I pulled into the gas station to fill up with premium gasoline and decided to check the engine oil level because I was parked on a flat surface. Went to the front of the car, opened the hood, and pulled out the yellow painted round dip stick. Here comes the problem. As I pull the dip stick out I notice the oil is a dark honey brown. On one side of the dip stick it shows full. All the way to the top nib punched onto the stick. I turned the dip stick over and saw that the level on this side of the dip stick was below the bottom nib. Now, this is flummoxing to me since it looks like the tube the dip stick rests in has a bend and goes horizontal as it snakes towards the back of the engine. What say you fellows? Which side of the dip stick should I trust?
Let the oil settle for a few minutes after pulling out the dip stick, then reinsert and read again. Best way to read the level, is to park on a level surface and check it after the car has sat unused for some time (or overnight).
SFO, you were correct. I let the car set overnight and looked at the dip stick this morning. Was 1/2 quart low. Thanks for the sage advise.
Yes let it sit overnight as it takes a long time for all the oil to drain back. The Prius g2 motor takes 3.6 quarts of oil with a new oil filter. I check my cars oil every sat morning. Unless it’s a high mileage Prius if so odds are good it eats oil so I would Check it every few days till you get an exact handle on how much oil it eats. If it’s a little oil eating monster move up to a 40 weight oil like 5-40. Keep it at the full line always. As far as the different level of oil on the dipstick I always use the high level. As the true reading.
If it's similar to gen 3, when you pull the dipstick out the first time it tends to draw oil up the tube. If you immediately reinsert and pull out the dipstick, it's going to have that drawn-up oil clinging well up the dipstick, making it hard to read the true level. The work around is to pull the dipstick, then wait about 5 minutes before the reinsert and pullout for the check. If at a gas station filling up, just pull the dipstick first, and then start pumping the gas. This 5 minute or so wait will give the oil in the tube time to mostly drain down. Also, check both sides; one side is usually clearer, less smeared.
Lol...its not that much difference on the stick maybe less than an 1/8 of an inch between the high and low. But it is weird. Ed the Fox was my beloved Fox Terrier who's no longer with us. It's amazing I've been on this site 12 years come July. Thats alot of 12 volt battery questions lol.....
Ed, you state that these motors eat oil. I've noticed that and somewhere read that the cause might be coked up rings. Do you have any insider info as to what the cause of the oil burning might be?
