perhaps someone could explain this better to me.

On friday when I checked my oil level in the evening the level was way above the hatched (safe area). So i thought..perhaps it needs to be 100% cold, so I waited and checked it again 3 hours later. the oil level was still the same so I pumped a small amount out then went too far and it was below the "safe area". So put a bit back in. All seemed ok. next morning when I checked it (first thing) the oil was above the "safe area". I drove it anyway...all seemed ok.

When I got home i drained a bit out and got the level between the hatched area. I then rechecked the level again some 4 hours later and it was good.

This morning I checked the damn thing again and it was below the safe area. Nothing had leaked out on the floor. I took it for a quick 10 minute drive and checked the level again and it had risen a bit, but was just inside the safe area, so i topped up a bit more.

can anyone explain what i'm doing wrong?

i check my oil weekly but this is the first time i've started noticing odd behaviour.

perhaps someone could explain this better to me.

On friday when I checked my oil level in the evening the level was way above the hatched (safe area). So i thought..perhaps it needs to be 100% cold, so I waited and checked it again 3 hours later. the oil level was still the same so I pumped a small amount out then went too far and it was below the "safe area". So put a bit back in. All seemed ok. next morning when I checked it (first thing) the oil was above the "safe area". I drove it anyway...all seemed ok.

When I got home i drained a bit out and got the level between the hatched area. I then rechecked the level again some 4 hours later and it was good.

This morning I checked the damn thing again and it was below the safe area. Nothing had leaked out on the floor. I took it for a quick 10 minute drive and checked the level again and it had risen a bit, but was just inside the safe area, so i topped up a bit more.

can anyone explain what i'm doing wrong?

i check my oil weekly but this is the first time i've started noticing odd behaviour.

oh dear...it seems i have lost all sense of reality. Car does need warming up a bit before checking it to allow the oil to expand and then if i've been ona very long drive it probably will need more than just a few hours for the oil to drain back into the sump.

what a **** i am.

I've been so used to checking the oil when its warm, when i checked it 100% cold it confused me.

perhaps someone could explain this better to me.

On friday when I checked my oil level in the evening the level was way above the hatched (safe area). So i thought..perhaps it needs to be 100% cold, so I waited and checked it again 3 hours later. the oil level was still the same so I pumped a small amount out then went too far and it was below the "safe area". So put a bit back in. All seemed ok. next morning when I checked it (first thing) the oil was above the "safe area". I drove it anyway...all seemed ok.

When I got home i drained a bit out and got the level between the hatched area. I then rechecked the level again some 4 hours later and it was good.

This morning I checked the damn thing again and it was below the safe area. Nothing had leaked out on the floor. I took it for a quick 10 minute drive and checked the level again and it had risen a bit, but was just inside the safe area, so i topped up a bit more.

can anyone explain what i'm doing wrong?

i check my oil weekly but this is the first time i've started noticing odd behaviour.

If you had leaks (in or out) then there would be a consistent trend. It will change with temperature and needs to be left overnight for all oil to drain down and the engine cool. Four hours is not enough. Having said that, the difference shouldn't be the half litre or so change you're seeing. A slight lean/slope one way or the other will make a difference. If you're checking in exactly the same place with a level car, I'd suspect the dipstick or your technique. Are you sure that you clean the dipstick before each measurement and wait for the oil level to rise and stabilize on the stick (when you push the stick in, the air is compressed above it and it takes a few seconds for the oil to come up to its true level)? If so is the stick worn, bent, twisted or loose in the plastic top? Is it always going in fully? HTH

If you had leaks (in or out) then there would be a consistent trend. It will change with temperature and needs to be left overnight for all oil to drain down and the engine cool. Four hours is not enough. Having said that, the difference shouldn't be the half litre or so change you're seeing. A slight lean/slope one way or the other will make a difference. If you're checking in exactly the same place with a level car, I'd suspect the dipstick or your technique. Are you sure that you clean the dipstick before each measurement and wait for the oil level to rise and stabilize on the stick (when you push the stick in, the air is compressed above it and it takes a few seconds for the oil to come up to its true level)? If so is the stick worn, bent, twisted or loose in the plastic top? Is it always going in fully? HTH

Yes i clean the dipstick each time. I'll recheck again tonite

Honestly, I didn't realise that temperature would make any difference to the level recorded. All these years, I've checked my oil by just making sure the car is on level ground and the engine has been switched off for a couple of minutes. Dipstick in, wait a couple of seconds, dipstick out. Sounds like I might need to refine my technique .

Seriously, is there an optimum way to measure the oil level?

yeah drain it all out

yeah drain it all out

Quality :rofl:

I have always followed the below:

I always take a reading when the car is cold and has been sat idle for at least an hour on flat level ground. Oil viscosity changes when warm and so it thin's somewhat, but volume should roughly remain the same. What you are waiting for is the oil to drain back down the oil ways and the engine head. The reading is taken from the sump (bottom of the engine).

So take your initial reading in the morning, so the car has been left over night. That is your true reading. The next check should ideally be done again the following morning, or another time when the car has been idle for a period of time that the engine is cold.

If waiting is not an option, then an hour interval is still a safe reading. Just allow time for the oil to drain back down to the sump.

Hope this helps.

I have always followed the below:

I always take a reading when the car is cold and has been sat idle for at least an hour on flat level ground. Oil viscosity changes when warm and so it thin's somewhat, but volume should roughly remain the same. What you are waiting for is the oil to drain back down the oil ways and the engine head. The reading is taken from the sump (bottom of the engine).

So take your initial reading in the morning, so the car has been left over night. That is your true reading. The next check should ideally be done again the following morning, or another time when the car has been idle for a period of time that the engine is cold.

If waiting is not an option, then an hour interval is still a safe reading. Just allow time for the oil to drain back down to the sump.

Hope this helps.

Perfect Blundey, I was always told the best reading is from cold. Remember don't use cheap oil either. It really makes a difference.

Perfect Blundey, I was always told the best reading is from cold. Remember don't use cheap oil either. It really makes a difference.

Ill second that cheap oil is a no no. Back in the days I had a Corsa 1.2 and skimped out on oil. I bought the Tesco Oil which was 49p a litre! 4-5 bottles and it was filled. Car ran for a good few hundred miles until I started getting very noisey tappets and god knows what! Now the only time I use cheap oil is to do an engine flush on oil changes.