Thread: Am I a dipstick or what?

Originally Posted by dieseldo

Hi,

What is up with my 200tdi oil level? It goes from just under the full mark on the dipstick to way over full with about 10mls of oil! Nearly 20cm above the full mark. Drives me crazy. Is this common or do I have gremlins?

Ian.

If you mean that when you are filling it, you check the level and it is just under full, so you replace the dipstick, unscrew the lid of the oil container, carefully pour in another 10 mls, put the oil container back down, screw the lid on, go and get a clean piece of rag the wipe the dipstick, withdraw the dipstick, wipe it, replace it and withdraw it again to check the level, then yes, what is happening is common and perfectly normal.

What has happened is that quite a bit of your original lot of new oil was still making its way down into the sump and by the time of your final check, it was eventually contributing to the level.

If you mean you pull up, rush around to the front, lift the bonnet and check the oil and notice that it is just below full, so you go and get your oil container and repeat the process described in detail in the first paragraph, then yes, it is common.

The oil pumped up to places like the valves was still making its way down and having the effect described in the second paragraph.

If you mean you check the oil at home where your driveway slopes a bit one way and you then drive to the service station where the driveway slopes the other way to buy and add the oil, then yes, it is normal.

Some engines give an enormous difference in dipstick readings with just a small amount of lean. My Haflinger was the worst I have come across for that.

If none of the above apply, then you have gremlins.

Originally Posted by dieseldo

Is this common or do I have gremlins?

Ian.

Only if you feed your Mogwai after midnight

Thanks vnx205.

I'm pretty sure I'm using any of the "dipstick" methods of checking a dipstick that you so eloquently detailed. I'm doing the check the oil in the morning, cold engine, topping up with oil, enough to reach the full mark on a normal car sans gremlins, driving around, parking in the same spot (eliminates lean errors) and checking the oil again the next morning only to find that the bloody thing is almost up to the " Danger do not over fill" writing on the stick.

If I leave the oil just under the mark, and don't top up, I can drive around for months without anything weird happening to the oil level, just a slow decline as you would expect. Must be gremlins. Bugga.

The only way that those symptoms can be explained mathematically are:

1. that you have dipstick cylinder with a surface area of 5 sq mm
2. the bottom of the dipstick cylinder is sealed.
3. you fill the 10 mls directly into the dipstick cylinder.

Otherwise someone is exaggerating!

Diana

is this the ask aunty inc thread?

Oil being blown up the dipstick tube and not draining properly are you putting the DS in all the way

Ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit but not much. There is a disproportionate and sudden jump in oil level just before you get to the full mark........ nearly full, nearly full, waaaay over full. I was just wondering if anyone else had found this with a 200tdi. I have put a lot of oil in a lot of different cars and never come across this before. Yep dipstick in to the hilt.

Ian.