Best time to check oil?
Thread Starter
USMC (retired)
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,267
Likes: 4
From: Wimauma FL
Originally Posted by wamara
if you check your owner's manual, I believe it says to check the oil when it's hot but after the engine has been shut down for a few minutes.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
From my experience, I found that I could not get a consistent reading unless I let it sit overnight and check cold. When checking hot, I have let it sit varying amounts of time and on one occasion overfilled due to erroneous readings. Now, I pull the dipstick before a cold start only.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,886
Likes: 20
From: Olathe, Kansas
Originally Posted by vettenuts
From my experience, I found that I could not get a consistent reading unless I let it sit overnight and check cold. When checking hot, I have let it sit varying amounts of time and on one occasion overfilled due to erroneous readings. Now, I pull the dipstick before a cold start only.
It's Very difficult to get an accurate reading when the engine is hot, even after sitting for awhile. What I do is the morning after changing my oil (6.5 quarts with filter) I check the oil cold. This gives me a reference point with a full crankcase. Now I just check the oil before starting the car, and I can get an accurate reading everytime!
