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Understanding the Oil Dipstick Reading

2.5K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  kenshiro  
#1 ·
Hi Team,
"I've driven 1,600 miles since my last oil change two months ago. The dipstick shows that the oil level is just slightly above the low mark (checked hot, immediately after driving for 30minutes). The oil itself is clean not burned. I do have for sure some small oil leaks on the passenger side; car has 218,000 miles on it.

Is the current oil level acceptable? Is there anything that needs immediate attention?
  • Should I continue monitoring the level and only refill if it drops below the 'L' mark?
    • When refilling, how much oil should I add to stay just below the full level? And of course I should use the exact oil type that I used 2 months ago right? (Conventional Oil 5w30)
I change the oil every 3000 miles.


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#3 ·
^What he said. Also, know that the 5S-FE doesn’t tolerate low oil levels. And by low, I mean getting much below the low mark on the dipstick.
 
#5 ·
Since your engine has lost nearly a quart of oil in only 1600 miles, you'll need to top it up now and keep an eye on it between oil changes from now on. So long as you don't let the level drop below that low mark you can keep going for a very long time but as fast as you are going through oil it'll mean checking it so that level never drops too low.

Priority is to keep it as near the full mark as possible, so you will always have some margin in between times you do check it.
 
#6 ·
If you're lucky, you made an error and didn't add enough oil or checked it incorrectly at the last oil change.

Generally, add the oil at the next change, check the level, let the car sit a bit while you gather your tools and recheck the oil after the oil settles a bit.


If you consumed that much oil in 1,600 miles, then you have i'd say a medium concern oil consumption issue.