Q: oil level not showing correctly on the dipstick

asked by on November 20, 2016

i have a 2007 fiat Palio 1.6 petrol it was all working fine till recently i changed my engine oil ,while the amount of oil to be filled in the engine is 4 liters , while filling 3 liters the oil dipstick is reading full . and after few hundred kms run i got engine oil low pressure warning light on my dashboard . what could be the problem ? iam in process of changing the engine oil and filter right now and mechanics near me are clueless regarding why this is happening .

while the culprit may be oil filter but why did the engine dip stick show full even when the oil poured in was just 70 % of the whole require amount

  • yes i checked the oil on totally flat surface *once totally cold and another time after warming up the engine for 5-10 mints ( no difference was found in engine oil dipstick level)

My car has 50000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

Oil level is low Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Hi there. At what point on the dipstick are you using to confirm "full"? Are you referring to where the top of the oil is located on the dipstick? This can be misread easily and sometimes gets the best of us. When checking the oil level, clean the dipstick and reinsert, remove quickly and hold in a horizontal position. Note the lowest break in the oil; the first section that the oil does not fully coat the stick. This is the current level. If you’ve been reading the level correctly, and I assume you have, then what I have explained is to simply restate what is proper procedure. If this is the case then there could be engine gel build up in the oil pan that is causing the oil to read incorrectly on the dipstick. While changing the oil, procure an instrument to prod into the oil pan and see if there is a gel/sludge like substance that comes out of the pan. If this does come out of the pan, then the pan needs to be removed and cleaned. What has been found to produce engine gel/sludge is over extended oil change intervals. I suggest having a qualified technician perform an inspection to avoid replacing unnecessary parts. Your Mechanic has several technicians available that can assist you with an oil level inspection.

Hello. It sounds like you may have an issue with oil sludge. If there is sludge build up then that will cause this. Any sludge build up will keep the oil from draining into the oil pan and can affect oil pressure. I usually remove the cylinder head cover and check for sludge. If there is sludge then the engine may need to be flushed. If there is no sludge then there may be a restriction in the block itself.

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