The other day i checked my oil to find it had disappeared off of the bottom of the dipstick on a MY03WRX..............

Only checked it maybe a month, month and a half ago

so topped it up to around middle of the two marks which took about 3/4 of a litre

BUT, on checking it today it seems to be overfilled by about half an inch

Can I simply drain a little out and re check etc or could that cause problems..

A problem I could do without but dont want to run the car with too much oil in it.

 

iirc overfilling can lead to some of the solenoids becoming blocked.
be as well to drain some out really

 

I find the oil checking a serious pain up the ***, as the level never seems to be in the same place twice on my MY03 WRX.
No disrespect nor pi$$ taking here, but you are dipping more than once to check the level aren't you?
I find the more i dip it, the more realistic the level is. Just meaning that on the first dip the level is always higher than what it actually is when i do it the extra times to finally get rid of all the oil that must be wiping off the tube the stick sits in.

 

I used a syringe. Might not be the best way but did the job.

 

after dipping the oil 10 or more times the level seems to be just under the full mark now.............

what a pain as you say...

normal cars dip the oil once wipe and the next time the level is correct.......no.........not an impreza........

there must be loads of residue left in the dip stick tube as you say.........

hopefully it seems fine but will check again this morning just to make sure

thanks guys and gals

 

Two ways of making this a lot easier and accurate.
1. Pull dipstick and wipe, reinsert but leave about 5-7cm out. wait 5-10 mins re-dip and bingo.

2. For an immediate check you need a short piece ~15cm of hose (garden hose should do). remove dipstick and wipe. place hose over dipstick hole and give a short sharp blow/puff (you may hear the oil gurgle/bubble). re-dip and recheck.

Note the obvious things still apply, IE best done after car has been standing overnight (or at least 5-6hrs) when the oil is completely cold and ensure the car is on a flat surface. Also you 'should' be checking the oil every week, two at the most..!

The problem arises as the oil 'wicks' it's way up the dipstick tube whilst running and remains there due to the vacuum created by the dipstick seal. Hence removing dipstick ensures oil drains back into sump. Just a legacy of the design, not sure if it's anything to do with it being a boxer layout..?

Finally, make sure you're using the correct marks on dipstick..! Holes are for cold oil level and the 'notch' is for hot oil max level. Check drivers manual if in doubt. Actually I don't fill to the top mark, about 4mm below, as this is better than overfilling for the reasons already posted. My scoob however never uses any oil..

....and breath...

J

 

jasonius, a very informative read indeed! The skills of oil level checking! lol
I shall try your 1st one though, this very morning in fact!

 

Pinned Technical FAQs are needed and this post should be the definitive oil level checking one.
Says it all.
My Scoob uses no oil either.

 

We had a customer who filled their oil until they could see it in the filler neck, consistently checking the PAS reservoir for level? but figured they would stop when the oil was visible in the neck.
Then drove the car (mobile smoke screen) and brought it to us to find out why it was smoking so much. We drained more than 11 L. of oil out cleaned everything visible, blew breathers through with airline etc, and refilled.
It survived!! smoked for a while, then cleared, still running around now.
Would have bet against that!