Unable to read oil level - GT350

[Andy13186]

I have the best luck when I insert the dipstick with the hash marks facing toward the motor on my 5.0. Very hard to read if I dont do it this way.

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[lenFeb]

I think OP deepen stick in extra virgin olive oil to trick all of us.

 

[HeelToeHero]

I think the manual wants you to check the oil warm, not cold

Yes if you check it in the morning all the oil that easily drains down will be in the pan. This helps you get a better reading and there is less variation. If you check it shortly after running the engine, oil is still splashed everywhere, still up in the valvetrain, etc.

For seeing where the oil is, I just use indirect light and tip the dipstick until the reflection is in the right spot to make the oil level easier to see. You want a strong light but you don't want it shining directly on the dipstick.

This isn't correct. The manual says to reach operating temperature before checking the oil. You aren't supposed to check it cold.

 

[Postal Bob]

First hole sure looks like it has oil in it, no matter whether it's pointing up or down in the pics.

 

[526 HRSE]

I think the manual wants you to check the oil warm, not cold


This isn't correct. The manual says to reach operating temperature before checking the oil. You aren't supposed to check it cold.

I've never checked engine oil after i've warmed up a car. Not sure how that can give you an accurate reading. Seems like a surefire way to add too much.

 

[lunatect]

I think the manual wants you to check the oil warm, not cold


This isn't correct. The manual says to reach operating temperature before checking the oil. You aren't supposed to check it cold.

No it doesn't. At page 36 of the Shelby GT350 Supplement it says to turn the engine off and wait 15 minutes for the oil to drain into the oil pan.

 

[HeelToeHero]

No it doesn't. At page 36 of the Shelby GT350 Supplement it says to turn the engine off and wait 15 minutes for the oil to drain into the oil pan.

That's correct. The oil is still very much warm after 15 minutes.

 

[Rapid Red]

I must ask what is the difference. Waiting for hot oil to drain into the pan or checking cold ?

Seems to be the same reading,

Could it be, hot oil and a 15 min wait time, is track related, I say yes .

 

[Vlad Soare]

It's probably about thermal expansion. Cold oil will read lower.

 

[Rapid Red]

It's probably about thermal expansion. Cold oil will read lower.

Is not oil cold when replaced/added, I don't think there is enough expansion that could be read on a dipstick .

Sometimes molecular silence is taken a bit to far .

 

[lunatect]

That's correct. The oil is still very much warm after 15 minutes.

I don't think it has anything to do with heat. It has to do with waiting for the oil to drain down into the pan for an accurate reading.

 

[JAJ]

A quick trip to the Engineering Toolbox website shows that taking 10 quarts of oil from 68 degrees F to 212 F will expand it about 1/2 quart, maybe a bit more. So it's not trivial. That said, the engine itself also expands, so the level may not change much.

As for the instructions in the Owner's Manual, they all say the same thing from the Ecoboost to the GT500. Line 2 is wait for 15 minutes. Line 4 says "Protect yourself from engine heat". Line 4 wouldn't say that if the engine was intended to be cold.

 

[dirtwarrior]

Take a scotch bright and shine the dip stick. Makes it easier to see the oil level

 

[Postal Bob]

Take a scotch bright and shine the dip stick. Makes it easier to see the oil level

Tried that, but my oil is so clean, it's very hard to see. I just go by the holes. If there's oil in one or both, I know it's good.

 

[Carbide]

Drain it out, measure it, put it back in. Boom.

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