reading the dipstick??

[LordBear]

ok..so i had an issue with my tb..turned out to be the pressure switch..so far any how... but any how.. i think i ended up putting to much oil in thinking it was low and setting that idiot light off... so question is.... how in the heck do u read the stick.. one side always shows over full? just covered in oil and doesnt read anything... and the other side is a deffinate line to read. and i clean the stick and put it back in before reading... tried cold, warm, flat... dont seem to matter much if any.... so r u supose to read the high oil side or low oil side that shows on the stick? and i think i saw some where.. they get rid of that crappy dipstick and replace that plastic end with metal one or something....maybe i should invest in the newer one.?

 

[seanpooh]

I also dreaded the yellow dipstick, could never read it. But I didn't need to read it since engine didn't burn oil and I always filled up 7 quarts. I came to figure it was easier to read when you have more miles on the oil and check in the cold morning or night.

It wasn't a problem though when I used to use Royal Purple because you sure can see that color on yellow.

But when I put in the Amsoil bypass filters, I needed to know what the new capacity was and yellow dipstick didn't help with golden oil. I went to autozone and others to find a generic dipstick like a flatblade type. None fit, down the tube. Long and behold, I found a dipstick for an Envoy which was a model later than 2002, and it was the metal type. I dished out $30, but I feel better that I could read the oil now.

Much better to read than the horrid yellow. Call around junk yards and see if you could pick one up.

 

[Mooseman]

Yep, found a metal one on a junker during one of my many trips to Kenny U-Pull. I think I paid $2. Well worth it

 

[CaptainXL]

r u supose to read the high oil side or low oil side that shows on the stick?

Always go with the lowest reading. If the top hole in the dipstick doesnt have oil in it then keep filling.

 

[Conner299]

I have the same problem as the author. My dip stick doesn't sound like the yellow one you all are describing though. It has the yellow handle, a piece of cable, and about a 3/4 inch long, metal barrel at the bottom for reading the level. Could this problem possibly be caused by the top of this barrel collecting oil as it is pulled up and out of the tube? I always just read the low side.

 

[Mooseman]

My "best" method is to check it when cold as you won't need to wipe the dipstick. Pull it straight out, keeping the head pointed down. Turn the head while looking for the lowest reading. That's your level. The same can be accomplished with a hot engine. Just pull, wipe, put it back in and use the same method as for cold.

I wouldn't worry about an exact reading since our pans do hold like 7 quarts. A 1/4 inch difference won't amount to much. As long as you have something on the dipstick within the hash mark, you're good.