AuthorEditor]

Quote:
Is it smeared that way on both sides?


Yes, even if you're down a quart and you let it sit all night. I had the exact same problem on my previous Crown Vic.

 

[ThirdeYe]

The dipstick on my friend's 2002 Camry with the 4-cylinder engine is the same way, I can never tell how much oil is in it because it just smears all the way up the stick. I'm just going to go by what ekpolk said, and just make sure I add the correct amount so I know it's right, regardless of what the dipstick is telling me.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Cyprs
Imagine how upset I was when I brought home my new X-trail and found it 3/8" overfilled. I immediately drained oil and lowered the oil fill line to the full mark, drove the new vehicle awhile and then called Nissan, they checked every X-trail oil level on the lot, all of them 3/8" over filled to the bend, they then called Nissan tech and learned that the required 4.1 litres will go to the bend in dipstick far above the full fill line, this bend is to stop oil from climbing oil check tube. I thought I was overfilled, adjusted and was underfilled, wonderfull world of Nissan.

Does this mean no one did a proper PDI on any of the new vehicles?

 

[Cyprs]

Hello Critic, the X-trail just came to Canada in Jan/05, We ordered ours then and got it early Feb. I too wandered why my local Nissan only noticed this when I brought it to their attention, man one would think a red flag would show on Imspection. The Nissan Tech reply to my Stealership, "dont worry about the full line on the dipstick, make sure there is 4.1 litres in sump, where ever the reading on stick is, that is the level." I had just totalled my 03 Altima and the QR25DE in it had same stick as X-trail with a QR25DE, I dont understand why the same motors with same dipstick with same oil capacities would show different readings of 3/8 inch. The Altima QR was a 175hp and X-trail 165hp, the torque was changed on the AWD. The X-trail comes from Japan, the Altima was from U.S.

Cyprs

 

[ffhdriver]

A change in oil pans??

 

[Cyprs]

I changed oil in both vehicles during ownership, I believe the pans were the same, large square very shallow pans which I do not like, (I preffer the sideway L shape pans with deep resevoir, I guess the shallow pan would be to protect pan from being hit) but on eye sight alone I can't say ffhdriver, that would make sence as most logical reasoning and that small amount oil diference on stick could make pan size change minimal, the American version QR25DE may have some differences than Japanese versions.



Cyprs

 

[M1Accord]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
Be glad you don't own a BMW that doesn't even have a dipstick.


Engine or trans? Very sad if it is the engine!


Some Bimmer don't have oil dipstick because BMW claims their high performance machines don't burn oil. The sad part is that they burn oil and has a very long OCI. I guess they figure a typical Bimmer owners are too precious to be out there checking dip stick.

 

[ahoier]

My dipstick has been this way in the 4 or 5 cars I've checked oil in The only accurate way I could check my Kia's dipstick was early morning first start of the day....the one time I checked it when I got gas, I thought I was low, added half a quart, and the next day went to get an oil change and they said I was overfill...

So, either I overfilled it? Or they were just reading the dipstick when it was hot and the oil was "smeared" all up and down the dip stick?

I like my dodge aries dipstick, it actually has a squiggly thing at the "full" mark, but it still gets the smears all up and down the stick...