oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
i have a 2007 fiat Palio 1.6 petrol
it was all working fine till recently i changed my engine oil ,while the amount of oil to be filled in the engine is 4 liters , while filling 3 liters the oil dipstick is reading full . and after few hundred kms run i got engine oil low pressure warning light on my dashboard .
what could be the problem ?
iam in process of changing the engine oil and filter right now and mechanics near me are clueless regarding why this is happening .
it was all working fine till recently i changed my engine oil ,while the amount of oil to be filled in the engine is 4 liters , while filling 3 liters the oil dipstick is reading full . and after few hundred kms run i got engine oil low pressure warning light on my dashboard .
what could be the problem ?
iam in process of changing the engine oil and filter right now and mechanics near me are clueless regarding why this is happening .
while the culprit may be oil filter but why did the engine dip stick show full even when the oil poured in was just 70 % of
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hello. It sounds like you may have an issue with oil sludge. If there is sludge build up then that will cause this. Any sludge build up will keep the oil from draining into the oil pan and can affect oil pressure. I usually remove the cylinder head cover and check for sludge. If there is sludge then the engine may need to be flushed. If there is no sludge then there may be a restriction in the block itself.
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There are markings that indicate the level the oil should reach. Sometimes there are holes instead of marks. If the oil doesn`t reach inside the markings or holes on the dipstick, you need to add at least one quart of oil. If the dipstick is not showing an oil level, you need to add oil immediately.
RAY: The dipstick almost never lies. It can give you a false reading if you use it incorrectly — if you check it while the engine is running, or just after it`s been shut off and there`s still oil in the upper part of the engine that hasn`t drained down yet.
If you see no oil at the tip of the dipstick, that means your car needs to add oil, it is possible that there is some oil left at the bottom of the oil pan, or no oil left, because the dipstick is not touching the bottom of the oil pan.
Insert the dipstick into the tube slowly and push it all the way down. Now withdraw it and look closely at the tip, which should have oil on it. If the level of the oil is between the two lines, your vehicle has enough oil. If it`s at the low mark or below, it`s time to add a quart.
Hemoglobinuria, myoglobinuria, menstrual blood, concentrated urine, and strenuous exercise can cause a false-positive result on a dipstick test (4). A pH<5.1 and increased urinary density may result in false-negative reactions on the strip (4).
A positive urine dipstick has a great chance of being false positive. The average of the positive predictive value in the studies shows 61 percent. However, a negative urine dipstick seems to be more reliable, in which the negative predictive value shows an average of 83 percent.
If your engine is low on oil but there isn`t a leak, that means it`s probably being burned inside the engine. A bad PCV valve is a frequent culprit in the case of burning oil–but what is it, exactly? A PCV valve is designed to let air escape when the pressure in the crankcase is too high.
After adding some oil, wait about one minute for it to fully settle, then check your dipstick. If the level is still low, add the rest of your quart. In most cases, you won`t need more than that. But if you do, be sure to add it slowly to avoid accidentally using too much.
Low engine oil pressure
This can be serious if there is little oil or the oil pressure is low because your engine may be damaged if you continue driving. On the Fiat 500, this symbol may flash which may indicate that the engine oil needs replacing, which you can do when you arrange a service.
There will be two marks on the dipstick to show the optimum level that your oil should be at. Your oil level should be somewhere between the two. If your oil level is below the bottom line, or if there isn`t any oil on the dipstick at all, you should immediately top up your engine oil.
With most cars, it`s recommended that drivers check their oil when the engine is cold. However, some automakers recommend checking when the engine is warm for certain vehicles. To determine for sure which one applies to your car, check your Owner`s Manual.
Oil Life Monitoring systems are (thankfully) pretty accurate! Studies have shown that when the same vehicle was subjected to both around-town driving and then highway driving, the warning light came on much later during the highway driving.
Why does the oil dipstick read different on both sides? Rarely does a dipstick extend into the crankcase oil at an exact perpendicular angle, which means that one side is deeper in the oil reservoir than the other.
Run the engine a few minutes, shut off and wait until oil has descended into the pan (at least 30 minutes and an hour is safer). Pull the dip stick and use a file or dremel tool to mark the oil level “ADD”. Add the remaining two quarts, let the oil settle in the pan, pull the dipstick and mark this the “FULL” mark.
With most cars, it`s recommended that drivers check their oil when the engine is cold. However, some automakers recommend checking when the engine is warm for certain vehicles. To determine for sure which one applies to your car, check your Owner`s Manual.
Run the engine a few minutes, shut off and wait until oil has descended into the pan (at least 30 minutes and an hour is safer). Pull the dip stick and use a file or dremel tool to mark the oil level “ADD”. Add the remaining two quarts, let the oil settle in the pan, pull the dipstick and mark this the “FULL” mark.
With most cars, it`s recommended that drivers check their oil when the engine is cold. However, some automakers recommend checking when the engine is warm for certain vehicles. To determine for sure which one applies to your car, check your Owner`s Manual.
When too much oil is added, the level in the oil pan becomes too high. That allows a fast-moving lobed rod called the crankshaft to come into contact with the oil and essentially aerate it. The result is a foamy, frothy substance that cannot properly lubricate the engine.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
I have checked the oil level and the oil level on the dipstick is far over ‘maximum’. Should I carry out a full service?
ANSWER : You should find out the reason the oil is overfull. If the oil is contaminated with water then you may have a head gasket blown. If the oil is contaminated with fuel then you may have a fuel injection system flooding the engine. Either way have the oil and filter replaced (since it may be contaminated) and the correct amount of oil put in. When you have this service done, have them check why the oil was overfilled in the first place.
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oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
ANSWER : Hello. It sounds like you may have an issue with oil sludge. If there is sludge build up then that will cause this. Any sludge build up will keep the oil from draining into the oil pan and can affect oil pressure. I usually remove the cylinder head cover and check for sludge. If there is sludge then the engine may need to be flushed. If there is no sludge then there may be a restriction in the block itself.
Read Full Q/A … : oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
No oil on dipstick and slightly lower oil pressure
ANSWER : Hello. If you are checking the oil at the dipstick and it is being added to the correct area then you more than likely have a serious internal sludge issue. If there is a lot of sludge then the oil cannot properly return to the oil pan. I typically remove the valve covers to inspect for this as there should be no other reasons why the oil would not return to the oil pan. If you need to have this problem checked out, consider having a technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to diagnose the low oil level and make the necessary repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
after replacing oil pan gasket,low oil level light stays on, but oil level and pressure are normal?
ANSWER : Bob: Thanks for your inquiry. Oil level and oil pressure are measured using separate sensing systems. If the level sensing feature stopped working at the time the pan gasket was replaced, either the level sensor was damaged, not reconnected, or the wire harness and terminal were damaged. There is a possibility that the wire harness was just never re-connected to the level sensor so check that first. If you desire that this problem be diagnosed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request a warning light diagnostic – oil level and the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Read Full Q/A … : oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
Stop car check oil warning
ANSWER : This light will usually come on when one of two things are happening. Either the motor is in fact low on oil or the oil pressure sending unit is not working properly and may be producing a faulty reading. I would recommend first, to check the actual oil level in the motor by using the dipstick. Be sure the oil level reaches the "full" mark. If this registers as "full" then you likely have a faulty oil pressure sending unit. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to take a look at your vehicle to determine what may be causing your low oil pressure light to come on.
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lost all oil pressure, replaced the oil pump, low oil sensor, oil pressure sensor, oil pan gasket,
ANSWER : The fuel pump will not stay on if you loose oil pressure. This is why it is shutting off. The loss of oil pressure may be from bad crankshaft bearings or camshaft bearings. The engine oil pan should be removed and the oil pump needs to be checked to ensure that you put in the pick up tube seal to the pump and connected the pump to the block. Then remove at least one main bearing cap and inspect the bearings for excessive wear and crankshaft damage. If you need some help with this, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help diagnose the issue with your oil pressure firsthand and help you fix it accordingly.
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i just changed oil and i drove less than 200 miles and the dip stik show low oil levels and there is no oil leak My car has 135000
ANSWER : Hi there. How much oil did you put in during the oil change? What is the specification? How do you know that there is no oil leak? The engine may have a leak that simply has not dripped and provided visual evidence. I suggest having an inspection performed to be sure there aren’t any underlying problems. Your Mechanic has several available technicians that can assist you with an oil leak inspection.
Read Full Q/A … : oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
No oil on the dipstick
ANSWER : My first recommendation is to NOT START this engine until there is sufficient oil showing on the dipstick. Even if there was excessive sludge in the area of the valve covers, after an hour or two, most of the oil should drain back into the crankcase. A bad oil pump would not prevent the oil from coming to the correct level on the dipstick. Be sure to check to see how far down the dipstick goes into the motor. Sometimes new and fresh oil can be tough to see registering on the dipstick as well. If you need help having this addressed, a qualified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to inspect the oil problem and resolve the issue.
Read Full Q/A … : oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick
