I am a new owner of a 2007M3i, auto,with the 2.0 engine.

I am having issues with the oil. I just got it changed today (oil and filter). There's only a few hundred miles on the car, but I am old school - IMO, a new engine should have it's initial oil changed after just a few hundred miles, to remove any particles and contaminants that might be in there from the manufacturing process, because the engine and its seals are all brand new, and there may be acids released as they heat and cool during the first few weeks of operation, etc.

I watched the tech (who was conscientious) put in exactly 4.5 quarts (pouring from bottles), which according to the owner's manual, is exactly the right amount.

When you pull the dipstick, it reads as if too much oil is in the crankcase, this 5 minutes after the change. The tech agreed, he read the stick 5 times himself, but said since he put inthe right amount (he looked it up on his computer system, and found the same 4.5 quartcapacity numberas is listed in the owner's manual), it has to be right.

This evening, after the car has been sitting for over an hour, it still reads as high.

Asat least one otherposter has noted, the dipstick in this car is AWFUL (I noticed it is stamped FMC - meaning it's a crappy Ford dipstick). It's really, really hard to read, especially with clear new oil in the car. I've owned more than 10 cars in my life, I have never seen a dipstick which is so BAD!

Questions:

1. Where can I buy a dipstick of different design that will fit and is actually readable by human beings?

2. It seems either the current dipstick was made the wrong length, or the owner's manual info that it takes 4.5 quarts is wrong. Suggestions on how I resolve this issue?

Please don't tell me how to read the dipstick - I have read the owner's manual, I know where the lines are on the stick. I am frustrated, do not want to wreck a car I just wrote a big check to buy. It seems so stupid to have bought a brand new car, and be having an issue with something which should be so ridiculously EASY!

 

Couldn't agree with you more. The little box design, is fruity as hell - and either it's the material or finish they put on the dipstick make it pretty much worthless.

You'd figure there would bemarket for aftermarket decent ones. I've thought maybe scoring the end with some hatch marks (use a box cutter) would make it more useful. From a cold engine, I get nothing. If it sits for 10 minutes its 'over full' if I check a hot engine it's like there is no oil on it either (may be a _SLIGHT_ line on it)....

 

Insidious, I really think the problem is the dipstick is too long. It's the explanation that makes the most sense.

I can't imagine the engineers have the 4.5 quartcapacity number wrong, and that itwould be listed wrong inall the literature, and on the internet.

But, I could see some machine being set wrong, and all the dipstick cables being cut 1/4" or 1/2" too long at Ford. It seems like exactly the kind of thing that would be assigned to junior staff and not be checked.

Can anyone helpidentify an aftermarketsource for a new dipstick?

 

OK.....wow.....you obviously have a chip on your shoulder against Ford and know little of how parts are made, and know nothing of Ford quality.....

Did you know that the Ford Fusion was rated higher than Toyota Camry or Honda Accord by Consumer Reports? Did you know that Toyota recalled more vehicles than it built last year? Have you seen the latest on Hondas "accurate" odometers that are cheating people out of lease mileage and causing them to run out of warranty early because the mileage reads high? (Affecting ~6,000,000 2002-2006 Hondas) "Junior staff" don't get assigned to manufacturing jobs...We have trained people (almost all UAW) that perform manufacturing functions. The lengths of parts are typically set by a machine dedicated to that part, and madewith a very tight tolerance. (We use the same suppliers/technology that any other auto manufacturer uses.....) Do you think some guy is sitting at a table cutting these with scissors or something???? Mazda designs the 4-cylinder engines (as well as the dipstick), a FoMoCo parts plant makes the part to Mazda specifications. Get off the 1980's "Japanese cars are vastly superior" crap....it's old and outdated.

Sorry about the rant......Now to your oil change....I'm old school as well and changed mine after the first 1,000 miles........I've got ~48,000 miles on my car now (2.0L), I have the oil changed every 5-6,000 miles (per manual), the tech shows me the dipstick every time and I don't have a problem reading the stick. Tip it a little in the light and it's very evident where the line is.....It's possible that when they changed your oil, they didn't let all of the oil drain down properly so that you do have a little extra oil in the motor.....I'vewitnessed this more than a few times, especially if your car wasn't fully warmed up when you changed the oil (thick oil drains slower) A little high or a little low isn't going to kill your engine, keep fresh oil in there and check to make sure it doesn't get too low and you will be just fine.

I think you're freaking out over nothing.

 

I have the same problem with this piece of junk dip stick. I got my first oil change a couple weeks ago and still have no idea if there is oil in there.But "sstlaure" has solved the issue why its so bad., UAW. another great job by overpaid and underworked union ass_H___s

Get a real job boy. Your all a bunch of Dinosaurs waiting for you hand outs...

 

We need a shaking the head smiley........

FYI....I'm not UAW, nor was I inferring that there was anything done wrong by the person manning the machine or performing the verification...In fact, it is most likely an overseas FMC plant that produces this particular part....i.e. not UAW labor (It would be very unusual for a sub-component to be made in the US, then shipped overseas for assembly)

Eastcoaster.....Do you check your oil with the engine running or not? Hot or cold....it makes a difference you know....If you think the Japanese are so superior to American auto companies, how do you explain the facts above? These days there is little difference between the American/Japanese/European brands from a quality standpoint....Do the research and you'll see it's true.

FYI....I'm an Engineer with Ford, but I worked extensively on most of the interior of the Mazda6, do you want to bash me for that too? How many Honda or Toyota websites have an engineer willing to donate some of his time to help the customers? (FYI....not part of my annual Performance Review, but something I like to do as a form of customer support.)

Also FYI....1 in 5 jobs in the US is associated with the American Auto industry....what do you think would happen to the economy if suddenly all of those jobs dried up (unemployment ~20%....we're talking Great Depression......).....I think it's hilarious (sad really) to see how many people wanting the American auto industry to fail, and no matter how much progress is made, they still have a negative view regardless of the data that is available....

 

i've had the same problem. hot or cold engine. I decided yesterday that I will post pictures, hopefully tomorrow, of what I described in my 'stupid dipstick' post a few weeks ago. Pull the stick after it has been still for a while, it looks like there is NO oil. wipe and dip for a new reading and get WaY over full on one side of the stick. and who knows what kind of a smeary mess on the other.

all I want is to know how to tell where the level is.

to throw a bone to sstlaure, yesterday I sold my '98 Ford Contour SVT in very good working order and 273,900 miles on the clock. ....the dipstick worked great too!

 

I shot these this evening after the car had been sitting for an hour. Pics show dipstick is dry at first pull on both sides, then way over full after wipe, redip, and read. So which is it?????

[IMG]local://upfiles/7136/9FEEDBFBE2C845ADA3AE383A047F7803.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7136/C0BA8C72640B434D8E30625944F5A02E.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7136/D8D09FAAA9E0479D89C890881BF9235D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7136/3A43CAB2710C40A487DE2916D9692F5E.jpg[/IMG]

 

VASpeed3, I wish my dipstick was a 'blade' dipstick like yours.

In the 2007, the dipstick is a cable, with a small rounded cylinder shaped blob of metal attached to the end of the cable. The metal is medium grainy gray in color, which combined with the roundness, makes it very hard to hold up to the light and see a reading. Youwant the metal to be flat, and either polished silver or black to get a nice reading - so you can see the oil line glistening and then not glistening toclearly showwhere the oil comes up to - what genius decided to make itmedium grainy gray colored, and rounded? I've been using a flashlight, and still cannot tell a darn thing.

Knowing the various f-ups that auto makers all over the world have been guilty of over the years, I'm not prepared to give Mazda the complete benefit of the doubt here. The first year they make a change (which I think is the case with this crappycabledipstick) is the most likely time for them to mess up. I don't understand - why change the dipstick design? Are they so bored they have nothing better to do than change the dipstick?

When I talked toa tech at a local Mazda dealership today by phone about this, I could tell I was at least the 100th 2007 M3 owner he had spoken with about this exact issue (a sigh on the end of the phone)... thumbs down to Mazda for obviously knowing this is a problem many, many of the 2007 owners are having, and not doing something about it.

 

Well then, thatsounds to beentirely a different kind of problemfrom mine.My long livedSVT mentioned above had the 'blob', though it's been a very long time since it was new to me, I grew to prefer it because it actually went back into the tube easily, unlike a blade that will bind if it is not oriented the right way. Maybe it was designed differently from yours, because I don't recall having trouble reading it.

What puzzles me about the MS3 is that when I first pull the stick, it reads "empty" or nearly so. To me, there are only two ways that can happen: 1) there ain'tenough oil in there or 2) it got wiped off on the way up the tube. I can't tell which. It's infuriating. I hope someone can shed some light on this, please!

If there is virtually no oil on the first pull, where did it come from on the second????? Is that the more reliable reading? Anyone else notice this? I can make no sense of it. I would not care if this were the window washing fluid, but it's the engine oil for crap sake.