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How do i check the oil?


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I checked my oil this morning with the engine cold. I cleaned the dip stick off and put it back in to check. the oil level on the dip stick was way higher then the

cross hatched area of the dipstick. I did this 3 times and it was still 1 inch above marks.

how should I check the oil?

Edited by tootal2
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Was your car on flat surface when checking? Have you had our oil changed recently? If on a flat surface and it is still high, I would have it checked by dealership (if they changed oil) as it may have been overfilled. Most recommendations on this forum suggest (with filter change) to start with 3 qts , check and then fill till reaching mark on dipstick. Good luck.

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The oil has never been changed since I bought in july 2013. I thinking about getting it changed in a few months at the dealer. My spark only has 2164 miles on it.

The oil life remaining is 48%. also it was kind of windy when I checked it. and I got some oil on the belts.

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Check your oil when the car is cold and on a level surface. The oil should be somewhere in the cross hatched area, but never above the indented spots. Check the color of your oil, new oil is clear brown, used oil is dark brown but should still be translucent. If your oil is light brown and not translucent, looks like cappuccino, this means coolant is leaking into the oil, bad head gasket. If they oil color is translucent but your oil is above the indented spots, it means your oil has been overfilled at the factory or the dealer. Overfilled oil is a bad thing, it can blow the front or rear crankshaft seals. Go to your dealer and have them correct the level, they might even just do an oil change. Another suggestion is to check your oil level right after your dealer oil change, as the preventative maintenance guys can oftentimes be careless and overfill.

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