How To Correctly Check Engine Oil?

[Mariius]

T22 D4D 2.0 2001 estate.
When you are checking engine oil, at what side of meter should you look at (it has two sides)? Should you look at side which is facing towards you or should you look at side which is facing back of your car?
This is very important to know, I think, because one side says there is normal amount of oil and the other says there is minimum amount of oil left.

[blackcts]

Switch the engine off when at operating temperature, leave the car for 10 minutes to make sure all the oil is back in the sump, then dip it. I always go by the side facing towards you.

[Mariius]

Are you sure that the side which faces YOU, (not back of the car), is the correct side to check oil level?
This is critical, since one side shows min oil level and other normal...

[radduu]

Mine, at one side shows normal and other side shows more than maxim level. Here are some pictures. The engine was off for 1 day long.

I think the real side is the one who show the minimum amount of oil. The other side I think that it touches that pipe that go in to.

[Mariius]

Mine, at one side shows normal and other side shows more than maxim level. Here are some pictures. The engine was off for 1 day long.

I think the real side is the one who show the minimum amount of oil. The other side I think that it touches that pipe that go in to.

But maybe it is different for T22. Your is T25 mate.

[radduu]

How it's that pipe on t22? It touches the oil meter? You have oil on the meter sides? Just asking. Thanks.

[Druid Boy]

The lower level is the one to go for because the oil mark on the other side is just residual oil from the pipe the dipstick fits into. It gets smeared onto the dipstick as you remove it and gives a false reading.

[mintalkin]

allways check the oil with a cold engine and the car on level ground, remove the dipstick,wipe with a cloth and then reinsert and remove for the oil level reading.

[radduu]

mintalking, on my pictures, my car wasn't started from one day long. I had cleaned the dipstick, and after that, I reinserted in the oil pipe. The residual oil from the pipe is always on my dipstick too.

[alexsv_17]

I know reading the oil level on a Toyota diesel engine could be tricky.

Switch the engine off when at operating temperature, leave the car for 10 minutes to make sure all the oil is back in the sump, then dip it.

This is the correct way according to the Toyota delaers, with the reminder that you should look on the side of the dipstic towards the BACK of the car, not the one pointing towards the front ( towards you).

[Regressor]

hmm, i have the t25 2.0 d4d and it allways smears the dipstick towards the back of the car. On the side towards me (the front) it reads minimum.

But good to know that you have to read the level against the back (the normal way). Guess i have to dip it 10-20 times to get rid of the oil smearing the dipstick to get a correct reading ;)

The manual sais drive the car until it gets normal temperature then shut off, wait 5 minutes and then check the oil level.

[Mike169]

I don't know if this works but if you remove the dipstick and lightly roughen up with fine sandpaper the bottom part of the dipstick to deglaze the metal, apparently the oil will then read the same on both sides of the stick.

If you do it let us know if it work please.

Mike.

[Regressor]

Ah, i will try that. I just was out to check the oil level and refilled the coolant. I ran the car to working temperature and let it sit for about 5 minutes. When i removed the dipstick on the first try it showed maximum. The next 20 times was only smearing. Then i put the dipstick in and waited for about 1 minutes and took it back out and it showed the same as the first time. So i think the trick is to take it out, wipe it, put it back in and wait for a little while to get correct reading.

If anyone else know some "trick" like bending the dipstick or something when taking it out for correct reading please let me know.

[Maguure48]

At the max level give it a 90 degrees twist works a treat Iv dun it with 100s of them