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I need advice on when to add oil and how much oil to add after determining the engine oil level by checking the dipstick. Specifically, if the oil level is between the "add" line and the "full" line, do I add oil and top it off? Also if the oil level is at the "add" line, does this mean I should add one quart? Or if the level is half way between the "add" line and the "full" line, do I add 1/2 quart?
Thanks
I've never quite gotten the hang of reading the spiral dipstick. No matter what I do, when I pull it out there's a smear of oil, so I'm not sure where the 'mark' is. Even if I check it after leaving the engine off overnight, there's still a smear on the dipstick when I pull it out. What am I missing?
I've never thought reading a "Dip stick" was rocket science. Also, not clear what type of Chevy engine you have with a "Spiral Dip Stick".
really?
Your dip stick should look like this, yes after reading your post I went out to the garage and took a couple pic's to help you.
Note the little ring on top. You put your index finger into it and pull it STRAIGHT out. No spirals.
pull it out and wipe it clean. Then reinsert it and once again pull it STRAIGHT out.
Once out you look at the line of oil. Mind you my photo is a tad fussy. But clear enough to make a point.
Those fussy letters say FULL. Right at the bottom of the second "L" is a straight line. Note how my oil is right on that line. See the oil below the line? Note how there is no oil above the line? Even in a less than clear photo. It's pretty clear my oil level is spot on.
yes it really is this simple. No, no Chevy has a "Spiral " Dip Stick.
Okay, 4-Vettes, I concede your point: Technically it's a helix, because the radius doesn't increase or decrease along the axis as it does in a spiral. Since this is a technical issue, I apologize for imprecision in my word choice -- though I might note that spiral and helix are generally considered synonymous (a 'spiral staircase' is, technically, a helix, but I can't recall ever hearing anyone calling one a 'helical staircase'). But I digress: the first photo shows the helical dipstick in the Lingenfelter LS2 engine in my '01, and it looks exactly like the one in the LS1 engine in my '03.
Look at the close-up (second) photo, and you'll see that oil is smeared up past the word 'MAX', and there is no point at which I can say that there's a clear line that definitively indicates what the actual oil level is. Please note that I pulled the dipstick out after the engine was off all night, so it's not like there's oil settling.
Just some educating guessing, but from the shape of that dip stick...and not being too familiar with a Lingenfelter LS2, it appears that dip stick is a little long, looks like it hits the bottom and then bends, you can see the small bend in the dipstick just at the center dot of the 5 dots in the 2nd image...it also appears that there is some bend engineered into that dip stick, that curves which are just out of frame in your 2nd pic...
08-23-2020, 04:26 PM
Engine Oil Dipstick Questions
