[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by R2D2

That's a good procedure to follow. Or, if it's not possible to monitor the tech give him the exact volume or slightly less oil in a can. You can always top off at home. For e.g. my cars take 4.2 and 3.8 litres respectively. I give the Toyota tech 4 litres and Fiat FNG chap 3.5 litres and top off 200 and 300 ml at home. Always ensuring I check oil levels before I leave the workshop.

Totally agree on that. My Terrano requires 4.6 Lit, I always fill up a full 4 Lit can, and top up half a lit next morning. It maintains a level between Low & High a little over 3/4th of the way towards high. If topped right up to high the car actually burns oil, and level drops again.

Originally Posted by R2D2

I check under the hood every time I start the car in the morning since cats and kittens are known to take refuge there. One more silly practice I have is checking the floor for any fluids (oil, brake fluid, coolant) after I back out from the garage. It's a habit from the old days of the family owning poorly manufactured Premier Padminis and Ambassador cars that leaked fluids regularly.

I come from the same catagory, 70's born who bought first own car in mid 90's and drove familly owned Premier padmini, Mahindra MM540 and Contessa etc for a few years till then.

@chaudh2s
and
@a4anurag

In cars where residual oil in dipstick channel smudge the stick, one should check the level early in the morning before starting the engine.
Oil from channel will also have settled down, and you will get an accurate level.

Rahul

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

I have noticed that...
the oil level cutoff is not clearly marked.
...it makes my life very stressful, thinking of the harm that the engine might be taking, due to too less or too much engine oil.

The dipstick is an approximate indication of oil level, not a digital precise readout about the exact volume of oil in the sump. A car tilted to one side has a different reading from one that is on absolutely flat ground.

Relax, don't work yourself up for nothing; no engine has ever been harmed by oil remaining between the Low and High marks (unless you run the engine upside down!). Therefore, as long as the oil level is (even vaguely) between the two marks, you're fine. If in doubt, add 200 ml. No big deal.

[lapis_lazuli]

I usually oversee the oil fill myself: I ask the tech to first unplug, and then attend to the filters and other replacements, till the oil flow has totally stopped, not even droplets. This means, the sump and the engine is actually empty except what is sticking to the walls. The drain plug is opened as a first step, and oil filled as a last, with the penultimate being tightening the drain plug. Plus, my car needs 3.3 liters. I never fill 3.3. Because I need to buy a full liter for the 0.3 part, and 3L or 1L x 3, is a standard package. For the last many years I have been filling 3 instead of 3.3, and the dipstick is at a little over half the mark. Till the next oil fill. A4Anurag surely has an overfill case. Not recommended neither is it harmless. For the OP: halfway is pefectly fine!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Nothing wrong with the dipstick, as explained by other members it’s over filled!

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

A4Anurag surely has an overfill case.

Originally Posted by R2D2

The oil should always be between the L and F mark on the dipstick. If the dipstick shows higher (or lower) oil levels than those marks they correspond to too much or too less oil present in the sump.

Forgot to update the thread yesterday evening.

Drained out approximately 250 ml of the oil from the engine. Let the car idle for 5 minutes to check for any leaks etc. Stopped the engine and checked the dipstick after 9 hours. Here is the current level:



Lesson Learnt:

Don't go blindly by the manual on the oil quantity to be poured in.

Quoting a very very good point by Jeroen Sir

Don’t go by how much oil is supposed to go in the engine. You simple don’t know how much gets left behind

Will make sure from here on, only 5.0 litres is poured into the engine.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

I am facing problem of oil level on the dipstick to be above the Upper Mark by a good margin in our Xylo E8 ABS Nov. 2009 that has crossed 314875 Kms even though the oil was replaced in front me. This problem is there since last 2-3 oil changes. Initially I thought the coolant might be mixing in the oil since Coolant level used to drop. But now the coolant level is stable.

I get 6 litres of Engine Oil poured as against Manual Recommendation of 6.5 Ltrs. I have not faced any low level problem till date. But I am concerned about this higher level indication since last 2-3 oil changes.

IIRC the dipstick did not show higher level of oil in its initial years.

Any advice from Expert Fellow Bhpians is welcome.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Oil levels are best checked in the mornings, after car has been parked overnight. Engine should be cold, and not started before checking.

This may not be true for all cars.

In my car's (Hyundai i10 1.1) manual, it is specifically mentioned that engine oil level should be checked after warming up the engine to its normal temperature (and then waiting for 5 minutes for the oil to return to the oil pan).

Please check your respective car manual for the correct procedure.

Rohan

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Drained out approximately 250 ml of the oil from the engine. Let the car idle for 5 minutes to check for any leaks etc. Stopped the engine and checked the dipstick after 9 hours. Here is the current level:

9 hours? It should be measured after few minutes is what the manual also mentions as per your earlier post.

As a practice it is good to do an oil level check after service, i have had multiple instances of under and over fill in my cars. Under fill is fine, whereas overfill is a pain.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

9 hours? It should be measured after few minutes is what the manual also mentions as per your earlier post.

I checked both ways. After following the procedure in the manual, level is on 'F' mark.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I checked both ways. After following the procedure in the manual, level is on 'F' mark.

I guess then the oil level has been corrected, you don't need to worry about it now.

[vaasu]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

[i]

Lesson Learnt:

Don't go blindly by the manual on the oil quantity to be poured in.

Quoting a very very good point by Jeroen Sir


Will make sure from here on, only 5.0 litres is poured into the engine.

Completely agree!
In my 1.6 diesel fluidic Verna, even the service center poured 5.2L oil as per manual. However, I have a habit of checking oil after service and noticed overfill. I also drained out close to 300 ml. Post that I have been carrying my own 5L oil can.

Thanks.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Oil levels are best checked in the mornings, after car has been parked overnight. Engine should be cold, and not started before checking.
.

That is precisely the method I learnt from my dad. But a couple of years ago, someone said that things have changed now, and it should be checked after around 10 to 15 minutes after an engine has been switched off. And this new method matches what has been posted on the prior page from a Creta's manual by A4Anurag.

I am still not sure what is correct.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I am still not sure what is correct.

The correct method will be described in your car's owner manual. There are some difference on how it is done for various cars, so stick to what your manual says.

Jeroen

[ashwinprakas]

Not a car person, but sharing my 1 rupee on motorcycles;

1. Dipstick is just for approximation and that too after which a few variables have been put to check i.e a minute after iding and a minute after letting the motorcycle sit idle after that, then setting the motorcycle on level ground you take a reading. Which makes sense as you cant be expected to let the motor idle overnight for a perfect read when you're on the road.

2. If you overfill the engine oil it will come out via the crank breather/pcv route and end up in your air filter box. You wont blow a seal as long as you dont fill way too much oil.

3. When I usually overfill by mistake I just let the motor run for a few seconds with the filler cap off, the excess oil gets expelled, messy but not as messy as having to drain via drain bolt.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Not a car person, but sharing my 1 rupee on motorcycles;

2. If you overfill the engine oil it will come out via the crank breather/pcv route and end up in your air filter box. You wont blow a seal as long as you dont fill way too much oil.

3. When I usually overfill by mistake I just let the motor run for a few seconds with the filler cap off, the excess oil gets expelled, messy but not as messy as having to drain via drain bolt.

The oil level settled after throwing out (some of the) excess oil from the open filler cap still may not be the correct level. I would suggest to maintain the level looking at the dipstick.

When you say that the dipstick is an approximate tool (considering slight slope of the road etc.) there are minimum and maximum marks on the same (to take care of these variations) and not one single line mark to fill the oil.

Overfill is dangerous for the engine. You can go through the thread (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...highway-4.html). There was a severe damage by excessive engine oil. Read post No. 6 and 60.

We BHPians love our cars / bikes and have a passion for knowing them thoroughly, maintaining them well. That is why we are here on this forum. So let us be particular about the crucial aspects like engine oil level.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

The oil level settled after throwing out (some of the) excess oil from the open filler cap still may not be the correct level. I would suggest to maintain the level looking at the dipstick.

Absolutely, given enough cranks the motor throws out more than the excess quantity as there is a revolving clutch basket inside the crank case that keeps splashing the oil around.

When you say that the dipstick is an approximate tool (considering slight slope of the road etc.) there are minimum and maximum marks on the same (to take care of these variations) and not one single line mark to fill the oil.

Might be the case with cagers but not with motorcycles, the surface actually makes a difference, more evident on motorcycles with an inspection window, and yes the level should be between the recommended marking, which literally is approximating the quantity of the oil inside the crank case.

Overfill is dangerous for the engine. You can go through the thread (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...highway-4.html). There was a severe damage by excessive engine oil. Read post No. 6 and 60.

Definitely, though not an expert on cars I still do know that valve lifters are dependent on oil pressure to work properly and it makes sense that overfilling might kill the motor.

But in the case of motorcycles the oil is thrown out via the PCV port, say if by chance there is way more fluid than what can go through the PCV port then the path of least resistance is the shifter shaft/ neutral switch seal, which again to put simply, your motorcycle wont burst into flames or die as you may put it.

We BHPians love our cars / bikes and have a passion for knowing them thoroughly, maintaining them well. That is why we are here on this forum. So let us be particular about the crucial aspects like engine oil level.

Unarguably, but at the same time it doesn't hurt to know a little more, which is something that might not seem that essential for the person who gets his oil changed at the convenience of a service center, but would make a lot of difference for the person who is left with no option than to change his oil by the side of the road.