Oil Level not same on both sides of dipstick

Hi Steve,

Although I do not share your enthusiasm with exact oil levels, I am going to go with the average of the two sides. The dipstick enters the oil pan at an angle, so one side is reading high and the other low. Therefore, the correct level is somewhere in between, and I go with the middle point. Please see the middle picture of my post "Replaced oil pan gasket".

Regards,
Dave

 

The owners manual says that the level is ok anywhere between the low level and the full level marks.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...2101-engine-oil-replacement-5.html#post691406

 

Um... there is the "obvious" solution: be sure to take your measurement on a level location.

Ok, so you knew that...

 

This is because you are using multi-weight oil. For example, if you use 5W30 the 5 side will be lower than the 30 side.

Sorry, I couldn't resist pulling your leg. I must of had too much coffee this morning.

Tom

 

i so love prius chat partially because of super techno discussions like this one.

so if the stick enters the oil at an angle, there is a bottom facing side of the flat stick and a top side.

your point about the difference being negligle would be valid for low vsicosity fluids like water, but remember, oil is sticky. the bottom side enters but it also "drags" and pushes oil up the bottom side of the stick more so than on the top side.

 

Just to check: you are wiping the dipstick clean, replacing it, then removing it to check the level? The dipstick gets splashed heavily when the engine is running, and the oil clings, so you must wipe off the oil residue before dipping to get an accurate measurement.

You are also supposed to warm the car up fully (I'd say to Stage 4 idle check), then park on a level surface, turn the car off, and wait five minutes for the oil to return to the sump before checking the level. If the oil is cold the level will appear too low.

 

have you checked your blinker fluid?

 

I love these tongue in cheek answers LOL. It reminds me when I worked at the airport and we had somebody new and we would them them to the mechanics to get a bucket of prop wash LOL. Another time we had a new secretary and she was complaining her car started vibrating a little on the highway. We asked her if she had changed the air in her tires from the winter air to the summer air, when she said no we sent her to the local garage to get the air changed in her tires LOL. You should have seen the look on her face when she came back.

 

Does one side of your dipstick read "95% full" and the other "5% empty"? That might explain the difference. I would go with the more optimistic reading.

 

Almost every vehicle I have owned/driven has that weird issue with the oil dipstick

 

it is electromagnetic EMP charges in the engine magnetically attracting the trace amounts of metal shavings in the oil, so the side closest to the alternator, or in this case the electric engines, gets more charge hence the higher indication.

 

Nice chart! Same here the oil drags on one side more than the other. That is why it is important to add the exact amount of oil during an oil change. You can not read the fraking oil stick with clean synthetic oil.

 

Big issue! You could be 1/2 quart off on a grade.

 

I have always been a smart @ss

 

It takes a few thousand miles before you can read the level decently with synthetic, but with the Prius it is unwise to add the recommended amount of oil (if by "exact" you mean Toyota's written guidelines.) Adding that much will put you ~1/4" over...just like they ship them from Japan, unfortunately.

Safer is adding 3.5 quarts which should get you under the full mark on both sides of the dipstick. Better still is adding an even 3 quarts which puts mine halfway between full/low on the dipstick. Doing this has coincided with the best mileage I've had so far.

With synthetic and a fresh change, I read whichever side makes the level most apparent. I've got over 3,000 miles on the current oil change and can see both sides now, the difference in the two levels is slight.

 

I suggest holding the dipstick so that the surface is reflecting the available light into your eyes. Then you can see where the surface is dry and where it is coated with the fresh oil.

 

I would check this later to see the difference. I use the side that's smoother to push back in.(The side the follows the large bend.) It should go farther in.