weird oil dipstick

burning, leaking, overfill

most likely a clogged egr and blown head gasket, but not necessarily

 

There is no photo to see.

 

Maybe that’s the issue.

Maybe the moderators will allow the photo but if not, if the dip stick is hard to read, leave it out of the car for 5 minutes or so and reinsert.

If there is no oil on the dipstick, that’s a bigger issue.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

@enginestar post a few times more, what is it, 5? And then you'll be able to post a pic.

And follow ray's advice, if it's just a matter of smearing on the dipstick, hard to judge true level. Oil gets pulled up the tube when you pull out the dispstick; waiting 5 minutes, it'll settle back down.

Bit of a design fail, but at least there's a work around.

 

I'm not sure there's a rule like that for pictures. I know there is for links and for not needing to have your post moderated before it shows up (which sometimes leads to some interesting post sequences).

But either way, we'll obviously need either a picture or a good description.

 

You’re not the only one. I get weird oil readings all the time. Cold soaks, always a segment of oil on the stick an inch above the full mark that’s half inch length on its own an island.

 

As a new member the forum won’t allow you to post photos til post quota have been meet. You can private message me the photo, I’ll post it for you

 

probably can't private message either, lol.

 

look fine to me

 

Not sure what's going on with the circled zone, looks like something overheated, baked-on? Or just overdue for an oil change?

Well focussed picture btw, seems like most dipstick pictures, the focus is on those boards in the background, lol.

 

Looks like the oil level is good.

As for what is above the oil level .

Follow @Mendel Leisk ’s advice and wipe it clean and start again. Any history of issues or damage ?

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

i must say, the oil looks very dark. mine is always clear on the stick, hard to see. but at 184k, idk.

 

Meh, it’s not that dark.

I bet the oil in the sump is much darker.

But even synthetic oil darkens over its use. Redline starts out darker as it is ester based.

So there could be a myriad of reasons why.

 

the oil in my sump is dark brown, but on the stick clear.

 

Yup.

Deceptive .

 

? ? ? ?

 

Good catch.

I wrote ester but my iPhone autocorrected it to be “water”.

Edited above.

 

I polished the dark spot off my dipstick when I did the motor swap. It hasn’t reappeared yet. That spot likely corresponds with the tube o-ring groove sealing to the pan. If dirt or road grime is building up, it can mix with the oil and stick there, especially if the o-ring is missing or damaged.