Checking the oil level

[Msfitoy]

All the way in.

Pre-lubed...

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[midwayfordranger2021]

Mine is difficult to read also...so I just let it sit overnight after adding 6 qts... run it to check for leaks.. then top it off in the morning. It is much easier to read then. The manual seems a little vague to me as to just what the "full" reading is. Is it the top of the crosshatch area... or the top hole.?? But a bit over 6 quarts is about the top of the crosshatch.

 

[RangerBill]

Mine is difficult to read also...so I just let it sit overnight after adding 6 qts... run it to check for leaks.. then top it off in the morning. It is much easier to read then. The manual seems a little vague to me as to just what the "full" reading is. Is it the top of the crosshatch area... or the top hole.?? But a bit over 6 quarts is about the top of the crosshatch.

I only fill to the top hole on the dipstick. The top of the crosshatch is the maximum fill level.

Edit: The top hole is the maximum fill level. The top crosshatch is the normal fill level as far as I can determine.

 

[jsphlynch]

I only fill to the top hole on the dipstick. The top of the crosshatch is the maximum fill level.

The owner's manual indicates that the bottom hole is the minimum fill level and the top hole (not the crosshatch) is the maximum fill level.

 

[RangerBill]

The owner's manual indicates that the bottom hole is the minimum fill level and the top hole (not the crosshatch) is the maximum fill level.

Yes, you are correct. The top of the crosshatch is the normal fill level as far as I can determine. The top hole is maximum fill level.

 

[midwayfordranger2021]

Thanks guys.... I appreciate the advice.

 

[OrangeStreak]

The only way I can get a good reading is to let the truck set overnight so the oil will drain off the dipstick.

 

[RangerBill]

The only way I can get a good reading is to let the truck set overnight so the oil will drain off the dipstick.

Try this:
Pull the dipstick, wipe off, leave the stick out for 5 minutes. Then insert and check level. This gives time for the oil to run backdown the dipstick tube and gives a good reading.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Try this:
Pull the dipstick, wipe off, leave the stick out for 5 minutes. Then insert and check level. This gives time for the oil to run backdown the dipstick tube and gives a good reading.

Bob, Thanks for the input. This does not work on my Ranger. When I 1st got the truck I tried waiting 15 minutes like the manual recommends and then 4 hours (the reading improved at this point but still iffy) before checking the dipstick. The oil is partially suspended and does not drain sufficiently for a clear reading until it sets overnight.

This probably has something to do with the configuration of the drain tube and/or my climate but I'm not concerned why it does not drain quickly because there are no oil leaks or oil pressure issues. After I switched from the synthetic blend to the full synthetic (Motorcraft) it still took overnight to get a nice clear reading. I would prefer a cold reading anyway because this will show the actual level of the oil before expansion from the engine heat up.

Unlike my 1999 and 2011 Rangers, I could gas up, clean the windows then check my oil level and get a clear reading.

The attached photo shows the oil level reading after setting overnight...

 

[RangerBill]

Bob, Thanks for the input. This does not work on my Ranger. When I 1st got the truck I tried waiting 15 minutes like the manual recommends and then 4 hours (the reading improved at this point but still iffy) before checking the dipstick. The oil is partially suspended and does not drain sufficiently for a clear reading until it sets overnight.

This probably has something to do with the configuration of the drain tube and/or my climate but I'm not concerned why it does not drain quickly because there are no oil leaks or oil pressure issues. After I switched from the synthetic blend to the full synthetic (Motorcraft) it still took overnight to get a nice clear reading. I would prefer a cold reading anyway because this will show the actual level of the oil before expansion from the engine heat up.

Unlike my 1999 and 2011 Rangers, I could gas up, clean the windows then check my oil level and get a clear reading.

The attached photo shows the oil level reading after setting overnight...

The trick is to pull the dipstick, wipe it off, and leave it out for 5 minutes and then put it back in, and then pull it again, and take a reading. This works for me on my truck. This gives time for the oil to drain back down the dipstick tube.

 

[5thranger]

You all realize that talking about your dipstick taking it out and putting it back in and so on is starting to sound like a porno movie filmed at horny henry's auto shop.

 

[TomSim]

Maybe I need to add oil. I put 6.3ish quarts in and I figured it looked fine on the stick but it's not that defined.

6.2 QUARTS APPARENTLY IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT

 

[Cmar]

I have a diesel, never any problems seeing where the oil is on the dipstick once it has run around the block once after an oil change.

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