engine oil level

[dsmith]

Again, many thanks for all the engine oil level input. I am now happy, and hope that setright has recovered. My system now is to park on level ground at the filling station, pull the dipstick and leave it out while the car is being filled. In my 2000OBW, it takes about 4 minutes for the oil to run down. I then insert the dipstick just until the O ring contacts, then pull it and take the reading. The reason I am happy is that with 175K kilometers on it, it neither burns nor leaks oil. I am fairly sure most of the miles (108,000) are highway, but would be interested to hear how far some of these 2000 engines go without major repairs. Incidentally, my oil obsession comes from having grown up with flat head Fords in the 40s-great burners of oil... Great website. regards, D. Smith.

[slo5oh]

Okay, very creative. However, on my 1990 Legacy I replace the oil pan....and could see clearly that the tube did not reach below the level.

 

Maybe your engine is overfilled??

That's a totally different engine.

So is my '98.

 

Damn... I'm sorry to all of you with this problem. The tube riding all the way down into the oil is beyond a stupid design flaw.

[cookie]

discussion of how to check the oil?

[sios]

Just saw this still being talked about and wanted to stop in and say that a short time after my other reply here I had checked the oil level in the morning before driving. Was amazed to see the stick covered in oil about 2/3 the way up from the end. Somehow the tube had trapped it there and it never settled back into the pan.

 

I wonder if things would change for the better if I turn the dipstick around 180 degrees so that the handle's oilcan icon is facing the opposite direction?

 

Guess I'll just have to give that a try. Haven't been checking it as often as I probably should be because of the annoyance of double and triple dipping to get a decent reading. Well, that and I'm not one to check it more than once a month for any other cars I've had.

[Setright]

Level ground. Drain the oil pan, remove the oil filter. Prime the filter directly from a 4 litre oil can. Install filter, pour rest of oil into the engine. Add any amount over 4 litres that your owner's manual specifies.

 

Leave overnight. Remove dipstick, wipe clean, install all the way back into the pipe, remove and observe level. Make mental note of level to use in future oil level investigations.

 

Works for me :-)

[coloradosubarules]

I always wondered about that. Just tonight I was checking the oil in the legacy and it said it was bone dry, which I hope is wrong because I put over 500 miles on her in the last two days I think it would have grenaded by now. I checked the oil once before and it said it was low so I added a few quarts but when I checked it days later it was over filled. I bet I over filled it again tonight. I just got so used to checking the oil when I had a bad oil pump seal that I guess I just got in the habbit of checking it all the time. Good habbit though.

[cookie]

I have a 99 Forester so this only counts for a phase 2 SOHC. Since we know there are at least four basic cam cover designs it may not count for all of them. I am also useing 10-30 Dino oil.

On Saturday someone forgot the key to my wife's spa in SF. I ran up there with vigor shall we say, hitting 6,000 RPM on each shift. This is not my normal driving mode. When I got home I checked the oil and it was below the lowest line after sitting for a half hour. I added a half quart and checked it after a couple of hours and it was just below the highest hole.

I did not use the car for the rest of the day and all Monday. I checked the oil again before taking the wife to the airport today and it was way over filled dead cold. I am beginning to think if I run it hard it takes at least a day to drain about a half quart down from the valve covers.

Because the readings are not linear it is harder to really tell where you are.

When I check the oil when it comes back from a dealer oil change it shows slightly overfilled dead cold.