Check Engine Oil Level WARM or COLD? 

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Thank you. Short, and simple instructions. 👏👏👏👍

To the point no time waste thank you

great video, I've been hearing to check your oil when it's cold, but my manual says to check it every time I fill up the fuel, so basically to check it warm, and I noticed the same thing too, the difference is like a quart or more

Thanks for sharing and your video is the best

Nicely done! 😊

Thank you for this!!

Thank you primo!

A pro tip for people who have difficulty reading the dipstick... With a cold engine on a level surface, remove the dipstick, wipe it, then carefully lay it down so that it does not get any contamination on it. Wait approximately 5 minutes, calmly put the dipstick in and steadily remove it after a few seconds. What that does is it allows the oil that was kind of dragged up in the dipstick tube to flow down and not cause a false high reading. You always think of things expanding when they're hot. With an engine that's hot, there's a chance that a lot of oil is still at the top of the engine and slowly dripping down. When you check on a cold engine, the oil has had a chance to slowly drain back down to the pan and the dipstick area. Something else, in America at least, change your oil every 5,000 miles if you want your engine to last. Not elected government officials at the EPA grade vehicles by their consumption of fossil fuels, including transmission and motor oil! If they were really concerned for the environment, they would have you change the oils more frequently. Why? Because the carbon footprint by having to trash a vehicle whose engine or transmission has been ruined by lack of timely fluid changes is a lot bigger than the oils removed from a vehicle and taken to an auto parts store or repair shop for recycling.

Great video and nice comparison I think the excessive rating is everything above the top circle, as the 3 arrow is coming from above that point to the line intersecting it.

Great video

I’ve been changing my oil since I was 16 I always wondered about this

When you checked it cold, all the oil settled down into the oil pan. When you checked it warm, some of the oil was still suspended higher up in the engine. That’s why it looked like there was more oil when the engine was cold.

Many thanks

they make the directions for checking oil level to be convenient for when you stop car for gas you can check level and that is what oil level will be when you are driving around after car sits a long time more oil slowly drips down to pan so it is a bit higher if it has been sitting overnight it does not have to be exact just somewhere in normal range too much oil gets hit by cranks and gets frothy and it goes up PCV vent and gets sucked into air intake and burned in engine.

Love my 1995 Corolla so bulletproof

The Honda dip sticks are so much better than Toyotas lol it was so easy to get a clean reading on my rsx. On my Camry and Highlander the dipstick always has oil on it even after wiping so it's hard to get a clean reading.

If you are having oil problems is better to check before starting the engine then you can check when warm for perfection

And we have to remember about gravity. When you start your engine up. Gravity from the engine and pump is going to pull the oil away from the pan into the chambers where the Pistons, crankshaft etc are at. When the engine cools down. The oil drops back down into the pan.

All my manuals say run for several minutes too. And cool for several after. That’s what I’ve done too

Measure cold. But Fill to 70% between the Marks. Check once a month. Shimples.

Same for my car...

To the point .. 1000 likes from my side ..

My Subaru has one mark for hot (higher) and another for cold (lower).

Why does the did stick thing never work for me? My cars have litterally been empty and the reading always said it was full. My car was litterally making that gurgling sound and it still said full! Thank God I went with my first mind and put oil in because I believed my husband when he read the dip stick in one of my cars and the heads got blown.

Been an auto tech for 25 years. As long as you can read the oil on the dipstick, you're probably ok. 😂 if you put it in and pull it out and its bone dry, you need to take better care of your car!

The difference is that on a warm engine some of the oil is still in the oil filter and throughout the engine and still coming back down into the pan. A cold engine = any oil that was going to drain, has done so.

Which one is the true one to rely on??

The biggest factor is just checking the oil period. If your checking it and not over filling it your good

I heard not to hot. So I take it dealerships let a car sit for several minutes to let the oil come down from the walls inside motor?

Checking cold helps prevent over filling.

Just trying to understand why warm. So it can expand? If so it should be higher than cold. Or is it to check a more operating level with oil in other places instead of all settled.

Bro, if full is "excessive" then 1/2 a quart above "excessive" means your screwed? But i hear people say 1/2 quart over is okay. Even seen Scotty say "a 1/2 quart over is okay, but 1 quart over is a problem."

If you have a reference and know what the level should be on the dipstick when its cold vs when the engine is warm then what difference does it make if you check it warm or cold? Put another way if I know the level will be even with the top mark when its cold and half way between when its warm then it shouldn’t matter when I check then level as long as I know where it should be on the dipstick. Consider this. The whole point in checking the engine oil is first and foremost to make sure it is present and 2nd to check the level and observe any changes ie… oil consumption. If your oil leaked out for some unknown reason after the last time you ran the engine and you follow the owners manual then you will be starting and engine with NO OIL. Not good! If however you check the oil cold you will see no oil on the dipstick and immediately know something is wrong and investigate and or put oil in the engine before starting it. Think about it. By the way Toyota manuals also used to say that a quart of oil per 1000 miles of use was considered normal. No sane mechanic or engine builder would agree with that. Toyota is trying to compensate for owner behavior and complaints of too much oil by telling you to check it after warm up. This is the same reason they removed the transmission dip sticks years ago. People didn’t understand how to check transmission fluid levels and complained when nothing was wrong.

Mine is less when it's cold and full when it's warm 😮 the other way around.

cold or slightly warm doesn't make a difference What does matter is that the engine oil is in the bottom on the oil pan and not throughout the engine, So either cold or after waiting several minutes after turning off it will have drained down to the oil pan.

Is checking in morning cold after all night engine off is accurate way?

Bro has me reading owners manual that has never even been opened by 1st owner 😂

My oil at max level when cold but upper max line on warm

Ive been working engines all my life. Most engine can be checked warm. Toyota Hiace has a double bend flat blade dip stick. Its practically impossible to read hot. Removing and wait to drain improves things. (as poster below says) personally? I say; Dont make it so complicated. Just apply common sense. The difference between hot and cold is prob 1/2 qt or lets say a cup full? No big deal. And we know we dont want it too high. So. Measure cold. But Fill to 70% between the Marks. Check once a month. Shimples.

Do both?

Oil are no longer cheap😥

U mean checking it hot would missed some oil......????

Jokes on Scotty I leak oil so my oils always clean everytime I get under there and change it 😂😂

Checking the oil in my RSX when warm doesn’t help at all

The MORE oil in pan when Cold, is the EXACT reason I Change Oil with an "Overnight Cold" engine.

I go with uncle Scotty, a cold engine.

I would have thought warm hot oil would rise as it thins out not the other way round

I wonder if the dealerships suggests that so you can ruin your engine 😂

I wouldn't trust that kilmer guy to tell me how to check the oil in a lawn mower

Aaaa what's up Bro

Totally wrong. Checking engine when cold is the best and accurate. If you check it warm than all them oil are not completely at the bottom of the engine giving you false reading. If you're a mechanic than you will know...

Engine oil these days ain't cheap. But it is compared to engines. I spend over 100 bucks now days for my oil and filter, doing my own oil changes in my tundra. But I'm sure many of you also do.

So you added oil in the end??