How to read dipstick

MuffinMcFluffin

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So I have a new '19 Civic Si, and 767 miles in I decide to check my oil just because. I look at the dipstick, and it looks like the oil is below the wanted line! So I quickly rush to an auto parts store, buy a quart of the desired oil, and off I drive.

This morning, I'm trying to read it just to see where it's at, and I just can't tell. I wipe off the stick beforehand, then when I stick it in for a few seconds and pull it back out, I'm getting the same dark oil underneath the line as before, but then the rest of it seems to have a slight bit of oil, all the way up an inch on the metal piece!

I don't know if that's just scraping against oil on the side when I'm sliding it in and out, or if the oil was already full and sticking another quart in has made it rise this high... I really don't know. I was sitting there before cursing at myself for not checking it early enough and running on empty, and now I may end up cursing at myself for putting way too much oil into my car. However, for all I know I still may be a quart too low on oil! I just can't read the damn thing.

I'll snap a photo of it later, but I need to know what it should look like when oil is normal. Thanks.
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So I have a new '19 Civic Si, and 767 miles in I decide to check my oil just because. I look at the dipstick, and it looks like the oil is below the wanted line! So I quickly rush to an auto parts store, buy a quart of the desired oil, and off I drive.

This morning, I'm trying to read it just to see where it's at, and I just can't tell. I wipe off the stick beforehand, then when I stick it in for a few seconds and pull it back out, I'm getting the same dark oil underneath the line as before, but then the rest of it seems to have a slight bit of oil, all the way up an inch on the metal piece!

I don't know if that's just scraping against oil on the side when I'm sliding it in and out, or if the oil was already full and sticking another quart in has made it rise this high... I really don't know. I was sitting there before cursing at myself for not checking it early enough and running on empty, and now I may end up cursing at myself for putting way too much oil into my car. However, for all I know I still may be a quart too low on oil! I just can't read the damn thing.

I'll snap a photo of it later, but I need to know what it should look like when oil is normal. Thanks.
The dipstick can be difficult to read. When checking cold, there should not be oil up the stick.
These engines do not have a history of consuming oil but rather the opposite. The level sometimes will raise from dilution.
You've likely overfilled it. Especially if you put in a full quart?
 
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MuffinMcFluffin

MuffinMcFluffin

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Yes, I put in a full quart. When checked at the gas station, it was clear that it was below the line. In my previous car, filling it up a full quart would not have put it from below the lower line to above the upper line.

The other thing someone just told me is I shouldn't check it unless on level ground. Maybe I'll try it later when I end up driving it again.

So now what if I overfilled it? Can I empty some of it out then? This is something I always had trouble reading on my old car as well. I wish I was just "better" at this kind of stuff. I just don't want to break my new baby, even when trying too hard.
 

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Yes, I put in a full quart. When checked at the gas station, it was clear that it was below the line. In my previous car, filling it up a full quart would not have put it from below the lower line to above the upper line.

The other thing someone just told me is I shouldn't check it unless on level ground. Maybe I'll try it later when I end up driving it again.

So now what if I overfilled it? Can I empty some of it out then? This is something I always had trouble reading on my old car as well. I wish I was just "better" at this kind of stuff. I just don't want to break my new baby, even when trying too hard.
One would think, with all of Honda's engineering genius, they could come up wit a better, easier to read dipstick design, the current one really, really sucks!!! JMHO
 

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Curious as to what your previous car was. Every Honda I've ever owned, it only took half a quart to bring it from between the lines to full. I'm thinking you might have jumped the gun here, and yes you should always check the oil on level ground.
 


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Curious as to what your previous car was. Every Honda I've ever owned, it only took half a quart to bring it from between the lines to full. I'm thinking you might have jumped the gun here, and yes you should always check the oil on level ground.
It was a '99 Honda Civic EX. In all fairness, that car had oil leak issues which could explain why it took less time for another fill-up, however that would not explain why I could always fill it up with a quart of oil and never have any trouble staying within the two lines (much less reading them on that car).
 

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So I have a new '19 Civic Si, and 767 miles in I decide to check my oil just because. I look at the dipstick, and it looks like the oil is below the wanted line! So I quickly rush to an auto parts store, buy a quart of the desired oil, and off I drive.

This morning, I'm trying to read it just to see where it's at, and I just can't tell. I wipe off the stick beforehand, then when I stick it in for a few seconds and pull it back out, I'm getting the same dark oil underneath the line as before, but then the rest of it seems to have a slight bit of oil, all the way up an inch on the metal piece!

I don't know if that's just scraping against oil on the side when I'm sliding it in and out, or if the oil was already full and sticking another quart in has made it rise this high... I really don't know. I was sitting there before cursing at myself for not checking it early enough and running on empty, and now I may end up cursing at myself for putting way too much oil into my car. However, for all I know I still may be a quart too low on oil! I just can't read the damn thing.

I'll snap a photo of it later, but I need to know what it should look like when oil is normal. Thanks.
AND, in another area of this Forum ...

I have trouble reading mine, and it might have cost me for my car break-in period.

When reading it at the gas station, it appeared below the bottom line. So I filled it up with a quart of oil. Now when I read it, it looks like there is oil all the way up to the metal piece. Not as dark, so I really can't tell! The dark part still "reads" underneath the bottom line.

I have several issues here:

1) I may have too much oil in my car.

2) I may not have enough even still, and the side walls are too oily that any time I put in the dipstick it will be reading that.

3) I knew I couldn't get an oil change within the maintenance minder reading a low amount, but as I understood it I would still have to refill the oil myself if it was low. In my old '99 Civic, every 4-5 gas fill-ups I would have to check out that thing in case the oil got low, and I would have to put in a full quart each time. Other people are saying with this car that I shouldn't have to go that short before filling up oil again, and I shouldn't have to put in that much. Anyway, now I don't just have the original car's oil in there during the break-in period.

Anyone know where to get the break-in oil? Should I talk to my dealership about all of this? I only have like 800 miles on the car.

Thanks.
So, you seem to have overfilled your oil with a quart of what type of additional oil ?

I am no expert, but this seems to be quite a bad move for numerous reasons.

I see you have 2 choices:

(1) Have the dealer sort it out .. they should be able to drain and re-fill with Honda break In oil. I would assume they have access to this (or similar) - they "should" need it if doing certain types of engine work.

(2) Fix your mistake yourself (and don't tell the Dealer).
#1 is to get the excessive oil out.
It might be easier for you to get a Dip Stick oid suction device, and suck out a quart, rather than messing about under the car with the oil drain plug -- and getting into more trouble.
Then check oil level, and start replacing the oil with what you took out, till you get to the right level.
At the end of this process you will have a mixture of oil in the car, but the majority will be the break in oil, and I would assume that might be OK.

You "could" suck it all out (as much as you can), and then fill with an OFF THE SELF break in oil, but that might get you into further trouble.

Remember, at about 15% you are probably going to have the Dealer do your 1st "Official" oil and filer change. If you are not going to tell the Dealer what you did, you will be hoping that they do not notice what you have been up to -- and start making noises about Voided Warranty, either now , or Later.

Get some advise from other and decide.
Please DO NOT just do what I suggest without first checking with a few other more knowledgeable people.
The above is what I would do, not necessarily what I am recommending you do.

PS: did a quick Internet search -- did not see anyone selling "HONDA BREAK IN OIL" as such.
 

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Yes, I put in a full quart. When checked at the gas station, it was clear that it was below the line. In my previous car, filling it up a full quart would not have put it from below the lower line to above the upper line.

The other thing someone just told me is I shouldn't check it unless on level ground. Maybe I'll try it later when I end up driving it again.

So now what if I overfilled it? Can I empty some of it out then? This is something I always had trouble reading on my old car as well. I wish I was just "better" at this kind of stuff. I just don't want to break my new baby, even when trying too hard.
When checked at the gas station, it was clear that it was below the line.

That was your 1st big mistake. Your engine had just been running when you checked the oil at the gas station.


You should always check the oil, after it has had a chance to cool down, and the oil has drained back into the crankcase.
It will always read significantly low, if you test just after running the engine.

So you topped it up ( to the fill line ? ) when it was hot, and oid had not had a chance to drain back into the crankcase.
Then, the next MORNING, at home, you tested the level, after the oil had drained back, and of course it was too high.

It should say this clearly in the User manual.. Check the oil, some time after running the engine, ( oil is not Hot - ie near ambient temperature) with the car on level ground.
 
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When checked at the gas station, it was clear that it was below the line.

That was your 1st big mistake. Your engine had just been running when you checked the oil at the gas station.


You should always check the oil, after it has had a chance to cool down, and the oil has drained back into the crankcase.
It will always read significantly low, if you test just after running the engine.

It should say this clearly in the User manual.. Check the oil, some time after running the engine, with the car on level ground.
Yeah, someone had just told me that as well. It barely ran though, to be fair. That's how I've always checked oil though, which clearly isn't a good thing...

Problem is that I live on a hill, so there is almost no way that I'll be checking the oil on flat ground with it being cold.
 

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Yeah, someone had just told me that as well. It barely ran though, to be fair. That's how I've always checked oil though, which clearly isn't a good thing...

Problem is that I live on a hill, so there is almost no way that I'll be checking the oil on flat ground with it being cold.
Barely running is enough for the oil to get pumped from the crankcase, around the engine, lowering the level in the crankcase, which is what you measure with the Dip Stick.
 


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MuffinMcFluffin

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Barely running is enough for the oil to get pumped from the crankcase, around the engine, lowering the level in the crankcase, which is what you measure with the Dip Stick.
Then how come when I would drive to get an oil change and the person shows me my stick and says: "See this? Your oil is a quart low. It needs to be filled here," they don't calibrate with respect to the fact that I had just driven there to begin with?
 

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When checking cold, there should not be oil up the stick.
Are you serious ! :banghead:

Oil level must be all in the engine bottom = cold engine or wait one hour or more.

I understand now why so many Oil Dilution threads ; wrong dipstick reading:lol:

MuffinMc there is a thread how to read dipstick .
 
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Are you serious ! :banghead:

Oil level must be all in the engine bottom = cold engine or wait one hour or more.

I understand now why so many Oil Dilution threads ; wrong dipstick reading:lol:

MuffinMc there is a thread how to read dipstick .
You ever heard that saying lost in translation. You're somehow implying that oil will be harder to read cold as oil will be all over the stick from pulling it out. I said oil will not be up the stick ( basically making it easier to read).

You continue to obsess over this magical one hour mark. This is not 90w. It's 0w20 water which the vast majority drains back to the pan in a few minutes. Maybe your 2.0 is different but my level after 5 min is virtually identical to after5 hours or overnight as we've previously discussed.
 

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You ever heard that saying lost in translation. You're somehow implying that oil will be harder to read cold as oil will be all over the stick from pulling it out. I said oil will not be up the stick ( basically making it easier to read).

You continue to obsess over this magical one hour mark. This is not 90w. It's 0w20 water which the vast majority drains back to the pan in a few minutes. Maybe your 2.0 is different but my level after 5 min is virtually identical to after5 hours or overnight as we've previously discussed.
All members of the forum will have understood that 1 hour means the cold engine or at least the time to let the oil down in the pan


I always do my own oil change since 30 years and even after 1 hour the old oil continues to flow from the oil plug , very little but there is still some.
I always put the amount of oil recommended by Honda and reading on the dipstick is always good if I wait long enough; cold engine.
If I wait only 5 minutes ,diptstick show low oil level.

Which proves that if you wait only 5 minutes, the dipstick reading will be distorted.

Any other explanation ?
 

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