I'm too stupid to check my own oil EDIT: got my code read
 

1) I bought this car (2000 se) with a new oil change in it. Soon after I checked the oil and it read nearly low. I was surprised. Next day I checked again and it read just over full. This morning it's just over low. I always check with the engine cold. It's on only a VERy slight incline (front higher than rear); is that possibly causing it? I'll check later for sure, but geeze I don't want to have to bring a level with me every time I check the oil :eek:

2) The service engine soon light has come on twice now. The first time it was shortly after engaging cruise control. I disconnected the battery overnight and that fixed itself. I then used cruise for another few days, and about 300 miles later after kicking in cruise again the light went on shortly after (shortly is maybe 30 sec). I have no chance to get this looked at by a professional for at least another week; so is it almost certainly some silly problem? Cruise does work. I was thinking of checking the codes myself but am still fairly lost how to do it (I guess a screwdriver and a piece of wire will work).

Thanks :)

EDIT: I want to clarify that the gas milage is good. Yesterday I filled the tank and 2/3 of the miles were city with another 1/3 highway and the average mileage was 25 mpg (5 speed).

I found some thread on how to check the ECU so unless I blow up the car I'll go see if I can get that sorted out.

EDIT #2: Well I brought it to a second autozone that had a $150 OBDII scanner - a yellow one - and it worked. Error codes 0138 and 0139 both related to the same O2 sensor, so I'm going to look into replacing that one.

Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

OK guys I just tried to check the codes; but the method described here http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....uble+and+codes does not work on my 2000. When i get to the ECU there are two holes. Both were sealed and I broke the seal but both holes have no screws or anything apparently in the holes. There is no warning sticker there either; how does one check the ECU in a 2000?

Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

Pretty sure that you're supposed to check the oil after the car has been warmed up.

Re: Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

Well, you don't want to check it after the car has been running because oil will be splashed all over the place and it will be hard to get a clean dipstick reading. Leave the car overnight on level ground and check it in the morning. That should give you an accurate look at the oil level.

As far as this guys other problems, I can't help there.

Re: Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

I have found it impossible to check the oil after the car has been running. If the car has been ran, the oil will cover most the dipstick and I can not get a reading. I have to check it first thing in the morning to get a accurate reading.

OK
 

I'll check the oil again tomorrow morning ;)

I was just at autozone and they have an OBDII checker. We plugged it into the bottom of the dash and although power was sent to the detector unit he could not get a code reading. Assuming that his reader was functioning properly (which it may not have been of course), is it possible that the port to the max as faulty? Seems a little far-fetched, but he simply couldn't pull any codes; his lights came on but no codes came through.

Checking Oil
 

The best time to do it is 1st thing in the morning before you start your car. And make sure the car is parked on a level surface. Any incline slant will hurt the accuracy of the reading.

DW

Re: Re: Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

Pull the stick out, wipe it off, put it back in, pull it out, read the level. That's the best way to measure the level and you can do it after the engine has been running.

Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

Just doing a final bump in case anybody knows the cheapest and easiest way to scan a 2000 max for error codes!

Re: Re: Re: Re: I'm too stupid to check my own oil it seems, and also another question.
 

It is unlikely that you can get an accurate reading that way since oil will have splashed inside the dipstick tube...that's the reason most people do it in the morning before starting the car...all the oil will have settled and you'll get the cleanest, most accurate reading.