Oil dipstick weird readings

[1998GT4.62V]

I always check my oil before I pull the car out of storage and stuff. And before I did the clutch job on the car, I checked the oil on the dipstick and got two 'readings' on it.

I went off the lowest one and filled her up again. But what is going on with the oil underneat the 'max' Indicator? Why is there oil there? Or am I reading it off incorrectly?

 

[cobrajeff96]

Looks like an aftermarket dipstick. Good quality dipsticks will have a cross-hatch pattern etched into the indicator surface for the oil to sort of cling to, just like the wall of a cylinder bore. Get a better dipstick?

 

[RAU03MACH]

i have one of those
i took some rough sand paper to the end of it so the oil will stick better

 

[Daryl]

That tiny bit of oil tucked under the MAX may just be oil that the dipstick picked up inside the dipstick tube as you put the dipstick in.

 

[1998GT4.62V]

i have one of those
i took some rough sand paper to the end of it so the oil will stick better

I polished it a bit when I first got the car a few years ago, cause it was very stained and I couldn't even see the min - max markings

But yeah I could try sanding it.

 

[1998GT4.62V]

Looks like an aftermarket dipstick. Good quality dipsticks will have a cross-hatch pattern etched into the indicator surface for the oil to sort of cling to, just like the wall of a cylinder bore. Get a better dipstick?

I'm honestly not sure where to look for something like that.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

My 5.0 had a normal dipstick (not like yours, mine was just a stick with crosshatching on it), but apparently they are known to be wildly inaccurate.

If I were you, next time you are due for an oil change, get a normal style dipstick if you can find one, fill your car up with oil, take a reading, and mark out the stick manually. I made one mark and took scotchbrite to the area below it. Worked like a charm. Accurate to less than a MM.

If you want, you can fill the oil up, but leave out a quart. You could make a fill mark in addition to the max mark. I didn’t, but it would have been a nice touch.

As for the “weird” reading, that is completely normal when you check the oil more than once, or right after driving. There is residual oil on the dipstick tubing. You were right to take the lower reading.

 

[RAU03MACH]

if you smooth it up oil will not stick as well
when using course sand paper it puts grove lines on it the oil will stick better
i have done this to a few of them and it does help

 

[I_LIKE_TURTLEZ]

You read dipsticks off the bottom always, the oil pooled under the max stamping is because of the indentations grabbing oil from the tube. You were about 1/2 quart low which is fine. Once you add oil after an oil change and read your specific dipstick, you'll know from then on exactly what your car takes and won't have to double check anymore.

I.E. my car calls for 6qts, I put in 6 & it reads exactly just under the max level which is ideal. So I add 6 qts, shut the hood and know I'm good to go.