2017~2025 Engine Oil Check Cold Engine

[Pitter]

I know there are many threads onchecking engine oil but I'm still not clear on this. Can you check the engine oil level on a cold engine as in days of yore?

 

[stickerbush]

Here's what the owner's manual says. I don't know why they want to make it such a time consuming process. I check mine when the engine is cold. Whatever.

 

[SparkYellow]

It says to wait at least five minutes. I check whenever I want to, sometimes ten hours after. I wonder if this procedure is to make sure that the new oil gets into the new filter too.

 

[N7turbo]

I know there are many threads onchecking engine oil but I'm still not clear on this. Can you check the engine oil level on a cold engine as in days of yore?

Yes you can. And in my experience doing my own oil changes over the last couple of years, it is the most reliable reading you'll get.

5 minutes and the dipstick is still really messy. In my experience you need to wait at least 15-30 minutes to get reliable readings.

 

[GFrosty]

View attachment 380349

That's basically the procedure I follow, with my 2016.5 CX-5. Did the same on a prior Mazda3 as well.

Driving into the fueling station, turning the engine off. I fill with gas, but I also clean the windows,, the wiper blade rubber, refill the wiper fluid, then check the oil level.

Futzing around with those other things takes a good 6-7 minutes, for me, so the oil level check on the dipstick occurs roughly when Mazda indicates it should: warmed-up, then sitting 5+ minutes before checking.

 

[BoomerZoomr]

For me, the clearest oil level on the dipstick is before driving the car for the day. I just pull the dipstick out and read the level. If I wipe the dipstick and go back in for a second reading, it’s always a bit messier line on the stick.
Maybe next time I drive the car, I will check the oil level about 10 minutes after shutting the engine off… to see if the level is much different than when it’s been sitting for a day.

 

[Kawzak]

Funny. I’ve been checking oil levels for over 55 + yrs. Not alot has changed. However I do follow the owners manual. I’m a stickler about reading the owner manual front to back when we get a new vehicle. Something a lot of people don’t do at all. I remember many yrs ago a customer complaining about the ergonomics of their new Crown Vic they owned for a couple yrs. They said it was a pain to read the instruments and had to sit too close to the dash. I asked them why they didn’t adjust the tilt steering wheel up/down, in/ out to fit them? The reply- what ?…… the steering wheel/ column moves like that ???. lol..

 

[BoomerZoomr]

Personally, I liked the dipsticks from decades ago. They had a crosshatch pattern and/or holes to make the level easier to read, especially in less than ideal light.

 

[Lazy2.5]

Here's what the owner's manual says. I don't know why they want to make it such a time consuming process. I check mine when the engine is cold. Whatever.
View attachment 380349

I'm lost as to what is so time consuming about this.

Assuming you drive the car from time to time, you can always wait until the next time you drive to get an accurate reading.

And you absolutely can get a rough idea of oil level before driving (cold engine) if there is some concern about low oil level.

Waiting at least 5 minutes doesn't sound particularly time-consuming to me. You can always do something else in the meantime while you wait 5 minutes.

I highly doubt the engineers "wanted" to make this process time-consuming. There was some variable at play which necessitated a warm engine to ensure you get an accurate reading. That's all.

 

[Kawzak]

Yes, the only thing I need is the vehicle on level ground.

 

[VQ35DE]

Cold. Level. Done.