how to correctly check oil level civic 2004 CTDI diesel

when i check my oil level from cold there is over an extral litre of oil so
i told my local honda and he insisted to check the oil level correctly you
should turn the car over for a minute to fill the filter etc and then
recheck the level??? which then the level is correct,But in the book it just
says check the level from cold and that's all? but it's way over the max
mark.Honda doesen't think so.

 

Your correct and Honda is wrong.

Your oil level is the level when the majority or all of the oil is in the
pan. If you shut it off and let is sit a minute or so you will get a fairly
accurate reading. The most accurate reading is from cold like in the
morning, before turning over on a flat surface.

Additionally the oil filter has a anti-drainback valve that keeps the tiny
ass filter full of oil while sitting so the filter is technically always
full. The new filters only hold about 3 ounces of oil at the most anyways.
This honda guy is blowing smoke up your ass.

The difference however between a cold level check and starting the car for a
minute and letting it drain for a minute or two and then checking should be
nowhere near a liter difference. Either method can be utilized.

 

do i still insist they drain some oil out then? cause as an eg the
difference between min-max is 1 litre according to the dipstick but if i let
the car sit a while and check it,It's double over the max mark?

 

it sounds too full to me. It shouldn't be over the full mark at all. That
is why it is called the full mark. Anything over the full mark would make
it overfilled. I fail to see why the dealership doesn't understand this.

I would call the regional office and talk to a manager about your problem if
talking to the dealership manager doesn't work out for you.

 

Are you certain there's *that* much extra? Is it overfull by the distance
between the upper and lower marks?

If so, you bring that damn thing back and get them to drain the excess out.
You are running serious danger of damage with that much excess.

If it's just 1/16" over, then there's no worry.

If you checked the oil after an oil change, but BEFORE it was started for
the first time, then you should check it again, because at that point the
dealer is right.

The car should have been shut off for at least a half-hour after having
been run, and should be on a reasonably level surface.

 

it's almost the distance between the lower & upper overfilled when i check
1st thing in a morning.

 

I have spoke to the honda manager who has now told me the correct way to
check engine oil level is when the engine is warm but has been switched off
for at least 3 mins so now i'm being told 2 different ways to check the oil
from the same garage! which then i pointed out " So your saying the civic
manual is wrong which states check the oil from cold?????". in which case
i've just been for a run fully warmed it up and left it for 3 mins and it's
still almost half the distance between min-max over the max mark.I'm taking
it back on thu all guns blazing.

 

<snip>


You have given no indication as to whether or not you've read your
Owner's Manual.

What does it say in there?

 

I mentioned in the last post in the manual it says to check it from cold.

 

Sounds like your anti-drainback valve in your oil filter is toast.

 

Internally, the oil filter is the size of a small coffee cup. It does not
hold an entire quart. If oil were draining out of the filter because of a
bad drainback flap, the level would rise less than a quarter of the
distance from top to bottom mark on the stick.

I am very surprised at the approach everyone is taking here. I am also
surprised no one has suggested the simplest solution yet:
1) Drain the oil on a LEVEL SURFACE
2) replace the filter
3) add, from a measured container, EXACTLY THE QUANTITY OF OIL SPECIFIED IN
THE MANUAL FOR A DRAIN-AND-FILL WITH A NEW FILTER, NO MORE, NO LESS
4) start car, let it run for a minute, then turn off
5) let sit for two hours
6) check level WITHOUT starting the car.

I'll bet that oil level will be found to be dead on. If it is not, two
situations are possible:
1) The Owner's Manual contains a typo
2) the dipstick is wrongly made, or the dipstick tube is seated too far.

If the manual has a typo, there will be a discrepancy between the Service
Manual and the Owner's Manual. If the dipstick or its tube are wrongly
made, that will be shown up by comparing with another vehicle.

THINK, people.

 

Unfortunately that cannot be done because the car has only done 5000 miles i
want this so called break in oil kept in until the 1st service @
9000,Excellent suggestion though i would have done that myself if i could
the the bloody thing on ramps.Doesen't matter though i may be refusing to
accept the car tommorrow due to miss information and premature damage it may
have already done.

 

Ohhhh...NOW it comes out. This is Honda FACTORY FILL, not dealer-installed
oil. Why didn't you say so in the first place?

Don't touch it. It's probably fine as-is.

Call Honda UK's corporate Customer Service (dealer will have number) and
take it up with them. They sould be able to tell you if what you're seeing
is normal.

 

Sorry i may be being stupid but i fail to see how even if done from factory
way overfilled is normal,And besides when i took the car back last friday
complaining that it was overfilled he told me he had to top it up! cause he
thought it was too low! I find this very bad practice from this honda
dealership for lying to me in the 1st place.

 

Your engine came from the factory with special "break-in" oil. This oil is
meant to help the friction surfaces inside the engine wear in properly to
their final finishes.

During this time, your engine will use lots and lots of oil, much more than
it will when broken in. I can see the rationale for overfilling the
crankcase with oil with its initial fill, since a lot of it will get burned
off fairly quickly.

However...

Normal everyday oil is high in detergents and dispersants to help keep
combustion byproducts and water in suspension until such time as you drain
and refill. If the level of this oil is too high, the additives in the oil
will cause the oil to foam as the crankshaft whips into it. If the oil
should foam, the oil pump will end up pumping air instead of oil, to the
detriment of your engine.

Aviation, farm, and marine break-in oil is low in dispersants. It is highly
likely that Honda is using a similar formulation in their break-in oil. If
the oil is low in detergent/dispersant additives, it will not foam the way
normal detergent oil does when whipped by the crankshaft, so overfilling
would have much less of an effect. Old-fashioned engines with "splash lube"
used a similar kind of oil as regular fill.

The dealer is probably feeding you a line because you won't shut up about
it and they're trying to get rid of you.

I think you should go take up yoga or something and relax about this. At
this point it is very doubtful that there is anything even slightly wrong
with your engine or the oil inside of it.