Dipstick covered in oil-help!

[DaveG]

So, I just did my 10000 mile oil change on my 2010 liftback. Its the first oil change for this car I've done, since the dealer gave me 1 free oil change for 5000 miles. I've changed oil before. I looked up in the owner's manual that the Yaris uses 3.9 quarts of oil, so I put in 3.5, thinking that I'd see it on the dipstick, and then put in just a little more. Well, when I pulled out the dipstick, it was covered in oil about halfway up. Not the oil level part with the two dots, but halfway up the entire dipstick!
So, is there something I'm doing wrong, or did I put way too much oil in the car? It looked like this after running the engine for 1 minute, and also after running for 5 minutes and cooling for 5 minutes. Is the car safe to drive for a while? And, if I put too much oil in, how do I get it out???
Thanks in advance for the help!
Dave

[sickpuppy1]

OK, so can we assume you drained the old oil out first? I'm not trying to be a smart ass,just asking...... If so, did you wipe off the stick first before measuring, and of course with the engine off? And did your drain the engine and not the tranny? I know these may sound like dumb questions b,ut if you drained it right and filled it with 4 quarts or less, it shouldnt look like that.

[DaveG]

Yes. I drained out the old oil, replaced the filter, and then filled with new oil. I wiped off the dipstick, then inserted it for approx 3 seconds before removing again. Its almost like oil got up into the sleeve where the dipstick goes. The dipstick has a lot more oil on one side than the other, depending on how I insert it.

[Hershey]

Let it sit for a few hours then recheck . The backside of dipstick usually reads a tad higher than the front . The metal dipstick has 2 dimples on it , I put the dimple side in facing the front of the engine for a reading . Let us know how it goes .

[bankrobber]

I always pull the dipstick out and remove the oil cap from engine then remove filter and drain oil. Not sure how oil could be stuck in tube. Is it black on the stick or look clean oil?:

:iono:

[DaveG]

Hey sorry I havent posted back in a while. At 11000 miles the dipstick is still unreadable no matter how long I let the car sit. Instead of oil right up to where the level is, there is a thin film way past the two indicators. I did wipe it down before reinserting and reading. I'm worried that the dealer messed something up when they did the 5000 mi oil change, or that the engine doesn't have enough oil, and is going to destroy itself. Is the engine supposed to hiss slightly when I step on the gas?

[severous01]

you're not running the engine are you? your not supposed to check it running. you run it...for like 10 seconds then turn it off. or, you can safely assume to be about a 1/8" high on dipstick cuz when it goes into the filter that's where you'll be...full...

any way, just check it before you get in the car after it sits for a while. seems to me like you're either runnign it or checking immediately after running engine and it will be covered in oil...cuz the crank is slinging oil everywhere in there.

if you drained it and put in 3.5-4 quarts you're fine...unless you are using an aux cooler, second filter, or have a setup to check oil pressure with a secondary gauge.

[marcus]

i bet it was engine running while checking..

[zachryboles]

i bet it was engine running while checking..

+1 im going to take a stab that this is the case.

[DaveG]

I promise the engine was off, but checking after the car sits seems to work much better. It reads full on one side, and a half inch past full on the other side.

[marcus]

I promise the engine was off, but checking after the car sits seems to work much better. It reads full on one side, and a half inch past full on the other side.

the heck????????????

[severous01]

sliding it in and out...hehehe...puts oil on the tube...and dragging it downward puts oil higher than it should be. you're fine

[why?]

yea that makes no sense. Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and then reinsert it to check it. If the oil level is not the same on both sides, um, well i think you somehow entered an alternate universe.

[nemelek]

Hey sorry I havent posted back in a while. At 11000 miles the dipstick is still unreadable no matter how long I let the car sit. Instead of oil right up to where the level is, there is a thin film way past the two indicators. I did wipe it down before reinserting and reading. I'm worried that the dealer messed something up when they did the 5000 mi oil change, or that the engine doesn't have enough oil, and is going to destroy itself. Is the engine supposed to hiss slightly when I step on the gas?

If the engine didn't have enough oil a check engine light should appear. The dip stick is hard to read after a oil change. It is easier to read when the oil is dirtier.

For piece of mind have the oil changed again. I always do my own oil changes. That way I know it is done right.

[jambo101]

Its a 2010 just take it to the dealer and say whats up with the dipstick reading, if it truly was full halfway up the dipstick you would have oil gushing out somewhere when the car is running, maybe somewhere along the line some one put in the wrong dipstick..

[Altitude]

maybe somewhere along the line some one put in the wrong dipstick..

It's a known condition called Caveatipse's Revenge.

[auxmike]

I check my oil level after the car has sat OVERNIGHT.
Works like a charm.....:thumbup:

[cfeng]

i always have trouble reading these dipsticks too. they don't seem to be the best. i just find the lowest spot with a "u" matching on both sides of the dipstick, the u seems to be the remnant from the meniscus in the tube. anyone know of a better dipstick that would work for our engines, maybe one with hatch marks?

[DaveG]

I check my oil level after the car has sat OVERNIGHT.
Works like a charm.....:thumbup:

Thank you!! This works great. Finally somebody doesn't think I'm crazy. Letting the car sit for hours on a level surface (if you can find one) seems like a bit inconvenient, but whatever works...

[birdman]

Perhaps it's one of those unexplained mysteries like the Bermuda triangle.

[2007yariz]

I promise the engine was off, but checking after the car sits seems to work much better. It reads full on one side, and a half inch past full on the other side.

yea that makes no sense. Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and then reinsert it to check it. If the oil level is not the same on both sides, um, well i think you somehow entered an alternate universe.

I think the OP and I are on the same track. Everytime i check my oil level, one side of my sipstick reads clean(so i only look at this side) and the other side is all messy. My dipstick is a yellow plastic one with tiny lines between F and L of course, you guys have the metal one or we have the same dipstick??????

[DANIELTNIEVES]

I also have 2010 LB, 1st oil chg was complicated. The 3.9 qts listed in car manual was to fill a brand new engine that never had oil in it. Glad I decided to creep up on it starting at 3.5 qts. I found 3 qt and 20 oz just right, but also found new oil impossible to read on shiny metal of dipstick. After car sat overnight finally figured out to cut a tiny strip of brown paper bag and quickly pull the stick out and lay it horizontally on a table and lay the paper strip ontop of the stick where the 2 dots are. It gets dark from the oil, then carefully lift it off the stick not moving it up or down the stick, and see where the dark wet spot ends and see the corresponding place on the dipstick to get the measurement. After a few weeks the oil gets brown enough to just read the stick.

[Mike32539]

Dave G.,
Had the same problem on my son's 2007. Dealers were clueless. We put in 3 quarts, ran it a few seconds to fill the filter and checked it. Oil level was 3" high to my amazement. I let it sit overnight but it still read high. I tried inserting and removing the dipstick very slowly but achieved mixed results. It was sometimes completely covered and others it read to low. I'll bet there are others out there with this same issue but are getting the run around by the dealerships. Car is running fine but there is NO WAY to verify the amount of oil by the dipstick.

[2007yariz]

Dave G.,
Had the same problem on my son's 2007. Dealers were clueless. We put in 3 quarts, ran it a few seconds to fill the filter and checked it. Oil level was 3" high to my amazement. I let it sit overnight but it still read high. I tried inserting and removing the dipstick very slowly but achieved mixed results. It was sometimes completely covered and others it read to low. I'll bet there are others out there with this same issue but are getting the run around by the dealerships. Car is running fine but there is NO WAY to verify the amount of oil by the dipstick.

Hi Mike, i drive a 07 too. I do oil changes myself though. I just fill the baby up with 3.9 quarts of oil. The dipstick always show full! Like i said one said is not very clear, but the other side is.

[HerYarisNotMine]

Hey guys, stumbled on this thread while searching for a solution to the same problem with my wife's 07 HB. I guess no one has an answer? I always get a full reading on her dipstick, but when I drained the oil last time only a little more than three quarts came out, so the dipstick is obviously not reading correctly. One quart low for a full OCI isn't bad, but I would still like to monitor it myself.

I will let it sit overnight and recheck, but you are supposed to check oil levels with the oil hot, not cold.

[OTA'sTOY]

I will let it sit overnight and recheck, but you are supposed to check oil levels with the oil hot, not cold.


really! care to explain the difference?
:eek:

[Tom48]

Surely, you understand what happens to a fluid when its temperature rises. It expands. Would take up more space in the oil pan, hence the oil on the stick would read higher up the stick.

[HerYarisNotMine]

Checked it this morning and it appears that there is no difference between cold and hot readings...a pity, because I know something is up here...I personally think that the dipstick tube is too narrow and allows for oil to rub against the dipstick and confuse the reading.

P.S. I thought it was common knowledge that oil ought to be checked when the engine is hot. Tires when cold, oil when hot...

[sex]

Transmission oil is to be checked both cold and hot.

Engine oil is usually checked cool/cold since you want it to settle down into the pan.

How about running a pipe cleaner down the tube?

[OTA'sTOY]

Surely, you understand what happens to a fluid when its temperature rises. It expands. Would take up more space in the oil pan, hence the oil on the stick would read higher up the stick.

um yeah ok
sure
but for it to expand to where the OP says it does
halfway up the dipstick?
highy unlikely that it would expand an extra 1/2qt @ least

[armandjones]

So, I just did my 10000 mile oil change on my 2010 liftback. Its the first oil change for this car I've done, since the dealer gave me 1 free oil change for 5000 miles. I've changed oil before. I looked up in the owner's manual that the Yaris uses 3.9 quarts of oil, so I put in 3.5, thinking that I'd see it on the oil dipstick (http://www.car-stuff.com/oildipstick.htm), and then put in just a little more. Well, when I pulled out the dipstick, it was covered in oil about halfway up. Not the oil level part with the two dots, but halfway up the entire dipstick!
So, is there something I'm doing wrong, or did I put way too much oil in the car? It looked like this after running the engine for 1 minute, and also after running for 5 minutes and cooling for 5 minutes. Is the car safe to drive for a while? And, if I put too much oil in, how do I get it out???
Thanks in advance for the help!
Dave
Seems like I'm on the same page.. I checked the oil, found that there is oil about half way up the dip stick! Most of my cars were Japanese cars and I have never seen anything like this..Is this really normal? Could there be something wrong?

[Klink10]

If I'm not mistaken the oil change calls for 3.9 qts with filter. When I change mine I let it drain overnite with filter removed on a level surface. Next day button up the pan and prime a new filter before and then button that up. Add the remainder of the qt. used to prime the filter plus 2 1/2 more. That puts 3 1/2 in the car. Start and ck for leaks. Let run a few and shut down. Clean up after then ck dipstick. Add what I need to bring it to the full mark on the stick which usually leaves me a little left in the 4th qt. Checking the stick can be tricky.

Oil check...well I've read hot and cold. My thoughts and what I do. If I run the car to a point where it gets hot, stop and check oil, I know that there is oil still up in the engine which hasn't had time to return to the pan where the ck occurs leaving me with a "need oil" reading. Therefore when I'm done running the car, it's parked and the next time I'm ready, before I start the car I'll ck it and do what needs to be done before starting. Logic says the oil has had the chance to get back down in the pan say after an overnight sit vs a fill up with gas and oh ck. the oil while I'm at it type situation.

Do a search here for "oil change" and find the DIY. Read comments in regards to heat and how it affects level. If you stick with what the manual calls for in this case 3.9 with filter and you put that in then the only issue you have appears to be not being able to read the dipstick unless of course you have other issues and you are getting a water leak into your oil system.

Works for me and offered as suggestion not argument.

[Bluevitz-rs]

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread, but for anyone wanting to ditch the POS plastic dip stick for a metal one, I got one from a '95 Corolla. It's the exact same length, but the full level is a little less. I just used a file to score a new full mark in it and it works SOOO much better for reading.

[cali yaris]

Has anyone seen the plastic one break?

[Klink10]

No....and think of the weight savings....lol.