Oil level, parked on a slope

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Oil level, parked on a slope

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Mazda Forum >> Mazda Vehicles >> Mazda3 >> Oil level, parked on a slope

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Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/11/2008 7:02:48 PM

UrbanmanUSA

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Lets say you parked your Mazda3 on an incline. The nose of the car is lower than the tail. You check the oil. Does it read:

1) Incorrectly high (reading on dipstick is higher than true)

2) Incorrectly low (reading on dipstick is lower than true)

3) Reading is true

And if the reading is incorrect, is it SUBSTANTIALLY incorrect?

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/12/2008 3:41:04 PM

grayghostmazda3

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ummm park on a flat surface and check it then?

if i had to guess the oil in the engine would theoretically be "tilting forward" so id have to say you would have a reading that states too much oil

please correct me if im wrong!

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/13/2008 3:51:24 AM

MikeHTally

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Agreed. It will read high. To what degree I don''t know. Could be significant, depending of course how much nose-down it is.

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/13/2008 7:14:44 PM

UrbanmanUSA

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One, yes of course, to get an accurate reading, check when on level ground.

I don''t know the answer, that''s the reason I asked. If your saying it will read higher if the nose is lower, the inference is the dipstick is toward the front of the oil pan - could be true.

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/13/2008 7:59:52 PM

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Why does it matter, since you''d park on a flat surface when you wanted an accurate reading?

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/13/2008 10:18:39 PM

UrbanmanUSA

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quote:

ORIGINAL: VB

Why does it matter, since you''''d park on a flat surface when you wanted an accurate reading?

Life isn''t always ideal ... example: Your in the middle of a highway trip, you stop for lunch, your parked on a moderate slope, and you want to check the oil before you get going. As we know, with the M3, the oil reading is generally completely inaccurate unless engine has to have been shut off for a good 1/2 hour or more (certainly that is my experience with my M3, and according to previous threads, most others have found this also - apparently, it takes a length of time for the oil to settle back down into the pan). Wouldn''t it be good to have tucked into the back of your brain what affect being parked on a slope has on the accuracy of the reading?

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/14/2008 9:48:27 AM

M3 For Second Time

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urbanman you have toooooo much time on your hands.....

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RE: Oil level, parked on a slope - 8/14/2008 7:46:36 PM

UrbanmanUSA

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quote:

ORIGINAL: M3 For Second Time

urbanman you have toooooo much time on your hands.....

M3v2, sporadically, I do have too much time, but unlike some, I have NOT posted thousands of messages in the last year. Or maybe I just like my M3 TOO much - and love of a car is all about fluids, and to a lesser degree, filtration.

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