checking my oil (possible really stupid question)

**ckatie** · 12-19-2011

Okay so my outback has got a leaky oil gasket which I have known about for the last oh...6 weeks or so. I've been checking my oil regularly...went on one long road trip two weeks ago (1500 miles) and a shorter one yesterday (~450 miles).

I have found on more than one occasion that when I check the oil when the car is COLD. Like sitting in 30 degrees for several hours cold...no oil reads on the dipstick at all. I let it warm up for a minute or two and it reads full. I can let it warm up for a minute or two, kill the engine, let it sit for a few minutes, and it still reads full.

Yesterday before driving 200 miles home I checked the oil. Sure enough, not a drop on the dipstick. Car started up and it read full. Drove to buy a quart of oil and even after the car sat for 15 minutes in the parking lot (turned off), it still read full. I checked it a few times on the drive home and every time it read full. The car drove the 200 miles perfectly. Not even a tiny tick in the engine.

Now this is not the first time it has done this. It got an oil change a week ago after the 1500 mile trip (I only added half a quart after I got home- the leak really does not seem to be that major. Getting it fixed asap of course) and there was most definitely plenty of oil in it despite having some of these no-oil-when-totally-cold readings. I'm running a synthetic 5-30 if that makes any difference in what's going on.

Some of my car friends insist that the only way to check the oil is while the car is totally cold, and that my car is either a freak of nature or completely out of oil.

Still others insist that the only way to properly check the oil is to let it warm up for 2 or 3 minutes, shut it off and let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes, then check it.

Now I am NOT a car person, but it seems to me that when I'm checking it totally cold I'm getting a very inaccurate reading. Could this be right? Am I totally missing something here?

Thanks

**IGOTASUBARU** · 12-19-2011

What brand of oil are you using? Also how much oil do you lose if it sits?

**ckatie** · 12-19-2011

Kendall (synthetic blend, not synthetic, my bad). It also was getting really low readings when it was running QS10-30.

I'm not sure how much it's leaking when it's just sitting. Nothing is leaking onto the ground at least. It did go 3000 miles between two oil changes (they found the leak on the first one- that was back in late September/early October...it had to go into the shop because it was leaking antifreeze and they looked at it and said it was fine to go on a 1500 mile trip. They cleaned all the oil up at that point. Drove 1500 miles and only added a half a quart when I got home. Took it back in for an oil change and they said it really wasn't leaking a whole lot and to wait on getting it fixed...said it was okay for the trip I took yesterday. I am under the impression that it's leaking, but that the leak is very minor. Getting it fixed of course, just a matter of finding the time.

I can find the paperwork, I think it says exactly where it is leaking if that is important

**IGOTASUBARU** · 12-19-2011

How long have you been running that oil?

**Zach@TTLM** · 12-19-2011

Also where is the location of the leak?? If it is not showing up on the ground but you added a half a quart? kind of odd.

**ckatie** · 12-19-2011

Well I added half a quart but I'm not honestly sure I needed to since it would seem the readings I'm getting are perhaps not accurate...I get super paranoid since I seized up the engine on my old truck a few years ago.

They switched to the 5-30 when the oil was changed a week ago because it's cold now (though I'm wondering with all the miles on my car + the leak if thinner is really better? the leak is getting fixed this week hopefully so maybe this will all be a moot point...I'm really curious though). It ran 10-30 all summer and I'll be honest, I only started checking regularly when I started smelling oil burning in the exhaust a few months ago. Once the air temperatures started getting really cold (like temps where I thought it necessary to sit and let the car warm up before driving-teens, 20s, low 30s) is when the dipstick readings started getting really low when the car was completely cold.

I will dig up the paperwork and let you guys know what that says regarding the leak. I have not noticed any oil on the ground but I'll check today just to be sure.

**eekay** · 12-19-2011

Rear seal maybe? That would cause oil loss without dripping on the ground while parked... The majority of oil would be lost while driving.

**ckatie** · 12-19-2011

I am about to go out and see my horse so I will check my oil level while cold (tho its 50 today) and then after it's warmed up for a few minutes and see if it's consistent. I'll also grab the paperwork and check for any oil on the ground and report back.

What I'm really curious about is whether it will continue to do this after the oil leak is fixed.