Empowering Car Enthusiasts The Definitive Guide to Hot and Cold Oil Checks

Some say to check oil when cold (overnight) while others say to check 5 minutes after shut down. Some say that hot reading is higher up on dipstick than cold ... When you check your engine oil, you should consider the temperature of your vehicle. If you check the oil when your engine is hot, you should ... It should be between the F and the notch, as oil expands when hot and reads a little high. If it's above the notch, you've got too much oil. You want to run the car, warm it up (driving it for 10-15 mins is fine you want some temp in oil too). Park it on level ground. Let it cool 10 mins, then check ... As far as when to check it, best to check when warm and after the engine has been shut down. Depends how the dip stick was designed to be ... You could either check it stone cold or (as I believe the owner's manual says) warm, 10-15 minutes after shutting off the engine. When you checked it cold, all the oil settled down into the oil pan. When you checked it warm, some of the oil was still suspended higher up in the engine. My RAVE manuals info states pre Td5 engines check engine oil level with engine hot & vehicle standing on level ground with engine switched off. 2016 Accord I4 oil dip stick can have two different readings when you check oil as hot and cold. The difference could be as much as 3mm apart on the dip stick. Wether it's hot or cold, if it's in between the hash marks it's good. Engine oil is checked with engine off, tranny oil is checked with ...