Oil going way the F up the dipstick after oil change

[z1ggy]

Two oil changes ago I noticed after I checked my levels, oil went realllly far up the dipstick. I'm not talking an inch over I'm talking like half way up. I added the normal about per my owner manual and I had let the oil pain drain for an hour or so. Drained a touch, checked again, no change so I let it go. Everything was okay, no CEL and things felt normal in the car. Changed it last time... added .3QT less than recommended and STILL when I checked, it was really far up.

Come to today, added again .3QT less than required and let the pan drain for 2 hours this time. Same result. Now I'm beginning to be worried that something else is going on and I don't want a failure of my gaskets or engine itself while going down the highway or something. Causes of this and how serious is it? Probably been running with the dipstick showing very high levels now for a year.

Car is 2011 Mazda 3. 133k on it.

 

[herm0016]

Did you run it for a bit and check or check just after you changed it? Warm when drained? Level constant?

 

[jlee]

How much oil is coming out when you drain? If you check the dipstick when there's no oil in the car, what's it show?

Also to confirm, when you're checking the oil are you pulling the dipstick with the engine off, wiping the oil off of it, and then putting it back in / pulling it to check the level?

 

[z1ggy]

Did you run it for a bit and check or check just after you changed it? Warm when drained? Level constant?

Let run for about 3 mins, then checked. It was luke warm. Drove the car 35 miles home and let it sit in driveway for approx 1 hour. Been down the ol scalding hot oil road before...

How much oil is coming out when you drain? If you check the dipstick when there's no oil in the car, what's it show?

Also to confirm, when you're checking the oil are you pulling the dipstick with the engine off, wiping the oil off of it, and then putting it back in / pulling it to check the level?

To be honest, I don't measure how much comes out, I drain directly into one of my oil basins that I got from autozone.

And yes, to that procedure. Should I run it for longer/let it be off longer? Like noted above, I usually let it run just a few minutes, shut off, pull DS, wipe, stick back in and pull out right away. No matter how many times I dip it back in and out, it's still very high.

I'll check it tomorrow morning after it's sat for a while, just to see if it goes down some.

 

[jlee]

Let run for about 3 mins, then checked. It was luke warm. Drove the car 35 miles home and let it sit in driveway for approx 1 hour. Been down the ol scalding hot oil road before...


To be honest, I don't measure how much comes out, I drain directly into one of my oil basins that I got from autozone.

And yes, to that procedure. Should I run it for longer/let it be off longer? Like noted above, I usually let it run just a few minutes, shut off, pull DS, wipe, stick back in and pull out right away. No matter how many times I dip it back in and out, it's still very high.

I'll check it tomorrow morning after it's sat for a while, just to see if it goes down some.

It shouldn't have to run long - just long enough for oil pressure to get back to normal. I usually run mine for about 10 seconds after a change and then check the level.

 

[Yeroon]

The recommended amount for the correct engine? If so, the amount for a dry engine or an oil change?
If the dipstick, tube and pan look correct for the vehicle, and the amount the vehicle took is reasonable for the application, I'll use the dipstick vs a spec amount. I pre-fill the filter, like anyone who isn't being hounded to save time [with side or upside down filters an exception] and check both sides of the dipstick. Sometimes bends in the tube will give odd readings, and one side shows better than the other.
I also wait 5s or so to pull it back out thanks to an excavator that read low when just in/out, and after having to drain a gallon right after adding a gallon, waiting 5s or so seems like the easier way to deal with that issue.

 

[pcgeek11]

It is possibly just oil in the dipstick tube.

Run engine.
Pull dipstick and wipe it off. Do not reinsert it back into the engine, yet.

Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Then insert dipstick and check the oil level.

 

[RLGL]

On level ground??

 

[Raizinman]

Make sure engine is off. Also, make sure you are not checking the transmission dipstick. Still have a problem. Take it to a mechanic.

 

[pcgeek11]

On level ground??

Always check all fluids on level ground.

 

[z1ggy]

It's on level ground yes. Didn't check it today... I did drive but I sprained my ankle playing hockey last night so I was a little more preoccupied by that.

Will report back after a proper recheck in the morning.

 

[skull]

You can't go by the amount speced. You never get all the old oil out. My truck says 7 quarts but I only need to put 6 back in on an oil change.

 

[z1ggy]

It seems that oil was some how getting up the dipstick tube and I was checking it too quick. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and the level showed as normal.

 

[pcgeek11]

It seems that oil was some how getting up the dipstick tube and I was checking it too quick. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and the level showed as normal.

That was my point above.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

It seems that oil was some how getting up the dipstick tube and I was checking it too quick. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and the level showed as normal.

And the other side of that coin -- if you were driving the car before checking the oil, you need to let the oil settle and drain into the oil pan first. But I can see how one could misread the dipstick if the car had just been running, or if it were still running . . Check engine oil with engine off; auto-trans fluid with the engine warm and at idle . . . For that latter purpose, I've noticed myself that it can be a bit confusing because the Dexron III seems splattered all over the dipstick, with dry areas on the stick at a lower point . . .

 

[Paperdoc]

Yeah. I've had the issue that oil gets up the tube, and you must pull the dipstick and keep it out for 3-5 min before dipping back in.

I also have a quirk with one car that confused our mechanic. In normal operation the rubber O-ring seal at the dipstick top seals so well that air pressure builds up in the tube and drives the oil out at the bottom. So the FIRST time you pull the dipstick, it show NO oil on it, and you rush to add a quart. BUT if you don't do that, just wipe the stick clean and dip again, you get the correct reading.

I read this thread becasue I once had a very similar incident after an oil change by a shop. Drove downtown, parked, then did my usual check on where the level was right after the change. 'Way high! And dirty! Drove back to the shop to explain and complain, and asked exactly what drain plug they had pulled? They had drained the transaxle case, not the oil pan! I was lucky I could drive those short distances. Job re-done correctly.

 

[squirrel dog]

what color is the oil ? Like honey , or like milky ? If it is not like honey , you have coolant mixed in with your oil . If it is the color of honey , and your dashboard oil gauge shows the reading in the accepted level , you have a minor issue somewhere . If the color is milky , that major . For me it was a head gasket failure , because of a warped head . On a Cadillac .

 

[Pacfanweb]

You can't go by the amount speced. You never get all the old oil out. My truck says 7 quarts but I only need to put 6 back in on an oil change.

That's not typically the way it works.
I've never seen any engine that doesn't take what the manual says it takes to fill it up. There's no way there's an entire extra quart of oil hanging around in the engine. Oil galleries are tiny.

For OP: I'm not sure if you're checking it properly or not, but a good rule of thumb is, put back in what the manual says it's supposed to hold.
I've never done that and had to add more or had too much. If you did, then the dipstick is simply not correct. Or you screwed up and put too much in it.

Honestly, you don't even have to check the level if you put back in the correct amount....most people do, but it's not necessary. Not like it can go anywhere.

 

[Pacfanweb]

And the other side of that coin -- if you were driving the car before checking the oil, you need to let the oil settle and drain into the oil pan first. .

Yeah, that takes like 30 seconds with hot oil. By the time you can shut it off, pull the hood release, then get out/open the hood and check it, all the oil is back in the pan. I'm sure some is still dripping, but not an amount significant enough to change the level.

If your engine take several minutes for the oil to get back in the pan, you have some serious sludge issues.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yeah, that takes like 30 seconds with hot oil. By the time you can shut it off, pull the hood release, then get out/open the hood and check it, all the oil is back in the pan. I'm sure some is still dripping, but not an amount significant enough to change the level.

If your engine take several minutes for the oil to get back in the pan, you have some serious sludge issues.

I change my oil about every 2,000 to 3,000 miles. You are probably -- most certainly -- correct about the "time factor". But somewhere along the way, I'd noticed the difference and didn't measure the time. Or -- I thought I noticed the difference . . .

In my fabled, widely-posted '95 Trooper, I recently determined that I lost almost a half-quart of 10W-30 over 1,600 miles or so. This seems to be about the same rate of oil consumption (or leakage) that I'd had when I bought the SUV in 2002. I DO know that I'd always had minor leaks at the rear main-seal. If I throw in some Blue-Devil, it goes away, but after another oil-change I often see drips in the drop-pan again
.

 

[trungma]

Don't do what I did. I drained the CVT oil instead of the engine oil in my new car. I was in a rush and while I was doing it, I thought to myself that the oil plug seems to be in a different place. Not sure why Subaru would use the same drain plug for both! Anyway, I figured something was wrong when I added oil and the dipstick showed way too much oil.

 

[pcgeek11]

OMG, Maybe slow down a bit and look...

 

[fstime]

You're not supposed to check oil levels right after shutting off the engine. Let the car sit for at least 5 minutes so after shutting it off so all the oil which has been circulating and splattered all over the place internally can drain via gravity back into the oil pan.

 

[tweaker2]

I change my oil about every 2,000 to 3,000 miles. You are probably -- most certainly -- correct about the "time factor". But somewhere along the way, I'd noticed the difference and didn't measure the time. Or -- I thought I noticed the difference . . .

In my fabled, widely-posted '95 Trooper, I recently determined that I lost almost a half-quart of 10W-30 over 1,600 miles or so. This seems to be about the same rate of oil consumption (or leakage) that I'd had when I bought the SUV in 2002. I DO know that I'd always had minor leaks at the rear main-seal. If I throw in some Blue-Devil, it goes away, but after another oil-change I often see drips in the drop-pan again
.

If leakage is the problem, have you tried ATP - AT-205 Reseal yet? I've had some success with it in certain situations where putting off major repairs were required for as long as six months. Not saying it'll work as a permanent fix as I've always managed to do leak repairs within that length of time. The stuff stopped a rear main seal leak as well as power steering leak where o-rings were involved.

 

[Pacfanweb]

You're not supposed to check oil levels right after shutting off the engine. Let the car sit for at least 5 minutes so after shutting it off so all the oil which has been circulating and splattered all over the place internally can drain via gravity back into the oil pan.

The oil's practically like water when it's hot. Especially today's super thin oils. You don't have to wait. Enough has drained back to the pan by the time you can pull the hood release, get out, open the hood and pull the dipstick to know if you have the proper amount or not.
You don't need to let it sit. If you do, you have a gummed up motor which means you have other problems. Oil drains back FAST.