Checking Oil Level - 2L Wet Sump Duratec.
Discussion
New R300D owner - sorry if this has been covered before (I'm sure it has, but can't find it)
The Caterham manual says that the oil should be checked 30seconds after turning the engine off after the engine has reached operating temperature, and that the dipstick should be left in for 30 seconds before taking a reading.
This is different to the 'normal' method of checking a cars oil level (cold) and gives a very different result.
Can someone please explain the reasoning for this method and if there is any debate about what is the correct method?
The Caterham manual says that the oil should be checked 30seconds after turning the engine off after the engine has reached operating temperature, and that the dipstick should be left in for 30 seconds before taking a reading.
This is different to the 'normal' method of checking a cars oil level (cold) and gives a very different result.
Can someone please explain the reasoning for this method and if there is any debate about what is the correct method?
Its a poor design - the correct oil level is actually inside the tube so when you push the dipstick in, the column of air in the tube pushes the oil down giving an inaccurate read (lower than it is). IMHO the best thing to do is to take the 'O' ring off the dipstick, check the level, then put the the 'O' ring back. That allows the tube to vent and give the correct reading while you are measuring it.
Thanks DCL, that explains a lot.
What about the hot vs. cold engine for checking the level? I would have expected the level to be checked when the engine is cold and most of the oil is in the sump. The amount of oil in the sump would be increasing for at least a few minutes after the engine is turned off. How can this give an accurate reading?
What about the hot vs. cold engine for checking the level? I would have expected the level to be checked when the engine is cold and most of the oil is in the sump. The amount of oil in the sump would be increasing for at least a few minutes after the engine is turned off. How can this give an accurate reading?
The oil expands when hot (I think about 5%)so it does make a noticeable difference. The thing about the wet sump is that the oil level is close to the crank and, if you do overfill, it will elevate the oil temperature, aerate the oil, and sap engine power. So you really want to measure the level carefully when the oil is up to temperature (i.e. when at its highest level)- 30 seconds is enough for the bulk of the oil to drain back when hot.
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