Oil level

[Vrait]

Is my oil low or not? I've never had an oil stick this terrible. The the oil pools near the bottom, but there is a little oil that goes all the way to the top.

Sorry for the blurryness, it refused to focus on it.

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[blitz]

Hopefully this post helps:
https://www.civicx.com/threads/hard-to-see-oil-level-on-dipstick.24228/#post-408105

An oil level between the two see-through notches in the orange plastic is operationally correct.

 

[Vrait]

That doesn't really help, I know how dip sticks work.

What I'm asking is how thick is the oil supposed to be to tell where it is on this stick? I have oil going up to the top mark but it's pretty thin.

 

[blitz]

That doesn't really help, I know how dip sticks work.

What I'm asking is how thick is the oil supposed to be to tell where it is on this stick? I have oil going up to the top mark but it's pretty thin.

A very thin film of oil residue past the plastic orange tab is normal to see. I’ve noticed that I’ve had to check the oil level repeatedly to get a good reading because of the residue that clings to the upper areas of the dipstick

 

[blitz]

Here’s a pic of mine, shown sideways:

I agree that the positioning or design of the dipstick in the oil pan could use improvement.

 

[latole]

Is my oil low or not? I've never had an oil stick this terrible. The the oil pools near the bottom, but there is a little oil that goes all the way to the top.

Sorry for the blurryness, it refused to focus on it.

Picture is poor, oil look low to me

 

[Gruber]

If you can't tell exactly where the oil level is on the dipstick, and you are unable to take a sharp picture, you will also have a problem with getting help on the forum. I would recommend asking a mechanic and a photographer for help.
My advice is to try taking a picture at a much closer distance and/or on a uniform background.

 

[Lifesabeach]

It really says something about the design of a simple dipstick when you cant even tell what the level of oil you have present. Honda have some fantastic world leading engineers but they have made a right royal cock up this time, sorry rant over

 

[latole]

It really says something about the design of a simple dipstick when you cant even tell what the level of oil you have present. Honda have some fantastic world leading engineers but they have made a right royal cock up this time, sorry rant over

 

[Mikeybc]

It really says something about the design of a simple dipstick when you cant even tell what the level of oil you have present. Honda have some fantastic world leading engineers but they have made a right royal cock up this time, sorry rant over

You haven't owned a 3.5 L Nissan yet have you LOL. I usually check about 3 times back to back, that helps clear any residual oil from dipstick tube, I usually have a nice clean line from wet to dry, I find it easy to read. The Nissan on the other hand is still next to impossible to tell we here the oil is after 10 dips

 

[Gruber]

You haven't owned a 3.5 L Nissan yet have you LOL. I usually check about 3 times back to back, that helps clear any residual oil from dipstick tube, I usually have a nice clean line from wet to dry, I find it easy to read. The Nissan on the other hand is still next to impossible to tell we here the oil is after 10 dips

I almost owned a Pathfinder. I had it already in my garage, but then I changed my mind, drove the SUV back to the dealer, and bought the direct competitor, my current civic.
I swear one of the factors that influenced my final decision was the long, thin, hard to read dipstick. ( I even wrote about it some time ago on this forum).
Since some time, I have been checking any new car I might want to buy for basic maintenance procedures before I pull the trigger. If there is anything obnoxious about oil+filter change or air filter replacement, I walk away. The civic passed the test. It's not "hard" to check the dipstick accurately, it just takes a longer time. Like up to a whole 5 seconds to look at it at the right angle instead of one second (my CRV dipstick).

 

[Mikeybc]

I almost owned a Pathfinder. I had it already in my garage, but then I changed my mind, drove the SUV back to the dealer, and bought the direct competitor, my current civic.
I swear one of the factors that influenced my final decision was the long, thin, hard to read dipstick. ( I even wrote about it some time ago on this forum).
Since some time, I have been checking any new car I might want to buy for basic maintenance procedures before I pull the trigger. If there is anything obnoxious about oil+filter change or air filter replacement, I walk away. The civic passed the test. It's not "hard" to check the dipstick accurately, it just takes a longer time. Like up to a whole 5 seconds to look at it at the right angle instead of one second (my CRV dipstick).

My Civic replaced an 06 CRV, the Nissan (Murano) is my wife's.

 

[Shankmeyster]

The worst designed dipstick for what our oil viscosity is. Why would you make the tip almost the same color as the oil so it's far harder to see where the line actually is? A lot of us wish they had just kept a fully metal dipstick and that someone would make an aftermarket version that's easier to read.

 

[2017touring]

The worst designed dipstick for what our oil viscosity is. Why would you make the tip almost the same color as the oil so it's far harder to see where the line actually is? A lot of us wish they had just kept a fully metal dipstick and that someone would make an aftermarket version that's easier to read.

I agree! I checked the oil level in my Civic 1.5T after 2200 miles and it looked like I had oil dilution. I replied to a post here as well stating I have oil dilution issues, however, I checked the oil level yesterday and it showed it right where it was when I changed the oil 2 months ago. Initially I thought I had oil dilution issues but it seems that even after having the car sit overnight, the oil level on the dipstick can differ from day to day. Safe to say my car is not showing any oil dilution issues over the last 5000 miles I have had the car.

 

[Gruber]

I agree! I checked the oil level in my Civic 1.5T after 2200 miles and it looked like I had oil dilution. I replied to a post here as well stating I have oil dilution issues, however, I checked the oil level yesterday and it showed it right where it was when I changed the oil 2 months ago. Initially I thought I had oil dilution issues but it seems that even after having the car sit overnight, the oil level on the dipstick can differ from day to day. Safe to say my car is not showing any oil dilution issues over the last 5000 miles I have had the car.

By how much would it differ from day to day?

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