Running or just switched off and Hot. Otherwise you'll give yourself a heart attack...trust me. And make sure you cover your hand (oven mitt). The metal cap gets real hot.
Exactly, my friend dipped it when cold and panicked and has now overfilled it as a result so its now smoking like a good un. I sort of realised what had happened so now need to drain some oil off for him. Thanks for confirming
Ferrarichat's search capability is marginal. However, in most browsers, you can search a site directly using this syntax: Check Oil 355 :ferrarichat The results reveal many answers
Run the engine long enough for the oil to get full hot--it will take less gas to drive 5 miles down the interstate and back than idling in the garage to get it sufficiently hot. Park the car with the engine running, pop the bonnet. Now, turn off the motor, get out of the car, open bonnet and unscrew the oil cover. Wipe down the first reading, screw the oil cap back on and the back off and read the oil level.
For some reason my car absolutely has to be running when checking oil... Even 5 seconds or less after shutoff it reads bone dry. Maybe my car is a freak.
Watson, with all due respect, this is a forum and people are going to ask the same questions over and over, let's just answer them or not. I recall my first post where you dumped on me for not searching, if it bothers you, just don't reply ;-) Check the oil while HOT, at idle and be carefull coz the cap is super hot!
Second question 5w or 10w, the 5w just seems to thin on a higher mileage engine. When I swapped across on another car the difference was amazing, oil consumption dropped considerably.
Unless you are starting the car in sub+30dF temperatures (that is below +30dF) the difference between 10W-40 and 5W-40 is negligible. It is generally the NOACK number that controls the oil consumption on older engines.
ah ok on the other car in question I went from a 5w40 to a 10w50 and oil tops ups stopped being required as a result
Several respected mechanics here suggest checking oil while under idle, engine running. I do this and it works perfect.
If one wants to race around to the back of the car and have any confidence that the timing is consistent, then that's cool with me but not something I'm going to do.
I just follow the manual...probably the best way given the manual's author. But hey.... Have done it both ways. Results were the same. I have low foam oil so it really doesn't matter for me anyway.
I agree. If it mattered I would adjust the process. I like following the manual but that's just me. It is not that big of deal. Do what you like.
Surely it would have just been quicker to answer the original question Watson rather than take the pedant route?
I had overfilled mine on my first oil change. I used my vacuum brake bleeder and sucked out the excess out right through the fill port. Hope this helps
Geeez guys. I showed the guy how to search ferrarichat...which is a difficult thing to do within the provided search engine here. Type that in and a world of answers is at ytour finger tips....and not just checking oil levels. Did you know the "{topic} :ferraichat" syntax? I found it recently and it has been quite helpful. I'll refrain from helping going forward......sorry to have poked my head in here.
Waton, as I explained to you in our PM exchange, I assumed that you were "schooling" the OP to search and not ask questions that have been already asked many times - something that you did to me when I first became a member. If I assumed wrong, I apologize and as I said in PM, I had no intention to offend you. I'm on several forums and members seem to get very sensitive regarding topics already discussed, it does not bother me at all since new information often comes about and unless the search works well it's hard to get to the right place.
