Check oil when engine is hot or cold?

> wrote in message
...
> On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
> engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
> the engine was running for a while.
> Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
> periods.
> When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
> overnight, or after being driven for a while?

It isnt that critical... You need to be above the fill line, and below the
overfull line.
This is not rocket science.

I never said it was rocket science.
But atleast twice in the 250K miles I have owned the car. A
measurement a few minutes after engine is stopped yielded a
measurement slightly below the lower mark. And when I let the car sit
overnight, the measurement was slightly above the mark. Both times I
checked each measurement atleast twice to confirm. Both times I was on
level ground. This was very strange and I just wanted to know what
could be the cause behind it.



On Aug 3, 6:23*pm, "HLS" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
> > engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
> > the engine was running for a while.
> > Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
> > periods.
> > When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
> > overnight, or after being driven for a while?
>
> It isnt that critical... You need to be above the fill line, and below the
> overfull line.
> This is not rocket science.

A: Because it ruins the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?


wrote:
> I never said it was rocket science.
> But atleast twice in the 250K miles I have owned the car. A
> measurement a few minutes after engine is stopped yielded a
> measurement slightly below the lower mark. And when I let the car sit
> overnight, the measurement was slightly above the mark. Both times I
> checked each measurement atleast twice to confirm. Both times I was on
> level ground. This was very strange and I just wanted to know what
> could be the cause behind it.
>
>
>
> On Aug 3, 6:23 pm, "HLS" > wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>>
>> ...
>>
>>> On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
>>> engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
>>> the engine was running for a while.
>>> Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
>>> periods.
>>> When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
>>> overnight, or after being driven for a while?
>> It isnt that critical... You need to be above the fill line, and below the
>> overfull line.
>> This is not rocket science.
>

> wrote in message news:cc94ef48-9b9f-47eb-818b-\

This was very strange and I just wanted to know what
could be the cause behind it.

It isnt strange at all. Oil expands when hot and contracts when cold, but
also the engine
parts do the same. There will be some volumetric diffences due to
temperature.

Mainly the oil will drain out of the remote crevices overnight and it may
give a reading that is
slightly more than a short stop reading.

Now, if you are using something like Amsoil and change it only infrequently,
you may see large differences. I have seen some of this crap that is so
viscous you need to drain the engine for a LONG time just to change the oil.
Otherwise a 5 quart fill may give you 5 and a half quarts in the crankcase.

On 8/3/08 10:28 PM, in article
,
" > wrote:

> I never said it was rocket science.
> But atleast twice in the 250K miles I have owned the car. A
> measurement a few minutes after engine is stopped yielded a
> measurement slightly below the lower mark. And when I let the car sit
> overnight, the measurement was slightly above the mark. Both times I
> checked each measurement atleast twice to confirm. Both times I was on
> level ground. This was very strange and I just wanted to know what
> could be the cause behind it.
>
>

If your problem is that it shows slightly above or slightly below the fill
mark, the answer is the same - add some oil.

You want it to be well into the gap between fill and max whenever you check
it. Small differences due to temperature expansion/contraction or weirdness
with the oil filter bypass don't count.


>
> On Aug 3, 6:23*pm, "HLS" > wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>>
>> ...
>>
>>> On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
>>> engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
>>> the engine was running for a while.
>>> Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
>>> periods.
>>> When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
>>> overnight, or after being driven for a while?
>>
>> It isnt that critical... You need to be above the fill line, and below the
>> overfull line.
>> This is not rocket science.
>

On Aug 3, 1:59*pm, wrote:
> It actually does. I noticed sometimes a huge difference in dipstick
> level vs. one hour of sitting vs. overnight.
> My owners manual doesn't provide advice on when to check it.
>
> On Aug 3, 9:37*am, wrote:
>
>
>
> > as for hot engine vs sitting over night. i don't think it matters
> > much, just make sure you change the oil every 5,000 km or 3,000 miles- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Check your oil first thing in the morning before you start your motor.
Make sure you are on level ground. Just pull out the dipstick and look
at it. No need to wipe it.

On Mon, 4 Aug 2008 07:37:20 -0500, "HLS" > wrote:

>
> wrote in message news:cc94ef48-9b9f-47eb-818b-\
>
> This was very strange and I just wanted to know what
>could be the cause behind it.
>
>It isnt strange at all. Oil expands when hot and contracts when cold, but
>also the engine
>parts do the same. There will be some volumetric diffences due to
>temperature.
>
>Mainly the oil will drain out of the remote crevices overnight and it may
>give a reading that is
>slightly more than a short stop reading.
>
>Now, if you are using something like Amsoil and change it only infrequently,
>you may see large differences. I have seen some of this crap that is so
>viscous you need to drain the engine for a LONG time just to change the oil.
>Otherwise a 5 quart fill may give you 5 and a half quarts in the crankcase.

If there's a noticeable change in how fast the oil drains down from
the heads it might be worth looking for clogged oil passages.
Think that was a problem with some Camry heads, and it could happen
with any car with lots of miles.
Don't have enough info to know if that change in draindown time
happened.

--Vic

"Vic Smith" > wrote in message
...
> If there's a noticeable change in how fast the oil drains down from
> the heads it might be worth looking for clogged oil passages.
> Think that was a problem with some Camry heads, and it could happen
> with any car with lots of miles.
> Don't have enough info to know if that change in draindown time
> happened.
>
> --Vic

The Amsoil situation I quoted was on a little import type pickup (dont
remember
the maker at present), and the owner went 12-14,000 miles between changes.
When I changed the oil on it, I couldnt believe how viscous and mucky it
was.
When it stopped draining, I replaced the filter, and refilled the crankcase
with the
"correct" amount of oil....and found I was a half quart too full. I should
have let
it drain for several hours, it turns out. But no harm done.

I wouldnt run that crap, nor that change interval, in anything I own.

Some heads that I can remember did have smaller than optimum drain holes.
In particular, the 2.5 litre Iron Duke gave me some problems with oil
leakage
around the valve cover gaskets because it would not drain properly. I
"fixed"
that by opening the drain holes with a grinder, and machining the head
sealing
surfaces flat (they were cast, rough, crappo pieces). Then I installed a
cast
aluminum valve cover for rigidity and the problem was solved. But, you
never
solve all the problems with that particular engine.

In article >,
Matt > wrote:

> wrote:
> > On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
> > engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
> > the engine was running for a while.
> > Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
> > periods.
> > When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
> > overnight, or after being driven for a while?
>
>
> RTFM :-)

What does the "FM" say these days? When I learned how to drive,
the procedure was to:

1) start the engine when it is cold
2) let it run for 1 minute
3) shut it off
4) check the oil 1 minute after you shut it off

Is that still the current ideal procedure?

In reality, as long as you are not too high and not too low, you
are probably OK, so it likely doesn't matter too much how you
check it.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III * * * * * 612-720-2854 * * * * *
Newave Communications * * * * * * * * * * * * http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

"John A. Weeks III" > wrote in news:john-
:

> In article >,
> Matt > wrote:
>
>> wrote:
>> > On my 15 year old Accord, I get different dipstick readings when the
>> > engine has been sitting overnight vs. checking 10 minutes or so after
>> > the engine was running for a while.
>> > Most probably due to settling of oil into the pan over long time
>> > periods.
>> > When is it best to check oil. In the morning after the engine sits
>> > overnight, or after being driven for a while?
>>
>>
>> RTFM :-)
>
> What does the "FM" say these days? When I learned how to drive,
> the procedure was to:
>
> 1) start the engine when it is cold
> 2) let it run for 1 minute
> 3) shut it off
> 4) check the oil 1 minute after you shut it off
>
> Is that still the current ideal procedure?
>


That makes no sense.

Why would you run settled oil through an engine that's of variable ambient
temperature, allow the oil to drip back down into the pan at some
indeterminate and variable rate, then attempt to measure the variable
product of your activity?

If your oil consumption is normal (+4,000mi/qt), all you need to do is make
sure you're well above the minimum level. For this, a quick check at the
gas station is sufficient. If your consumption is high (as mine is;
~2,000mi/qt), and/or you're trying to determine _precisely_ what your
consumption level is, you need to be far more rigorous. And this means
checking first thing in the morning, before the engine is cranked, and with
the car sitting in the exact same attitude for each check.

The comparative validity of any measurements lie in the consistency of
method from instance to instance.



--
Tegger