Oil Level on Dipstick

[tremortime]

I have 5K miles on my 7.3 and checking the oil is frustrating. I checked the oil this morning after the truck has been sitting all night and when I look at the dip stick there is oil all over the dip stick and I was thinking it should show an accurate level based on how much is in the oil pan. Has anyone figured out how to get an accurate reading on the dip stick?

 

[22WhiteTremor]

Rhetorical question, is the truck level?

 

[ccw]

Also simple question: are you wiping off the dip stick, reinserting, then taking the measurement? Or trying to get a measurement on the first removal?

 

[RedZilla]

Park level, shut her off for 15 minutes, pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, reinsert fully and pull it out and read the level. Same thing I've been doing on every vehicle I've owned since the mid seventies.

Edit: Just thought of this. If you by chance are adding any kind of friction modifier such as STP oil treatment, Motor Honey, or Lucas Oil oil treatment, these type of additives have tackifying agents added to them which are quite sticky and don't allow the oil to drain down very quickly. That's the whole premise with these additives as they are meant to prevent "dry" starts by holding the oil up in the engine components. This is the only thing I could come up with.

 

[Explorerinil]

The dip stick is not a 100% accurate measurement either. As long as it’s in the operating range your fine. Wipe the dipstick off then reinsert in and check, also when the engine is cold. FYI when I change my oil I use 8 quarts of motor craft 5w30 syn blend and a motor craft fl820s filter… I don’t check it until 5k at my next change. Where I work our maintenance does this same procedure for our squad cars and they run harder and longer than 99% of vehicles on the road.

 

[a1z2s3x4]

What I'm about to type is going to sound like BS. In fact, I don't even have my truck yet to see if this is also true of the 7.3. But, we did get my wife a Ranger last year and it seems very picky about how the oil is checked with the dipstick. All my life, I have never had any problem checking the oil in any vehicle, but this Ranger requires extraordinary measures to get consistent results. All the old advice is also true: level ground, engine off long enough for oil to return to pan, wipe off dipstick then reinsert, etc. But in addition to this sage advice, I also have to do the following: after pulling the dipstick and wiping it off, leave it out for a few minutes before reinserting! It is very strange, if I don't wait 5 minutes, upon reinsertion, the oil level will read high. Not just extra oil in places on the dipstick obscuring the actual reading; it will look like a real consistent measurement, just high. If I wait 5 minutes before reinsertion of the dipstick, then I can get consistent repeatable results. I can only guess that the dipstick removal somehow drags oil up in the tube or something...

Anyway, something else to try if you are still having trouble.
Chris

 

[pickleknuckles]

...truck has been sitting all night and when I look at the dip stick there is oil all over the dip stick...

At least you know the oil you're using is doing what it was designed to do. That's precisely why you have to wipe it off. With modern tighter tolerances, engine life would be way shorter if oil didn't coat and stay to the extent it does.

 

[blumhagen]

The manual is your friend. Coming from the motorcycle world every bike you seem to check the oil differently.

 

[Flourman]

I’ve got the same issue with my 7.3. I’m curious how many of the people saying all the normal oil checking things have actually tried to check the 7.3 oil. That dipstick has so many twists it doesn’t surprise me it is hard to check.

 

[pickleknuckles]

I’ve got the same issue with my 7.3. I’m curious how many of the people saying all the normal oil checking things have actually tried to check the 7.3 oil. That dipstick has so many twists it doesn’t surprise me it is hard to check.

Honestly, it's not rocket science so don't over think it. Get the oil up to temp, pull the stick, wipe it, put it back, and pull to check. Or, do it how the manual says if there is a specific procedure and you're that concerned about it.

 

[RedZilla]

I’ve got the same issue with my 7.3. I’m curious how many of the people saying all the normal oil checking things have actually tried to check the 7.3 oil. That dipstick has so many twists it doesn’t surprise me it is hard to check.

Yep, it's odd that they made the dipstick so twisted up and flimsy, but after a few go rounds it's something you get used to.

 

[cookiemonster]

I don't have a 7.3 - is the actual measurement part also completely covered in oil? For the 6.7 the dipstick comes out and there's residual oil all over the place, but I have a very clear reading on the actual end where I can see a line of oil between min/max.