I'm a bit confused about exactly how to get the LIVE "right now" oil level reading mode to activate? I read what it said in the manual and it doesn't seem to be working.

So I took the car for a short run to bring the car up to temperature. I then stopped on a level surface and shut the car down. I immediately hit the ignition button without my foot on the brake to go into accessory mode so I could select the oil level reading from the menu.

As I expected it said unavailable. I shut the ignition off, got out of the car and opened the bonnet immediately, got back in the car, went into accessory mode again without actually starting the car, went into the menu and selected the oil level from the menu (it showed unavailable) and then made sure I hit the cancel cruise button 2 times within 2 seconds of doing so...

I was expecting this to then bring up the LIVE "right now" view of the oil, but it didn't seem to. It still continued to show unavailable.

I then shut the ignition off, closed the bonnet, waited 10 mins, left the bonnet closed, put the car in accessory, selected oil level from the menu and it showed a level...My understanding is this level shown is just an average and will not be the "right now" LIVE reading unless you have the bonnet open and hit cancel cruise 2 times within 2 seconds after selecting oil level from the menu. But as you can see I am not having much luck with LIVE view more generally.

Anyone know what I'm doing wrong here?

I'm about to do the oil change on the car next weekend and would like to be a little clearer on this aspect of things before doing so.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

I must be interpreting something wrong in terms of understanding this LIVE vs. not LIVE oil level reading mode? Not sure at this point...I'm a bit confused...

Cheers

 

Would love me a traditional dipstick on this car ;-) Other than this digital dipstick stuff the oil change procedure on this car seems pretty nice.

 

Digital dipsticks are awful. PLEASE, please bring back the simple manual version. Even if you also have digital level detection.

 

AIUI, there's no need to get out of the car and open the bonnet, just pop it from inside the car and that's enough, the car will think it's open. Get out to close it, obviously.

 

LOL, fair, I guess that makes some sense. I definitely was opening it all the way ;-0

I did find some post suggesting that you also need to leave the driver’s door open in addition to the bonnet, but the workshop manual said nothing about that. And the manual in the glove box talks nothing about this instantaneous LIVE mode. It only talks about warming the engine up, waiting 10 mins after shutting down, and then selecting the oil level from the menu….Makes sense that it would not talk in the glove box manual about a mode more geared towards doing oil changes I guess.

 

"LIVE" works only with engine off bonnet open.
There's another way with engine running - a while ago Cambo made a post how to read additional PIDs (incl oil level, oil temp, etc) with a ELM327 and Torque app using any Android phone/tablet.
Custom PIDs for Torque App - oil temp, oil level, trans temp, and more - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

 

Yeah, I had the engine off when I tried the LIVE but it it did not seem pressing the cancel cruise button twice did much of anything like the workshop manual says. That’s why it’s a bit confusing.

I’m hoping someone with the latest gen f-type can speak up and point out something obvious I’m doing wrong.

 

The engine oil level should be checked with the vehicle on a level surface and the engine ignition in the OFF position for at least thirty minutes. It's best to check the engine oil level following a cold soak, preferably overnight.

 

Problem I have is my garage where it parks is on an incline so I would never get a good reading for a cold start (LIVE reading mode or not).

Also, take this for what it’s worth, but I have come across some comments in my travels where it has been suggested that cold oil is not as accurate as taking a reading against hot oil after waiting for a bit after shutting down. Someone mentioned this was their experience. They would measure it using the documented way of heating the engine up, waiting for the oil level to stabilize for 10 to 20 mins, and then taking a reading. This would show their oil as okay. Then another time they would do the check in the same location at cold start with cold oil and it would show they were overfilled. Can’t remember where I read this, as I’ve been reading all kinds of things trying to figure out this LIVE vs not LIVE oil level reading problem.

So, theoretically even if you did what you say_Take it from cold…Unless you are in this LIVE “right now” what’s the oil level mode you theoretically wouldn’t be getting the true reading, you’d be getting an average reading.

 

Here’s a video where a guy seems to be having a similar experience as me but doesn’t seem to think much of it…


At 5:25 he goes to check the oil level with bonnet open after letting the oil level stabilize for a while. He mentions the hitting of the cancel button 2 times to go into LIVE mode and makes a comment that it doesn’t seem to be necessary or something. Most of the videos out there I see don’t seem to really understand or pay tribute to the difference between LIVE and regular average oil reading mode.

In my mind the best confirmation of going into LIVE mode would be to go for a short drive to bring it to temperature, stop on level surface, pull hood opener from inside, and then select oil level from the menu. It should say unavailable I believe right after shutting down until you’ve waited a bit. But if you hit the cruise cancel button 2 times in quick succession the idea would be that it would override that limitation and show you the right now LIVE reading. This is exactly what I tried to do recently and it didn’t work.

 

I can't recall if I've checked the oil level on my 2022 but certainly did on my 2018 and the method was just as described by the OP:
Open the bonnet, press start without pressing the brake pedal to wake up the electronics, select menu, oil level and press cancel twice.
Of course now I'll have to check the next time I drive it.

 

I understand the OPs issue with having a level surface, but NBCat is correct. You will not get an accurate reading if all the oil is not drained down in the sump. Take the car out to get a coffee or a meal, parking in a safe and level location. Let the car sit as directed if only for the 30 minutes, then do the check. I have used NBCats method after a long drive, short drive and overnight and oil level is always spot on.

 

Thank you for the response Valerie. As I mentioned in my original post, I did exactly that...Went for a drive and found a level spot. When changing my oil my plan is to always first drive to a level spot and check to get my reference point of where the oil is at before changing the oil..i.e.: On account of the fact that my garage and driveway are far from level. As long as I gain that confidence that I started with a level-measured OK starting level oil, in my mind the oil change should go well if I put back in the exact same amount of new oil as was taken out in terms of old extracted oil.

So I get all that. My concern/confusion is more about on that level surface how do I for sure get a LIVE "right now" reading vs. a less than accurate average oil reading.

My question for you is: When you do your check are you getting a LIVE reading? i.e: Are you opening the bonnet and hitting cancel twice after showing the oil level to achieve that? If not, in theory you are not getting a very accurate reading, just an average.

 

Help me understand your concerns. I have owned over 17 dipstick cars. Checking the oil was/is done after the car sat for a bit to know how much was in the sump. That is the standard measurement location. To answer your question, I always shut the car off, let it sit, then take the reading, dipstick, or in the case of the F, no dipstick. Doing a live reading would mean, to me, that there is oil left in the valleys and other regions of the engine. There would then be that oil which would go down to the sump, but it would not have been part of the "live' measurement.

 

Hi again,

I just took the car out now and tried again and no dice.

My concern would be the following -->

If you look in the owner's manual in your glove box the oil level check procedure it describes for an owner who is NOT changing oil on the vehicle is to heat the car up to temperature, park on a level surface, wait for a period of 10 to 20 minutes for the oil level to stabilize, turn on the ignition (not start car, but put in accessory mode), go into the menu and select oil level. This procedure, if followed, will show you an oil level. My understanding to this point, however, is that what it presents using this procedure is an oil level that is NOT what the oil level is precisely right now. It is presenting you a level reading that is averaged out across now and several other past readings.

The workshop manual, on the other hand, presents a procedure that is not geared towards a typical owner who is NOT doing oil changes, but rather a tech or someone who will be doing an oil change. What is theoretically presented in the workshop manual is a way for the tech, or whoever, to get a right now LIVE reading of what the oil level is right at this moment (i.e.: Not some level presented to you that includes the current reading averaged out with a bunch of other past readings). The big difference with this procedure, at least as it's documentation, is the need to have the bonnet open, and the supposed need to hit the cancel cruise button 2 times in 2 seconds after selecting the oil level from the menu.

Hopefully what I said above makes some sense. So, with all that said, I know which type of reading I would prefer to have if I'm actually doing an oil change on the car. I want the LIVE reading all things being equal, but for the life of me I cannot get the car to present that. At least I don't think that's what I'm seeing. Maybe because I have the bonnet open it is presenting the live reading without even needing to hit the cancel cruise button? And they didn't update the manual documentation? I have no idea at this point.

I was expecting with the LIVE reading stuff to be able to drive to the flat surface, shut the car down, open the hood, put the car in accessory mode without actually starting it, immediately select oil level reading from the menu, see the unavailable message, and then hit the cancel cruise button 2 times in quick succession to go into LIVE mode and see a reading. It does not work. Despite hitting the cancel cruise button 2 times in this described scenario is still just says unavailable.

If from here I shut the ignition off, leave the hood open, waiting 10 or more minutes, turn ignition on again in accessory mode, then go to menu and select oil reading: It immediately shows a reading without my needing to hit the cruise cancel button at all (just like if I had followed the regular non-tech procedure in the glove box manual). If from there I hit cancel cruise 2 times I see no change. Maybe it is showing the LIVE view after doing that? Not sure because it looks the same, does not say anything to the effect of "Live mode" etc...

Hopefully I made where I'm coming from here less confusing and not more. lol

 

This is correct. It sounds like in your first couple of tries with the hood/bonnet open you did it immediately after shutting the vehicle off. I believe there is a "lockout" on the oil readings which will not allow it to be read while the car is running or immediately (and some time period) after shutting down because any reading would be inaccurate due the oil still being up in the engine and not down in the pan. I believe if you wait 20-30 minutes, the "lockout" is off and you can get the typical "average" reading at that point. Putting it into live reading mode at that point will probably give you the exact same (or very close) reading as the average reading since it only takes about 20-30 minutes for all the oil to return to the sump. So in your case, live = average.

What this mode was originally designed for was to allow the techs to see the oil level rise in real time as they filled the engine with oil after a drain. If you were to drain the oil after the 20-30 minute wait and check the average reading it may or may not show empty since the last time the car was running/on, the oil level was full. But if you put it into live mode at that point, it will show low/empty and as you fill the engine with oil you can see the level change (I forget what the reading time is, but it's something like every 60 seconds it takes a reading and displays it).

It sounds like you are doing it correctly and you are getting the expected results since in your testing so far average reading and live reading have always been the same.

 

It sure would be nice if when you are in live mode it put text like "LIVE READING", or something to that effect ;-)

I still haven't picked up my code reader yet. Perhaps the one I will get can read oil level too, which would be nice.

It definitely is a bit confusing to me. I just can't really tell if the cancel cruise hits are doing anything for sure...

What makes it more confusing is the workshop manual makes it sound like the LIVE mode should show at any time as soon as you invoke it. Well, I guess it does say wait 5 mins after first putting the fresh oil in before invoking LIVE mode (or after any add oil adjustments). When you are doing the fill with the new oil during the oil change they say in the workshop manual to not start the car for the first time after fresh oil fill until you put it into the live mode and make sure min oil shows. So it almost gives the impression there is no lock out more or less for that mode.

I have the feeling this will remain a bit of a mystery...lol

My garage where the work will happen for the oil change has an incline so I won't be able to rely on using the live mode at that time. I was hoping to get a live mode accurate reading on the street or whatever just before doing the work in my garage. Then I know I'll be okay if I start okay (ok level) and refill with the same amount of extracted spent oil ahead of starting for the first time.

Okay, so you figure when I hit the cancel cruise 2 times today after 15 mins with the bonnet open it did show the LIVE, and it just happened to be the same display as what the average reading first showed (i.e.: Before hitting the cruise cancel sequence)...

Final question for ya:

When the oil reading on level ground is saying OK dead in the middle of the scale do you happen to know how down that is in terms of volume? I know it's completely normal for a new car like this during break-in (and even beyond for a bit) to burn a bit of oil. So I'm okay right now given that it says OK and is reading dead in the middle of the readout scale, but I was thinking of adding a 1/4 to a 1/2 quart of oil on top of the extracted old oil volume to bring things up a bit when doing the oil change next weekend.

Thanks for giving your help and insights man. As usual you have good knowledge to offer here on the forum. It is much appreciated.

 

The oil readout on the '18 refresh and newer cars is a little different than the pre-'18s. For yours (like mine), you have the hash marks with two red hashes at the top and two at the bottom. I'm not 100% sure but from what I've read the volume between the lowermost and uppermost red hash is one (1) liter (although someone once made reference to it being two (2) liters, which I think is too much of a variable for engineers to allow). Assuming it is one liter, you would be down 1/2 liter if it's in the middle of the gauge, which is completely normal and acceptable consumption--especially on a new car. If you want to bring it up to full, just add 1/4 liter at a time and run it for a day or two and check the level several times and see how much it moves. That should give you a good idea of how much you need to add to get it to the top of the scale.

 

Okay that’s what I’ll do then. 1/4 increments as needed. Sounds reasonable. Thanks.

 

FWIW,
Last week I checked my F-Type’s oil level and found that it was low.
So I added some oil, and then rechecked the level, and saw the oil level had risen…
So I added some more oil, and the gauge red “full” …
This must have been “live” mode.. after the 10 minute wait from running engine, and checking oil with Ignition ON / Engine OFF.
Seems like there is a window of live “oil level reading” that takes place after timer >10 minutes since last engine run, and ignition ON.