Oil Level Increasing

[RSH]

The 2022 owners manual mentions the possibility of increased oil level readings mostly due to short trips, but if the high readings persist the manual says contact the dealer.

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[maxamilus]

Is the consensus that this is "normal" for these engines?

The oil was at the bottom of the Maxium hole when I changed it 2300 miles ago. It has increased up the dipstick 5/8". This was checked 15 minutes after a 20 minute drive.

 

[rocks]

Does the dipstick oil smell like gas?

 

[Bucko]

Does the dipstick oil smell like gas?

Or antifreeze? Or does it have a milky appearance?

 

[maxamilus]

Does the dipstick oil smell like gas?

Mine definitely smells like fuel.

 

[Dude]

The oil was at the bottom of the Maxium hole when I changed it 2300 miles ago. It has increased up the dipstick 5/8". This was checked 15 minutes after a 20 minute drive.

@Mac did you determine the reason for oil level increasing?

 

[sajohnson]

Wait. I'm pretty certain it said to check it when it was cold. I remember searching that out just in case a 3 cylinder turbo charged engine was different from what I was used to.

I need to dig out my owner's manual!

Edit: I stand corrected! I wonder what I read that said to check it when it was cold. Maybe the coolant? I have been letting it get hot, waiting a few minutes, then opening that to check the level. ?

From the owners manual quote in post #9:

"Make sure that your vehicle is on level ground.
Check the oil level before starting the engine..."

 

[sajohnson]

I have always checked it after it has set all night. I always wipe the dipstick and reinsert. It is as level as the concrete floor in my garage. I rotate the dipstick 180 degrees and recheck (it makes a difference on my Challenger). All checks have been done using the exact same procedure, so the engine being hot, warm, or cold, is inconsequential. The fact of the matter is the level of the oil on the dipstick is increasing. I have the coolant level filled to the "Max line" to monitor for coolant loss, which is not happening. I believe it is the DI Demon of fuel dilution.

Any owner who is that diligent about maintenance is likely to get many more miles than average out of their vehicle.

 

[RSH]

As my previous post stated the owners manual says the oil level can increase due to short trips, but if it persists take it to the dealer. If your Sport is still under warranty take it in and have Ford check it out.

 

[Dude]

As my previous post stated the owners manual says the oil level can increase due to short trips, but if it persists take it to the dealer. If your Sport is still under warranty take it in and have Ford check it out.

I wonder if it would increase 5/8” as stated earlier. Seems like a large increase but IDK if can go up that much only due to short trips?

 

[sajohnson]

As my previous post stated the owners manual says the oil level can increase due to short trips, but if it persists take it to the dealer. If your Sport is still under warranty take it in and have Ford check it out.

Even if they can't find a cause, it will establish that the problem existed during the warranty period.

 

[Mark S.]

Check the oil level before starting the engine...

Yup. Hot oil expands.

 

[sajohnson]

Yup. Hot oil expands.

And now...the REST of the story:

I only quoted the first part of the sentence. The entire thing is:

"Check the oil level before starting the engine, or switch the engine off after warm up and wait 15 minutes for the oil to drain into the oil pan."

Oil volume does increase as its temp increases. In fact the expansion is so significant in the V6 turbo diesel in the Sprinter that if it is filled to the "full" line when cold, it will trigger an 'over full' alarm when hot, so owners fill it to no more than mid way between Add and Full. In some extreme cases the oil level gets so high that a diesel engine goes into "runaway" (running on the engine oil) and there is no way to shut it down. They sometimes exceed the redline and self-destruct. D'OH!

Back to the BS -- I'm surprised Ford says the oil can be checked hot or cold -- with no mention of expansion.

I wonder if the hole above Full/Nominal on the dipstick is intended to indicate the hot level?

 

[Mark S.]

And now...the REST of the story:

There's always a catch...

 

[sajohnson]

There's always a catch...

I case there's any doubt, I only quoted the first part of the sentence from the owner's manual to clear up any confusion davidg (and others) might have (see my post #37).

As someone pointed out, the instructions are not the same in all owner's manuals. Some just have the hot check procedure.

Having two (2) procedures makes sense. After all, owners check the oil when the engine is hot and when it's cold.

<Later> Because I'm naturally curious, I searched for the purpose of the hole in the dipstick, above the "Full" line. I suspect it indicates the absolute max level when hot. I could not fine anything from Ford, but there were several posts that indicated that may be the case, including this one:

"Not all dipsticks, however, use these lines—some use holes or dots. Typically, these types of dipsticks will have four holes: the topmost hole indicates the “full mark” when the oil is hot while the hole below it indicates the “full” mark when the oil is cold. The uppermost of the bottom two holes indicates the “low/add” mark when the oil is hot, whereas the lowest hole indicates the “low/add” mark when the oil is cold."
https://getjerry.com/car-repair/how-to-read-a-dipstick#why-do-you-need-the-right-oil-level

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