My dad recently added some oil to my maxima without asking me because he thought it was low. Well i've never really checked the oil on it before and when I initially take out my dipstick after about a 20 second engine run, it shows a very high reading, but when I wipe it off and put it back in it's a normal reading. Is this normal? I know this is a n00b question but I really dont want damage done to my engine

 

normal
excessive oil could be trapped in the tube.
best way to do it:
fully warm up the engine
shut the engine and wait for 10 minutes
check the level

 

You cannot just pull the dipstick out of any engine and "read" the dipstick. Read your owner's manual. Particularly with the Maxi, there is a specified minimum "drain time" of about 10 min., and you ALWAYS pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, reinsert it, and then pull it out and "read it". It ain't rocket science!

 

Judging by the fact that there are two oil overfill threads going at once it might be

 

well sorry but i got nervous when I initially pulled it out and it was way above the normal level. When I wiped it, it was right on the money.

 

Dont worry about it. It's probably better you ask and get it figured out rather than do some damage to your car. at least it wasn't another brake thread...

 

yet, gas station attendants can somehow read it right after you turn off the engine and tell you if you need more of it though

 

Too many people learning at the altar of the Fast and the Furious. He!!, even my own kids can't change their own oil, spark plugs or air filter unless I help them. I had to change the radiator in my son's Accord that he didn't even know was leaking because he hadn't opened his hood in two months.

Most people under 30-35 have never turned wrenches on their own cars. Doesn't help that so much crap is in the engine bay and that computer control so much. Factor in the Fast and the Furious effect...

Good thing there are boards like this one so that those who want to learn more about their cars can. Back in the olden days you had to wait until Car Craft or Hot Rod did a feature on the engine you had to get most of the answers you wanted. Luckily I had a small block Chevy engine in my Chevelle so that was covered pretty much every month!

 

well im 17 so I would fall into that category.

Anyway this morning I warmed up my engine, waited 10 min and then went back out and checked it. Once again the initial taking out of the dipstick showed a very high level, but then once wiped and re inserted it was right on the low line. I did notice however that on the back of the dipstick their was oil going all up it. Also there appeared to be some dirt on the bottom of the dipstick after I pulled it out. Is it bad that their is oil on the back of the dipstick but its not showing that way on the front? I think I learned from this that this car desperately needs an oil change becuase of the drit on the dipstick as well. any help would greatly be appreciated

 

are you insetring the dipstick facing the right direction? when inserted, the yellow handle is supposed to face up towards the sky... not out towards the front of the car

 

I always thought it was more accurate to read the oil level when the car is completely cold. I've never gotten an accurate reading while the engine is warm.

 

x2

 

x3 and make sure you are on level ground in case this wasn't known

 

you just said you checked it .. THEN wiped it and checked again .. think about it like this .. when the car is on .. the oil is moving all around and and some of it is bound to go a little bit up the stick so it will show like its really high..

step by step:

Turn on car for about a minute
Turn off car
Make a sandwhich (wait ten minutes)
Take out dipstick BUT DO NOT READ IT
Wipe it clean
Put it back in
Take it out and that is your accurate reading.

 

What I did was taking out the dipstick whist waiting for the 10 minites, so the oil in the tube could almost drain back.

 

This is what I do also.

 

Me Too

 

okay that was the problem the dipstick was in the wrng direction wow I should shoot myself in the foot for that...

well anyway with it in the right direction it reads above full. It goes up to the first bend in the dipstick( slightly less). How much over is that? I was told by various people that it's okay for it to be a quart over but not much more then that. Should I bother having it drained for that much over? thanks for everyones help sorry this is my first car and I really know nothing but i'm always willing to learn.

also i dont know if it matters but I use mobile 1 fully synthetic oil

 

If you are seeing dirt and black crap on the dipstick, and you think it might be overfilled, then why not just do an oil change? It is not difficult at all to do yourself, maybe just a little messy.

 

i probably will do one soon my friend wants to show me how, but I just need to know that its safe to drive for now. Ive been driving my moms honda and I cant take it anymore.(stupid inline 4)

 

Best time to check the oil is in the morning on level ground. If you overfill white smoke will come out.

 

Well then I'll proudly say that I am one of the few people under 30 (almost 18) that have turned a wrench on my own car. I do all my own oil changes, air filter changes (I know, kinda a joke since a two year old could do that), and changed my own spark plugs. Let me tell you the plugs were a be0tch. my hood kept getting in the way so I had to try all these weird conversions and attachments on my wrench to get at the plugs under the throttle cable. It is sad though that lots of "kids" my age dont do their own work on their cars.

And I envy you and your Chevelle! haha my dream car is a 1970 Chevelle SS with the monster 454....well that and an 06 G35 Coupe

 

yeah well im pretty sad that I have no idea how to fix my car at all. I'm trying to learn from a few friends but with school, a job, and a band it's tough. I am handy with other things like I can fix computers and broken screens on people cell phones/ ipods but I never had the guts to toy with a car.

 

Cars aren't really all that hard. You take on simple stuff like air filter and oil to begin with, and move up the ladder as you get more comfortable. Boards like this and repair manuals help ALOT. Another thing that helps is having a piece of sh*t for your first car like a 97 ponticrap grand am and not having money to pay to get it fixed. That'll make you learn to fix stuff when stuff goes wrong!

I remember one of the first times that car had a problem, I did the conventional thing and took it to the mechanic. After I saw what he did, I thought: "That's it!? I paid you almost $100 for that!? I coulda done that myself!" From then on, when something went wrong, instead of thinking: "How much is this gonna cost to fix?" I was thinking: "Time to learn what I need to do to fix this."

 

Another way of learning about your car is heading to the junkyard and ripping apart a car similiar to your own. Who knows maybe you will find that hard to find piece you have been looking for.

 

My car reads exactly the same way; i'm puzzled in regards to the oil being the right level. And I wanted 25 mins before checking it and inserted it a few times and came to the same conclusion each time. The portion that doesn't have the L & H has oil all the way up...but the portion with the L and then the gap to the H is dry..wtf?

 

then youre low on oil probably

 

probably doesn't help me.

 

ok well you are definately low on oil....

 

[QUOTE=Scottwax;6616706]

Most people under 30-35 have never turned wrenches on their own cars. Doesn't help that so much crap is in the engine bay and that computer control so much. Factor in the Fast and the Furious effect...


18 and messed with PLENTY of turning in my car.. I'm not gonna argue, but most cat people I know are college students give or take.. no 35 year olds:laugh Howeverrrrrrrrr, age is experience. That is proven time and time again.
And i'm not trying to seem "a$$ hole type) but alot of the things people ask, especially new comers to the org, are all answered in the stickies..... Take some time and search, for something that's not this detailed you could have googled in 10 seconds. However good idea on asking if you don't know. We're all here to learn.

 

[quote=e-subliminal-2;7178350]agree with u, I myself am young 21 and can do anything but internal work was forced to learn because didnt have the money to pay ppl, all about searching for information, time and dedication......

 

The problem is all the gear heads thinking everything is a piece of cake! Heck, I'm still trying to get at my power steering belt & steering rack bushings!

Common sense when it comes to this stuff isn't a 'nature' thing as everyone expects you to think, it's 'nurture'; takes time, experience, and for the most part, doing it the wrong way before you actually do it the right way!

 

Well now lets see. I started what would be my life at 16 working on a 79 camero Z-28 that in turn led me to my career of air craft maintenance. Should of stayed with the cars instead of the airlines. After 7 airlines since 91 (layoffs) and we in the industry are considered semi skilled labor with auto mechanics being skilled in the eyes of congress. That is no joke guys. So yeah I still don’t get a good reading on my dip stick. -even after 10 min.s…lol

 

Usually a gear head knows how to do everything someone who doesn't is a noob, hence the name difference haha But yeah, there are things you have to read up on to direct correctly. Which is why you READ. After which, if you have the propper tools, it should be simple.. Imo.
PITA maybe, but simple..