Ok Folks I have just about had it with that long snake engine oil dip stick on my V-10 Ford 6.8 engine. It is very long and has many twists in it. Why??? I do not know. Anyway I have been changing and checking my oil in the past year I have had the MH. When I pull the dip stick out, it seems there is oil on it about half way up. I really can't tell where the oil stops on the stupid stick. There are two holes on the end of the stick and I am assuming that as long as there is oil in them I am find. Today I changed my oil and filter. Put in 6 quarts of oil with the filter. I checked the oil and again I just could not tell where the oil line ends on the stick. Anyone else have this problem and can tell me how to read the stick. I have never had a car or truck that had a mickey mouse stick for checking Oil like this one does.

You are preaching to the choir. They have to be able to design something better.

I can't tell you how to read the dip stick, but I might know where the oil is coming from half up? IF, and that's the big IF here, you pull your dip stick out, wipe the end of it off and then put it back down to read the oil, it's possible that from pulling the dip stick out the first time, the oil on the end of the stick is rubbing / coming off someplace half way up the tube as it makes contact with the dip stick tube. Then when you reinsert the dip stick for your reading, it's contacting the oil that rubbed off the first time you withdrew the dip stick. If this is the case, only pull your dip stick out once and read it. Don't wipe it off and then stick it back in for the reading. This method won't work if you've shut the engine off from splashing oil all around in the last 30 minutes, but let it sit overnight or several hours and it should work just fine.Bill

Maybe a hole in the floor or the dog house? If you want one end in the oil and the other end where you can reach it it will have to go from one end to the other. I have seen longer dip sticks then your V10 ford has.

Same technology for checking oil levels since............Model Ts?

No one has ever changed or checked the oil on our 2009 Motorhome except me. My experience is totally different than yours. My oil level indicator on the dipstick is clear as can be. I've used this procedure since I first started driving, pull the dipstick out and clean it. Put it back in, pull it back out and read the level. 6 Quarts of Mobil 1 is what I put in our E-450, every 7,500 miles or once a year, whichever comes first.-Michael

**** Dip Stick | Good Sam Community

grinder613
Explorer
May 16, 2016
spot on.....never check any engine oil when you pull into a gas station. You will get a false reading. check it when it is sitting overnight. no need to wipe the stick. Just pull it out and look. easy peasy...........
w3ozwizard
Explorer
May 16, 2016
I tried the suggestion of just letting it sit over night and then just pulling it out and checking without the usual cleaning the oil off the stick and re-inserting it. That method seems to work just fine. So thanks to all of you for your fine help.
Old_Crows
Explorer
May 16, 2016
Bee like Dakzuki & the Crow....

Check your oil level from the dashboard ..... Get a Mercedes Sprinter!;)
Gjac
Explorer III
May 15, 2016
I have one of those dip sticks so I know what you are talking about. Mine, when it said full was over 1/2 a qt more that the 7 qts needed. So I filled with the req amount of oil, then filed a new notch in the dip stick. I also cleaned the tip with a fine emery cloth. The oil sticks better on a slightly rough surface than a shiny one. Also I know now which way to insert it so it goes in easier, when "oil" on handle is upside down.
bdpreece
Explorer II
May 14, 2016
Used to have a truck that acted like that. What I did was pull the dipstick in the evening wipe it down and leave it out then insert and check the following morning.
Dakzuki
Explorer
May 14, 2016
I push a button on my dash board and it tells me the oil level.
tpi
Explorer
May 14, 2016
I usually check mine after sitting at least overnight. Usually in the storage spot or leveled in a campsite. Usually not at fuel stops, I'll do a quick glance for leaks and an underhood sniff test at that time. Oil consumption on mine is low and very consistent. Oil level checks have not been especially hard when engine has had plenty of time to drain back and cool off. The cool thicker oil hangs in position on stick better than hot thin oil.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
May 13, 2016
In the old days of Model T's ... well, I'm not THAT old, but back in the 60's and 70's, we never check the oil with a hot engine. Always checked it after it sat several hours so all the oil would drip back down. Then, you get only 1 chance to check it. Otherwise, the oil would smear up the stick shift. No wiping, just pull it out with a cold engine.

Sounds like yours is like that too. Try it in the morning, and see if that help. Just pull it out and see what it reads.

Normally, the oil level should be between those 2 holes. Top hole is full. Anything higher than the top hole is overfill. Bottom hole means ... add. But your stick may be different.
w3ozwizard
Explorer
May 13, 2016
Thank for the replies. I check all my cars with no problem using the same procedure. Pull the stick out, wipe it off, reinsert it, pull it out and look for the highest indication of oil on the stick. Works on all my cars. But this **** twisted stick has oil all over it when I pull it out the second time and every time there after. I will try the suggestion of just pulling it out and looking at the level after it has sit for awhile, maybe that will work. All dipstick I have on all my cars including my BMW have just plain flat sticks with no twisting and I have no problem measuring with them, it is just the stupid Ford stick that is a mess. Some engineer must have had a bad night the day he designed this monster.
gbopp
Explorer
May 13, 2016
PSW wrote:
Same technology for checking oil levels since............Model Ts?

A century of tradition, unhampered by progress. :(

However it is cheap, simple and reliable.