When's the proper time to check your oil?
 

Correct me if I'm wrong...

You're supposed to check your oil when your car has been turned off and parked for a while, on a flat surface. Letting it sit for a 1/2 hour or so allows the oil to drain out of the engine and into the oil pan so you get a correct oil reading, right?

The reason I'm asking is, I was driving around last week, haven't really checked my oil since the last oil change 4,000 miles ago, and I got the red idiot light that came on, on the dash, saying the engine was low on oil.

Thanks,

Jeff 1991 300d, 111k

You are quite right, though I think ten minutes is usually enough of a wait.

Usually 10-15 minutes is enough time to get hot oil drained back down into the pan/sump. Personally I would check oil at least once a week......even new cars will use a quart of oil between oil change intervals......we are talking about aging MBs that are 10-20 years old here.

Yep, depending on how far I drive in a week I check it every 1-2 weeks....mine uses about 1.5qts per 5000 miles.

In a perfect world, every day before you start the engine.

Since it's not a perfect world, I usually check mine every two weeks when I get fuel.

But before you start the engine all the oil is in the pan. It would therefore read higher than it should be.

Oil level should be checked with the engine at operating temp on flat ground, and after shutting it off for a few minutes. It's in the owner's manual. :)

I always check mine in the morning before I start the eng. unless it`s pouring down rain. when we are on a trip hammering down the road, I always check after potty stops, fuel, coffee etc. It`s also gives you an oppertunity to do a visual under the hood for other problems.
Just a good habit, maybe it`s just habit from work when I was an equipment operator.
I hammered this into my daughter when she was learning to drive. forget to check the oil? then car doesn`t go anywhere. But DAD!! you don`t understand!! too bad. now she is 34 and really on top of her maintenance
she is now more in tune with what BS the shops are trying to do to her.

Charlie

SWEET!!!
I gotta enforce this policy at my house! wifey has killed 2 cars by not checking the oil... arrrgh! of course, this will mean I gotta go out and check the stuff each day myself..... but the little girl can start out right!

:idea3:Note to self...

Not trying to hijack the thread--this is somewhat related. Is it true that sometimes there are "bubbles" that can cause a false reading. It seems to happen to me. I always check four or five times a week at operating temp to make sure the oil cooler is full and is doing its thing, and certainly with car at level. But lately, I have been getting inconsistent readings on the dipstick. Not by much--maybe 3 or 4 mm on the stick, but it's aggrevating because I'd really like to know how much oil if any I'm using between oil changes. BTW, how low do you have to go before the light on the dash comes on?

I keep a rag in the engine compartment just to wipe off the oil on the dipstick, dip it again and measure from there. That way you can get a clean slate to start with rather than just base it on the current measurement which will probably be off.

I used to check my oil in the morning then I found out that if the oil in a cold engine was at the max line, then it will probably be a half a centimeter low (or less) when I check the oil again when it's warmed up. So if you check it in the morning, make sure it's just a few millimeters higher than the max reading when it's cold (maybe up to half a centimeter) then from there you'll get a warm reading of just at max or slightly below.

It is YOUR resposibility as a husband to check her oil! BTW i check everytime i get fuel which is every 5 days.

This is exactly what my manual says. It reads a bit high after sitting overnight, but the manual doesn't say to check it then.

NOT GOING THERE

MUST RESIST

NOOO DON"T DO IT

3:30 AM is the proper time to check your oil. But, that means that only Carramow has proper oil readings.

I apologize in advance for the stupidity of this post.