kinna a dumb question but i gotta ask it.. when is the best time to check an engines oil? right after the car is turned off, 10 minites after that, or when the car is cool. reason im asking is because when i check the oil say when it's cool, it will show barly anything on the dipstick.. but if i check it like 5 minites or so it has been turned off you can see oil goin up way past the dipstick.. just in trace ammounts though.. my oil pressure is around close to 60 during normal driving..
thanks guys

 

the way i do it is in the morning so that it all drains down back into the pan so you can get a good reading. if is cool it should show up on the stick. you sure your car is not on an angle when you do the check.

 

You should check your oil when the engine is up to operating temperature. I check mine when I fill up the gas tank; it doesn't take long for the oil in your engine to drain back down into the pan. Maybe a few minutes. Make sure you wipe the dipstick off when you first pull it out and then dip it back in, otherwise your reading will be off from oil splashing farther up.

 

Add some oil!! You're low. Those trace amounts are just some residual oil, wipe it and check it again until you get a good reading. Oil pressure will look fine until the oil pump pick-up starves for oil--then it's too late. The pressure guage isn't an oil level guage--don't use it to judge when to change oil.