Every car I ever had, the oil level on the stick rises a bit after the car sits for a long time. This was due to (so I would assume) the oil draining down into the pan from the top end.
In my 1999 Plymouth Voyager the 2.4L 4-banger does the opposite. For example, last night we had a long run and about 5 minutes after we shut it off, I checked the oil. It was about 1/4-inch above the full mark. I checked it again in about 2 hours and it was about 1/8-inch below the full mark. Again this morning (about 14 hours later) it was 1/4 inch below the full mark.
So from hot to stone cold (about 55 F overnight), it had about 1/2-inch lower reading. Also, it is not leaking out of the engine.
The question I have is, what is going on? Why, if the oil drains down from the top end over time, would the level in the pan decrease?
This is not a problem, just a curiosity to me.
In my 1999 Plymouth Voyager the 2.4L 4-banger does the opposite. For example, last night we had a long run and about 5 minutes after we shut it off, I checked the oil. It was about 1/4-inch above the full mark. I checked it again in about 2 hours and it was about 1/8-inch below the full mark. Again this morning (about 14 hours later) it was 1/4 inch below the full mark.
So from hot to stone cold (about 55 F overnight), it had about 1/2-inch lower reading. Also, it is not leaking out of the engine.
The question I have is, what is going on? Why, if the oil drains down from the top end over time, would the level in the pan decrease?
This is not a problem, just a curiosity to me.