Hi guys. I had a low oil pressure warning on my Toyota Auris and checking the dipstick, yes, it showed barely no oil. So I put oil in while the engine was cold. Was hard to see the oil level as it isn't very dark. The manual says to check the level by bringing the car to operating temperature then switching off and waiting for a few minutes to let the oil go to the bottom of the sump. So I switched the engine on, let it idle for 5 minutes, turned it off and let it cool for 5 minutes and then checked the dipstick. The level is way past the maximum marking by quite a bit. Is that ok though?
Engine oil
- Thread starter Merlin5
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Don't exceed the maximum.
No its not ok, you need to drain some out.
You will probably need a specific size drain plug socket bit to loosen the oil sump nut. Or if you are lucky an ordinary spanner.
Wear some gloves and get an old empty ice cream tub or something to catch the oil.
You should be able to do it without going underneath the car or lift it. I do it on 3 cars every year by just reaching under.
When you undo the nut go very slowly and dont undo it full, just enough for the oil to drain out and then screw it back in and clean it afterwards.
The nut may be very tight, i have sometimes had to use a steel pipe as leverage in the past.
Or take it to a garage and pay £70+ or whatever they will charge you.
You will probably need a specific size drain plug socket bit to loosen the oil sump nut. Or if you are lucky an ordinary spanner.
Wear some gloves and get an old empty ice cream tub or something to catch the oil.
You should be able to do it without going underneath the car or lift it. I do it on 3 cars every year by just reaching under.
When you undo the nut go very slowly and dont undo it full, just enough for the oil to drain out and then screw it back in and clean it afterwards.
The nut may be very tight, i have sometimes had to use a steel pipe as leverage in the past.
Or take it to a garage and pay £70+ or whatever they will charge you.
Last edited:
All done. 
. He said keep an eye on the oil level once a week for the next month to make sure it was just low oil and not a problem with the oil pump. He thought it was likely just low oil as there was nothing on the dipstick when I first checked it.
He said the amount of extra oil I'd put in wasn't too bad, he reckoned he sucked out half to 1 litre to bring the level down to maximum.
. He said keep an eye on the oil level once a week for the next month to make sure it was just low oil and not a problem with the oil pump. He thought it was likely just low oil as there was nothing on the dipstick when I first checked it. He said the amount of extra oil I'd put in wasn't too bad, he reckoned he sucked out half to 1 litre to bring the level down to maximum.
Syringe and a bit of hose works wonders if it's only a small amount!
its a no oil pressure light hence why it comes on before engine is cranked. either you got an oil burner, leaker or you dont even check the level ever.
some people i know pour in half a liter above max mark when on track and have no issues. depends on the car i guess.
I hadn't checked the oil level for a long time but I'm going to keep my eye on it now. Car is booked for a service in a couple of weeks.