How to Check Your Oil Level & Read Your Dipstick

How to Check Your Oil Level & Read Your Dipstick on your car or truck. What the oil level on your dipstick means. Step by Step process of how to check your engine oil level using the dipstick and what the marks on the dipstick mean, with different dipstick examples and examples of oil levels so you can understand what they mean and when you should add oil.
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I assume no liability for anything you choose to do to your own car. All Repairs you perform to your car are performed at your own risk.

[@AngelicaHays]

So glad to hear that I wasn't going crazy and it does turn out it's harder to read the dipstick with brand new oil!

[@MusiqTruth]

Clear and straight to the point. Very value added and helpful. Thank you!

[@fyvnyn0990]

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS IN DEPTH VIDEO, YOURE A ROCKSTAR!!!!

[@stephanieshaunegill-lewis244]

Thank you for making this video...I thought I knew how to check my oil properly but have been doing it wrong for almost 25 years. Thank you.

[@HydroLeb]

hah, that makes two of us :D

[@umpabunch6627]

3 of us

[@88genco]

Pls can u tell me

[@allmyvids400]

Thank you for this video. It was very helpful and easier for me to understand.

[@adriannagonzalez2561]

Thank you, this was helpful!

[@mdym8593]

Very informative. Thank you

[@GraceWatkins-pb2tu]

This was extremely helpful!

[@s.h8589]

Thank you 😘 your instructions were just what I needed 🤗

[@alsostephenking]

Very informative and helpful video, left me with zero questions afterwards. Thanks for being thorough!

[@ladyiris77]

Thanks. This is so helpful🌼🌷

[@StayzeeDaFirst]

Thank you so much I got great information from this video!!!!

[@backyardchevy328]

Thats great! So glad to hear it🙂

[@kp6153]

Well explained, thank you!

[@backyardchevy328]

Thank you🙂

[@humano1196]

Very informative, ty.

[@brianedwards5113]

Very informative!

[@hanaashaba1263]

Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@nigel-matthews]

Well made video - thanks for posting it!

[@backyardchevy328]

Thank you🙂

[@jimmylopez5209]

Great video to the T must watch!!

[@RicciFiorentini]

What a great video

[@JL-ln9qh]

Close up enough to actually see the stick and where it's wet, and the light and dark parts of the oil on the stick. Listed symptoms of overfill at end, helped me figure something out with my car. Thank you

[@jacobibriy.8695]

very helpful. thanx

[@betod3113]

Thanks for explaining it all well def subcribe to you.

[@duncanmcleod4459]

This video explained it perfect.

[@backyardchevy328]

Thats great! So glad to hear it🙂 thank you

[@111alexg]

Thank you.

[@jeffsama7601]

Well explained brother

[@backyardchevy328]

Thank you🙂

[@zaukko1401]

Very comprehensive video! Thank you!

[@backyardchevy328]

Thank you🙂

[@peterrudy9207]

On my 2020 Toyota Camry , when I pull the oil dipstick out . There is oil smeared on one side , but the other a distinct line . I've used judgement that the side with the line is ok , no issues .

[@nyacoustics8373]

im trying to read my lexus dipstick. when I pull it out to check it has a very distinct dark color near the low mark but there is a faint drop of oil near the high end of the dipstick. which one do i rely on?

[@rqlk]

I’m not a mechanic but I do my own oil changes. My dad always told me the drop on the high end is excess and to not rely on that. I always rely on whatever smear of oil starts at the bottom and continues all the way up, wherever that smear ends is the oil level. Also wipe off the dipstick then put it back in for a second and take it back out, that usually gets rid of most of the excess.

[@zoesh2441]

@rqlk I think that smear that u mentioned that gets to the top is the same excess oil at the top that he’s talkin about. So again which one should be relied on?

[@nedaltrebor8553]

​@@zoesh2441 where it's solid across is the oil level. if there's still excess smears that make it uncertain after the first wipe and dip, feel free to wipe and dip again as needed. until it's a clear reading. should be a pretty much solid oil bubble.

[@billcomondi1638]

Under dipstick does it have written letters representative like L for low oil and H- For high oil. Please assist me

[@bondjames7867]

I have a 2000 camry. I can put the stick in 2 different position both poristion shows totally different levels of oil? How do i know which one is the right position?. The stick head got one side 2 dots and the other 3 dots..

[@philliphanford2792]

My dipstick is streaking oil and I can not tell where the level is. What to do? Leave it sit a while then check? Reading is easy if it did not streak.(The oil is new and clear, just changed it)

[@JuystaFan]

how do we read streaks along the sides of the dip sticks?

[@terrybulmer1788]

Help please . I can’t see the oil mark on the dipstick. Can I add a die to the oil?

[@godlove5912]

Thank you for this. I’m tired of watching videos where they just whip dipstick out like whoodini and I have no idea where it came from☺️👌🏻

[@backyardchevy328]

Thank you🙂 lol yea definitely dont need houdini dipsticks

[@JD-59]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Is he saying that the space between the two dots is about 1 liter of oil? So if my oil result is at the lowest dot, then I should add 1/2 or 500 mL of oil, to bring it to the half way mark?

[@andryakaaad]

just figured out the trick with toyota/lexus dipstick as those really hard to read (the yaris style the author showed) after oil change. When you look at it - oil is all over the place way above the high mark even if the car set for 15 mins. You want to look at the side of dipstick that has the indentation, pointy part near the high mark ( hard-to-read-side ">" easy to read side ). That pointy part removes an excess of oil above the high mark and makes it easier to read. I think one shouldn't freak out (like me) if the pointy part full of oil - it's just cleared excessive oil to allow more accurate reading. don't forget the ground level. an easy slope can give 0.2 quarts of a misreading.

[@andryakaaad]

you dipstick up to bottom | - up of a dipstick | | < - the pointy mark on dipstick pointed to the left side - left is easy to read | X - high level mark/dot | easy-to-read side | hard-to-read side | X - low level mark/dot | I hope it helps :)

[@DL-mk4mz]

My dipstick has a top and bottom dot but between them there is a hash mark that goes up 3/4 of the way between the dots, the last 1/4 before the top dot is blank. WHICH LEVEL DO I FILL IT TO?!🤷‍♂️

[@kuyajacob69]

I'm trying to read the oil level on my dipstick but I'm being thrown off. I can clearly see the "bubble" and where the "bubble" ends on my stick but there's a slight film of oil above it. It's definitely not as profound as the "bubble" and on the back it's repeated but there seems to be indents where the oil doesn't touch and where exactly the "bubble" begins coming from the top end of the stick. Am I fine as long as I can see the "bubble" right where it should be and disregard that slight film of oil above it?

[@backyardchevy328]

yes, the film above is most likely just oil that it had on fill tube and rubs up against it..the bubble would be where the actual oil level would be, especially if it matches on the other side.

[@shmohsin-lasvegas]

My Jeep is a diesel one and the manual says that oil should be checked ideally 5 minutes after shutting a warmed up engine. It uses 5W40 oil and when the oil is hot (170F after 5 minutes), it is very thin and runny - hard to read on the dipstick. If I check in the morning when the oil is 60F, I get a clear reading of it being right in the middle point between low and high marks. Does it really show a different level if the engine oil is hot versus cold sitting overnight? If so, is the dipstick showing a higher level of oil cold than the reading from a warm engine?

[@backyardchevy328]

Only difference is that all the oil that was circulating engine has had time to settle in oil pan..some people actually prefer to wait til morning to check it for that reason so they can get a clear level of how much oil is actually in engine oil pan

[@shmohsin-lasvegas]

@@backyardchevy328 Awesome, thanks for the quick reply!

[@PlumbPitiful]

So if you do have a low oil level does it mean you have a leak somewhere or does oil just naturally burn off or evaporate?

[@backyardchevy328]

Yes, itll normally burn a certain amount of oil...while higher performance engines will burn slightly more...but as the engine gets older itll begin to burn slightly more over time or yes itll start having leaks past the seals or gaskets

[@greatestcontentofalltime5065]

Hi, Can you please confirm the full mark is the second dot on the dip stick?

[@peterrudy9207]

Yes it is , best to just reach that mark and not over .

[@krishnabaker6709]

How often should I check the oil level?

[@nedaltrebor8553]

doesn't hurt to check it at every gas fill up. and there's usually paper towels at the gas station pumps with the squeegees. but if you don't fill up, and just get gas sporadically. once a month should be sufficient.

[@memo503046]

Are the circles supposed to be filled in with oil or doesn’t it not matter if they’re filled?

[@indigograves]

It doesn't matter. They are mainly there for being a point of reference for the oil level.

[@user-xn1no3do2h]

When I check my vehicle, it all looks the same to me, whether its low or good. I just go every change of the season.

[@ygbodybuilder3023]

Question for you. I had a my axel replaced and the guy said some transmission fluid came out with it and said it was about a quart. I checked my levels when the car was cold and it was above the high level. What's the reason for this

[@backyardchevy328]

Yea when u pop out the axle if the vehicle is tilted a certain way when u remove it, some transmission fluid will come out..it could be that it was overfilled before even replacing the axle

[@ygbodybuilder3023]

@@backyardchevy328 cool thanks for the reply

[@ygbodybuilder3023]

@@backyardchevy328 ok I checked it out and it's look its at a safe level could I send you a pic of the dip stick to get your opinion

[@backyardchevy328]

@@ygbodybuilder3023 yea, just send it to my instagram..I just started it a week ago..havent posted anything yet though.....backyard_chevy

[@ygbodybuilder3023]

@@backyardchevy328 cool sending it right now

[@davidsmith4186]

I'm about a ¼in. above my full mark. Distance between my two dots on the dipstick is 1.5in. meaning a quart. I don't think a quarter quart is gonna hurt anything, at least I hope not.

[@mikeoconnell3652]

My car takes 5w30 but I bought a qt of 10w30 by mistake. Should I take it back or is it OK to use?

[@backyardchevy328]

If its a newer car i would take it back and use the 5w30 cause they tend to have smaller oil ports and especially since its colder weather right now..in the summer it wouldn't be so bad

[@digitalcamaraderie5685]

What if the oil is little higher than the dot2

[@peterrudy9207]

A little higher has been said to not be an issue .

[@tenzackyogi1742]

I have to mix Engine oil with Marvel Mistery Oil product.

[@backyardchevy328]

Ur gonna add the mistery oil? How good does that work?

[@aegisreflector1239]

4:10

[@slacker10point06]

when I check my oil there is only oil on the side of the dip stick and isn't completely coated

[@backyardchevy328]

Does it do that everytime u remove it?

[@jayes460]

What about the types like extended life or advanced whatever as long as it's the same type it shld be ok? Viscosity and if it's full synthetic

[@sandybee4865]

Thank you.