Checking oil: Hot or Cold

[nfpgasmask]

Okay Bart, this is the way I was taught and by god, it's even in the workshop manual, page 19. "The best time to check the engine oil level is when it is warm. After stopping the engine with the vehicle on a level surface, wait a few minutes to let the oil drain back into the oil pan." There are a few other things like keep the tip down and stuff. Hope that answers your question.

Thanks. What does "keep the tip down" mean? The tip of the dipstick?

Bart

[rowhard]

Yes, that way you won't get a false reading, the oil flowing over the mark on the stick.

[jgalt]

Yeah, the manual says to do it warm, which is what I've always done (after fill-up and 5-6 minutes of "settle-time"). Whatever you do, though, I think it's best to be consistent.

The only problem with checking while "cold" is that the oil will be somewhat condensed and you could overfill, but that's not necessarily a killer ...

Just be consistent.