Am I the only one who is confused by it? (I think I know the answer )

Why can't they just put a damn E and F without the elegant twists.
I think mine is just under max does anyone have a visual reference?

 

Forget the dipstick and just look at the oil level gauge. I have never been able to get a good reading from the dipstick.

 

My advise would be the opposite. Always trust the dipstick first. It can be a bit tricky to get a good reading and I find one side of the stick will smear and look over-full while the other side will give an accurate reading...in good light. I always pull the stick, clean it, reinsert it and take a reading twice at every fuel fill. The rest of the time I just use the gauge. The thing with the gauge though is that the engine needs to be hot, the car sitting on a level surface, and be idling otherwise the reading will be low (as in likely reading empty or close to it). As we all know you don't want to overfill the oil tank on these cars.

Actually the above is true for taking readings with either the stick or the gauge.

 

It is a little tough, but I think the elegant twists are the E and F. Could be wrong but i'm sure its not the only car that has had the twists in Europe that i have had if i remember (my old Mk1 golf) .

Without oil leaks and 11ltr in the tank i don't worry too much. I take an educated reading from 4 dips at a time and look at the gauge to compare, i think i do this every 750miles-ish.

I don't want to tempt fate now though

 

I just checked the owners manual on my car and my comments from my previous post are correct on how/when to take the reading. The dipstick does not have a F or E marking (why would it when you think about it) but does have min and max level markings that the oil level should not exceed or fall below. These marks represent a range of 1.7 ltr.

I think those twists might be to assist in the proper insertion of the dip stick. The handle must always be pointing down when the stick is inserted so as not to damage the engine compartment lid.

 

+1 I too struggle checking the oil....only a rocket scientist can figure it out!

I try to use both methods, check the stick a few times and the the gauge simultaneously. Aslong as my gauge is at half level, I don't push it......too damn worried about over filling.

 

I'll say it because it wasn't mentioned above...measure dipstick while engine is running, boys!

I consider my oil gauge only after I've been running at highway speeds for at least 30 minutes, and then I like the needle floating around the 3 o'clock position while cruising at 55-65mph in 5th gear. It seems like my oil gauge needle takes a while to reach this equilibrium state at cruising speed.

This may be unorthodox and if it's completely erroneous, please somebody school me on this!

 

Wait, your oil level gauge floats at around 3 o'clock while in gear under load?

My needle is comfortably resting at the bottom of the gauge while in gear under load. Only when sitting a stoplight - or idling for 20 seconds - does it start to creep up (I like it to stop at 3:30 or 4 o'clock). Oil in the system expands with heat...

 

The thing I found in most posts I checked and read through here is that the engine must be warm and running, the oil thermostat gauge should be above the second tick mark, and the car on level ground.
I check mine at fill up on my way home from work, she is good and warm the oil is flowing to the engine so I then compare the gauge and stick. I hope that helps a bit. I have over filled once but did not have any ill affects as I used the Turkey baster method of oil removal , thanks to the guys here at Ren pointing out some of the most obvious tools laying around the house. -D²

 

^^^
This!! My needle is in the red when I'm driving and only starts to creep up when idling on flat ground!
If your needle is in the 3 o'clock position while driving, youhave too much oil in the car!!!

 

this is interesting....my needle is in red when driving...and when warm and on level ground i try and make sure its at least level (gauge is horizontal/halfway mark)....if it drops lower i just top it up 250mls-500mls..which takes it to about 3 oclock...mine is a 90 car and it does leak a little....so far this approach has worked fine....i do tend to get paranoid watching the gauge all the time when i pull up to a set of lights and also..dont want to overfill.

 

Anybody else feel this way? My needle is in the red when I accelerate and while cruising but if I stay at highway speeds for over a half hour or so, the needle creeps up to the 3 o'clock position. I found this out when I put 6,000 miles on my car this past fall driving from Florida, through New England, then out to California. Those long hauls across the middle of the country is as good a time as any to compare dipstick readings with gauge readings and after a while, I settled in on aiming for the 3 o'clock needle position.

I'd love to hear more opinions on this!

 

I think you will find the opinion, on this forum anyways, that needle at 3 o'clock while driving and engine at operating temp = OVERFILL. Where is the needle at when stopped on level ground with engine running? And what does the dipstick show?

 

/Agree with crg53 about your oil level. I remember the time driving home with my 964 and literally freaking out when I saw the oil meter go into the red when I hit the freeway.
Stopped at a corner station and filled her up and rechecked the oil. It was fine and the meter was around 3 o'clock with a middle fill level on the stick, I went on home then more comfortable about my drive home.
-D²

It was then I got a membership to Rennlist and started researching a few things I took for granted from owning 77' 911s Targa (3.2L) and found many misconception I had.

 

Ahh, for the days of my 3.2...
...with a dipstick made flat, short, and W-I-D-E - the way God intended.
The best dipstick, ever.

(Unfortunately tied to the worst oil tank placement, ever.)