Can't check oil level

iaind · 27 Jan 2013 at 10:22

So I went to check the oil level on the car for the first time since I bought it a few weeks ago. Being a 1 owner, full main dealer history car that doesn't smoke or have any issues I didn't feel a need to check it sooner.

It seems though, that the design of the dipstick tube results in it smearing oil over the dipstick, making it impossible to read. Have to admit I was a bit nervous when it came out with oil half way up the dipstick! Even just putting the clean dipstick in about 3 inches means it comes out with oil on it. The dipstick tube is quite tight so it makes sense.

Left it overnight and it's still the same, was hoping it would trickle down overnight but obviously not. So I assume its going to be physically impossible for it to be that full of oil and it's just the design making it difficult to read - is this a common thing on these engines (Saab 1.9 TiD aka vauxhall CDTi aka Alfa JTDm etc)? If so, how do I get an accurate reading?

233 · 27 Jan 2013 at 10:26

cant say I had this issue with the 1.9 cdti lump in my Vectra,

pulled the dipstick out gave it a wipe and stuck it back in, worked fine. i'd give it another bash (iirc the dipsticks have a fair bit of flex and like to go in one way) and if your still concerned with the oil level get it checked as too much oil can be as bad for an engine as too little

iaind · 27 Jan 2013 at 10:31

Tbh it's midway between services and I've got a couple of long trips coming up so was thinking about getting it changed anyway.

There's absolutely no way it's as high as it suggests - the pistons would be submerged if it was lol. I know there are some situations where DPF regen can result in diesel getting into the oil and diluting it.

Might just swing it down to kwik fit this afternoon - ill check it again and see what the dipstick looks like straight after. It could be the wrong dipstick at a stretch as it does seem quite tight

Hades · 27 Jan 2013 at 11:29

Kwik Fit? Is that wise?

Dangerous Dave · 27 Jan 2013 at 11:35

Our Zafira with the same engine does this, best way I have found is to make sure it has been on a long run and check 5 mins after turning the engine off (this is how it is suppose to be checked anyway) . The dealer clearly has issues aswell, after the last service it needed a litre of oil removed to get it back down to the max !

rodenal · 27 Jan 2013 at 13:21

I had trouble reading the dipstick in the mr2 so ended up drilling a small hole at Max - made it much easier to check. Might not be much help here right enough

MOOGLEYS · 27 Jan 2013 at 13:28

No issues checking oil on my Vectra other than the level can be hard to judge at times. I found it best to from cold run for 10 mins, leave for 5 mins then check.

Kwik-fit will more than likely fill it with 10/40 semi rather than the 5/30 synth it should have.

red eye · 27 Jan 2013 at 14:17

check the otherside of the dipstick, some engines have bends in the dipstick tube where the oil mark can get smudged

andy_mk3 · 27 Jan 2013 at 14:19

Hades said:
Kwik Fit? Is that wise?

What's wrong with that?

MOOGLEYS said:
Kwik-fit will more than likely fill it with 10/40 semi rather than the 5/30 synth it should have.

And no, they wont.

MOOGLEYS · 27 Jan 2013 at 15:55

andy_mk3 said:
What's wrong with that?

And no, they wont.

A quick google suggests otherwise.

iaind · 27 Jan 2013 at 17:38

Sorted now. Called Exeter kwik fit #1 and was told "oooooh we haven't done one of those in a while" - referring to the oil change not the car. He said it would be 40 quid but couldn't do it today as he needed the service manager to be in :confused:

Phoned halfords autocenter (previously nationwide who were ok, so the halfords name didn't bother me) to be told it would be 85 quid and the filter would take 2 weeks to get in.
Called kwik fit #2. This one out of town so a bit of a pain, but was told not a problem, bring it down and we'll fit it in. Got down there, he takes all the details then tells me he doesn't have the filter in so couldn't do it. He gets bemused when I ask if he couldn't have established that BEFORE I came down.

Get fed up and ring my friend who runs his own garage in Torbay. He only lives around the corner from it so I ask him if he wouldn't mind helping me out....he's happy to oblige so I head down there (40 mins down the road hence why I didn't ask him straight away). Wrong dipstick in it, probably got mistakenly swapped over on a service at some point. He happens to have a written off JTDm (cambelt/water pump) in the corner so we put that in it and can read it - to see the oil level was fine. My dipstick was round, this one is flat so makes sense that it wasn't working.

Oil drained, filled with the correct grade and new filter. Gave him 15 quid for the oil and filter, bought him lunch and a pint.

Tl;dr - fast fit places are a waste of space

Dangerous Dave · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:12

The dipstick for the Zafira is round, might look into getting another one.

iaind · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:17

Hmm it definitely seemed to be wrong, it was really tight. Every photo I can find and the manual shows it with a ring type pull - mine was a flat circular top