Oil dip stick reading

[Old-Duckman]

Do you follow the correct process for checking the oil? AFAIK you have to drive like 5 miles then wait like 5mins before checking the oil, this allows the oil to run back to the sump, but still leaves some floating around the engine. i.e. don't read the oil stone cold

I have read about the BMW prescribed method before but never tried that. I usually check the oil level after the car has been sitting over night.

So I tried the wait 5 minute method yesterday after driving and...I got the same reading as when I let the car sit over night. The only difference was that with a hot engine the oil was more "fluid" like "thinner" and thus the oil on the dip stick tended to form a blob at the base of the center rectangle, but you could still see where it reached its upper level.

What I have found odd is that sometimes I get the different reading on the other side of the stick and sometimes I don't. I always check while the car is in the garage so that eliminates any variation in the angle that the car may be sitting at. Maybe that is due to the oil temp...even when the car has sat over night...maybe the ambient air temp affects it..??

I just went out and checked the oil level. The car has been sitting 3 hours since I last drove it and the oil level is up to the top of the center rectangle...on each side of the stick.

I wonder if it matters which way the dipstick is in the tube? It seems that no matter how I start to put the stick in, it twists around and the same face of the handle is always facing the front of the car. I know that sounds crazy (you guys are used to me sounding crazy) but one side of the handle is dirty and the other is not...indicating to me that one side usually (if not always) faces the front of the car.

Nothing to really worry about I suppose as the car seems to use very little oil but just curious. I'm a little compulsive about checking oil...glad my 04 has a dipstick instead of the light!

 

[kis]

I rarely check it the “BMW” way as well, I just forget. So it normally gets done on a stone cold engine.

I guess there is lots of tolerance built in anyway. I mean that little rectangle on the stick is equivalent to a whole litre. So long as you’re checking and you’re not starving the engine, I’m sure it’s fine.

But I guess I’m with you as well, since I try make sure it’s kept “optimal” in the important areas. I want to keep the car/engine a long time!