Engine Oil level question Options

[Spiderman302]

Can some expert offer some advice for the following :

Must engine oil be filled up to the "full" level ?

As the dip stick shows both "L" and "H" mark, theoretically 3/4 full should be ok right ?

[Good-Carbuyer]

Can some expert offer some advice for the following :

Must engine oil be filled up to the "full" level ?

As the dip stick shows both "L" and "H" mark, theoretically 3/4 full should be ok right ?

"L" is the manufacturers' recommendation to avoid issue like cavitation.
Topping up higher than "H" level can result in "oil leakage on some engines"
Should not have any oil level issue if we maintain between "L" and "H"

[Angchug]

[quote name='Spiderman302' date='Dec 10 2011, 03:46 PM' post='4151664']
Can some expert offer some advice for the following :

I did a search and as per the Engine Oil Viscosity Chart for a tropical country like us we should be using 15w40 - 20w50.
However I noticed in the forum most members recommend 0w30 - 5w40 range. Any special reason to choose such a cold temp range?

Thank You

[Torquemonster]

Engine oil should be filled closer to the full line, but never overfill the oil because if it's too high it will come into contact with the moving crankshaft and as a result it will get whipped up with air and form air bubbles, instead of circulating oil through the engine, it will circulate those air bubbles through your engine and not lubricate effectively.

[Tainey]

"L" is the manufacturers' recommendation to avoid issue like cavitation.
Topping up higher than "H" level can result in "oil leakage on some engines"
Should not have any oil level issue if we maintain between "L" and "H"

Its really a nice information and also important for everyone and me also.

[Darkblue]

Can some expert offer some advice for the following :

I did a search and as per the Engine Oil Viscosity Chart for a tropical country like us we should be using 15w40 - 20w50.
However I noticed in the forum most members recommend 0w30 - 5w40 range. Any special reason to choose such a cold temp range?

Thank You

Based on the average temperate of Singapore from 1965 to present... we can safely ignore the cold temp rating.

Quality of manufacturer and oil change interval should be your main concern.

[5936]

Before yanking out the dipstick, check that car is on LEVEL ground.
The difference between full and 3/4 is only less than 1L and short scale on the dipstick for small engines, so some slopes can really affect real oil level readings.

[Chucky2007]

During my last servicing, I noticed that workshop may have overfilled.. In morning when cold, the oil level is above the F level... Should I go n drain off the engine oil? Or justnleave it for another 9500km until next servicing?

[ER-3682]

During my last servicing, I noticed that workshop may have overfilled.. In morning when cold, the oil level is above the F level... Should I go n drain off the engine oil? Or justnleave it for another 9500km until next servicing?

If just 2-3mm above the F mark is O.K.,some cars may 'eat' some oil in 3-4 k km.

[5936]

Should remove the excess oil till 3/4 mark

[Adrianli]

Should remove the excess oil till 3/4 mark

I disagree.

When engine is cold and not started, oil level should be at H level or slightly above H level. When engine is running, the oil level will drop to between 3/4 to H level.

[Kangadrool]

During my last servicing, I noticed that workshop may have overfilled.. In morning when cold, the oil level is above the F level... Should I go n drain off the engine oil? Or justnleave it for another 9500km until next servicing?

w/s tends to fill up more than F level. Every time after servicing, I will DIY pump out the excess (about 0.5L). Too much engine oil is bad for the engine.

The reason why they overfill is they are afraid that your engine eats oil, and come back to kpkb/top up.

[Ghostrider]

The first number actually means nothing much to us...as the coldest weather we encounter is a rainy morning temp of 22-25 degree. The more important is the number at the back which denotes the thickness of the oil.

How thin of the oil depend on how well your engine seals are. But usually I would go for 40 grade.

[Redplanet]

Should remove the excess oil till 3/4 mark

U must be joking.

[Cba6p]

the right time to chk oil level is 5-10min after the engine is turned off, not in the morning.

[TVT]

I did my servicing last week. The mechanic didn't pour all the 4L of EO into the engine. I asked him why and he said my engine oil total capacity only 3.96L (as stated in the manual), so no need to put in 4L. I check the dipstick and it was showing at 3/4 mark level.

I always tot the dipstick should be at the MAX level. So was my mechanic right? Anyone can advise?

[5936]

Pse explain.

[5936]

for bigger heavy duty industrial diesel engines, some dipsticks came with 2 sets of readings. One side for cold reading and another side for taking readings while engine is still running on idling speed.

For our petrol engines, its cold reading.

[Chickensoup]

I did my servicing last week. The mechanic didn't pour all the 4L of EO into the engine. I asked him why and he said my engine oil total capacity only 3.96L (as stated in the manual), so no need to put in 4L. I check the dipstick and it was showing at 3/4 mark level.

I always tot the dipstick should be at the MAX level. So was my mechanic right? Anyone can advise?

No right and no wrong. Most of the time we tend to fill max because we expect the engine to consume some oil before the next oil change.
If you are confident that there will be no oil loss till next service, fill till min. It will save 1L of oil per service and no harm to the engine. As long as the oil pump can suck oil to spray within the engine no difference.

[Adrianli]

for bigger heavy duty industrial diesel engines, some dipsticks came with 2 sets of readings. One side for cold reading and another side for taking readings while engine is still running on idling speed.

For our petrol engines, its cold reading.

Yes. Thatz why I mentioned to ensure oil level is at H level or slightly above H level when engine is cold, before started. All the oil should be in the sump with little residue in the various lubrication location. This is the most accurate way to tell how much oil is in the engine.

When engine is running, the oil level will drop cos the oil is being pumped to various locations for lubrication. U should not be having a H level reading when engine is running. Cos when its stopped all the oil will return to the sump thus there will be a higher than normal reading.

U will also need to consider whether ur engine is running on wet sump or dry sump.