Weird Oil?

[94 Accord]

Hey I have a 94 Accord EX (F22B1) with 170,000 miles on it and it runs great. Over the past few months I noticed something weird with the oil in the car. Before I have driven the car for the day sometimes I will check my oil to see where it is at. The weird part is sometimes when I check it it is real close to the lower hole but sometimes when I check it it will be near the upper hole where it should be. Also it was at the upper hole when I first checked it after changing the oil. It is not really a problem cause no oil light came on or anything like that and the oil is still in good condition after bein in my engine for almost 2,000 miles. I'm just wondering where does that extra oil go? I noticed on an older civic before that some oil stayed n the head but did not leak out when we took off the valve cover. Anyone know about this? Thanks.

[mpumas]

Could be a lot of things but the major difference might be if the car is on a slope or tilted to one side. The car must be perfectly level on both axis to get the proper reading.

[Igovert500]

Not to overstate the obvious...but did you check it at the same temperatures??? It will be significantly lower if the car has been sitting overnight as opposed to after you just driving it for awhile.

[jeffcoslacker]

Usually that's caused by a couple of things.

If the oil appears higher after sitting for a few minutes, it's possible that the motor may have some fouling of the return passages from the head back to the pan. In that case, the oil will take longer than normal to return after shut-off, and excess oil may be present in the top end at higher speeds. I've personally seen a few motors so hogged up that the oil light would come on while driving on the highway, and when you pull over and check, nothing shows on the stick. 5 minutes later, the level is fine. That is extreme and rare.

Some engines have features in the internal casting that tend to direct return oil over the dipstick, and these can drive you nuts when you try to check them warm, one side of the stick is showing the actual level, the other side is being dripped on, and shows a higher level.

Also make sure the dipstick is actually secure in the handle. Sometimes they loosen up and are actually moving up and down each time you pull it, very frustrating.

[94 Accord]

Thanks Guys. Yeah I did notice its like that usually when its cold. I am guessing the oil compacts when its cold just like the tranny fluid huh? One of the reasons why I am curious is cuz people told me that is weird for engine oil to do that. It was like that a few times when it was warmed up and after I allowed it to drain into the pan, but mostly when its cold before it has been drivin.

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by 94 Accord

Thanks Guys. Yeah I did notice its like that usually when its cold. I am guessing the oil compacts when its cold just like the tranny fluid huh? .

Not noticably. Not to the degree you are seeing.

[jeffcoslacker]

My wife's ZX2, if you pull the stick after sitting all night, will show like it's 2 qts over full. Wipe it, stick it again, level is correct. I have no explaination.

[94 Accord]

Yeah it's weird. I also noticed what you are talking about "direct return oil over the dipstick" where one side of the dipstick reads correct and the other side reads high. Luckily it's not a problem cuase my oil light is not on and my car runs great . I was jus curious about when it is low if its a risk. its still above the lower hole though.

[AccordCodger]

if you pull the stick after sitting all night, will show like it's 2 qts over full. Wipe it, stick it again, level is correct.

Probably surface tension. As a matter of fact, my mower does the same thing!