[masraum]

Originally Posted by svandamme

IF the engine ran, the compute decides you have to wait xx time before you can have a reliable reading.

The warmer the engine is, the less time because the computer assumes cold engine oil takes longer to drain to the sump.

It does make sense if you think about it, and most people never gave that much tought back in the old dip stick days.. They would just shut down the engine, and check the dipstick right away.

So the dipstick could in those cases would show a slightly lower reading.

It absolutely makes sense. Especially for vehicles with greater oil volumes. Oil expands as it gets hot, that's why the level is supposed to be checked hot. I've read some posts on the 'Net where guys were complaining that the level on the dash was all over the map because if they checked it cold, it would read one way, warm would read another way and hot would read some other way.

My old '88 911 was the same. If the car was fully up to temp on a hot day, the reading was very different than it was partially up to temp on a very cool day because of oil expansion. The oil level gauge on my old '88 was absolutely reliable as long as you understood the effect of temperature and time idling on the oil level.