no engine oil dipstick by design

[HemiBenny]

Sorry, but I want to think with my dipstick, Jimmy.

There's one for you, Castrol fans.

I may have to conform eventually, but I will always prefer a dipstick to check levels.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Fortunately, I'm old enough to never conform to this. Please pass me my Ensure ? Yeah, right over there on the end table. Thanks

 

[mrsilv04]

To check the oil on Grandpa's antique Case tractor from 1945, you have to take a wrench and remove a pipe plug out of the side of the oil pan. If oil doesn't come out of the hole, then add oil to the engine until it starts dribbling out, then reinstall the plug.

So quick and simple.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

WHAT !!!!!! NO DASHBOARD TELLING YOU TO ADD OIL !!!!!!! Who in their right mind would design that without the " INFOTAINMENT " system telling you to open up that plug in 1945 ??? LOL

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

No dipstick is surely sub-optimal but not critical as the vehicle will have some sort of level indicator. That said, how much one trusts the indicator over time is another question, but you know the capacity, know (roughly) how much you drained and how much you added. Just did oil on the new 911; looked like ~2 gallons were in the drain pan, filled with 8 qts. and topped off per the instructions using the gauge. Easy...

Yes my Mazda has one for the transmission but you have to remove the air box to get to it. Isn't that just handy part of the planned obsolesce program of modern car manufacturing!

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Couldn't of have written that better myself !!!

 

[goblin]

Well, threads are meant to be a discussion, or a rant. At least by now we know full well which type that one is. A pitty the original post ends with a question mark, it should end with triple exclamation points.

 

[Dborch41]

For some time now cars have been equipped with dipsticks and electronic low oil monitors, which to me is the best of both worlds. You get an old-school dipstick for old-school drivers, and an automatic warning for the more neglectful among us that the oil level needs attention. It's also handy in case of a serious leak, the low oil warning will occur before the low pressure light, which is much better for the engine obviously.
Getting rid of the dipstick "fixes" nothing, and I can't believe the money saved can be that significant. I can't imagine this being much more than change for the sake of change...and they're running out of ideas.

 

[Dborch41]

Not to mention in many engines the temp sensor is located too high up in the engine to the point where on a cooling system that is low the sensor will read air temp which will of course read lower than liquid temp and as a result not indicate a problem until it's too late. I run a scan tool w/ live data capability to digitally monitor ECT.

I like to do the same, but keep in mind that a scanner is usually using the same sensors as the dashboard gauges.

 

[burbguy82]

If the sensor has an issue you will get a msg on the dash...... Yes cars are that smart now.

and if that sensor fails?....pinot being, dipsticks dont fail

 

[goblin]

and if that sensor fails?...

They would still fail les often than a modern driver/owner would.
We can abuse that dead horse till we get in the news - the electronic monitoring is not the issue. The issue is that it's complementary to the dipstick, not a replacement, for those times when a level measurement is needed with the engine off.

Measuring the oil level on my car is a scheduled event - I have to snatch it from the kid, so I can go to work with it, which is the only easily available flat spot in my daily geographical routine. Then I have to go downstairs during lunch to measure it after it has settled, because it will show me rorschach spots on the stick otherwise.
I could really use an electronic oil level indicator. It's just that I won't give up my dipstick for it.