Checking Oil
 

Any idea why I am seeing this message? I am following the instructions within the manual but, I do not get an oil level read.
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You are checking the oil level too soon after shutting the engine down. It is far easier to check the oil before the engine is started the first time in a day - when the engine is cold and the oil has returned to the sump.

Hi One&Done, the manual makes the process a bit cumbersome because it wants the oil at operating temperature and indicates a post-shutdown waiting period that is most of the time too short. I usually wait 15 minutes after shutdown, sometimes 20 min, before checking and it will be more cooperative. Sometimes you might feel the car is not listening to you, but it might just be thinking without tell you. :)

Progress caused the dipstick to become extinct.

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SOV211, That will not work. The engine must be at operating temperature, shut down and wait at least 10 minutes before asking for engine oil level.

I have checked my oil level cold before first start of the day. Are you saying this gives an inaccurate or wrong reading?

It works very well on my 2012 XF and is the only way I check my oil level. I am careful to add only the specified fill amount when doing oil changes . I have checked the specification of the the level sensor and it is claimed that the sensor will accurately measure the oil level to +/- 2.0mm between temperatures of -30C and +160C. The only issue I can see is how much oil drains down between the 10 minutes after shutting down ( stated in the handbook) and however long your has been standing before you start it. Since the sensor will tell you when you have too much oil in the engine there is little risk.
My engine does not use measurable amounts of oil and I have never added oil between oil changes in the 4 years I have had it.

As outlined in the Owners Manual, the oil should be at “working temperature”.
As volumetric expansion of oil at working temperature can be effectively calculated, I typically guestimate an acceptable level by way of the electronic sensor. Be advised, the difference does exist.

I do like this statement in the Workshop Manual:
Operation under varying conditions can frequently be misleading. A vehicle that has been run for several thousand
miles on short trips or in below-freezing ambient temperatures may have consumed a "normal" amount of oil. However, when checking the engine oil level, it may measure up to the full mark on the oil level indicator due to dilution (condensation and fuel) in the engine crankcase. The vehicle then might be driven at high speeds on the highway where the condensation and fuel boil off. The next time the engine oil is checked it may appear that a liter of oil was used in about 160 km (100 miles). Oil consumption rate is about one liter per 2,400 km (1,500 miles).

And this:
. Carry out an oil consumption test:
 Run the engine to normal operating temperature. Switch engine OFF and allow oil to drain back for at
least five minutes .
 With vehicle parked on level surface, check the engine oil level.
 If required, add engine oil to set level exactly to the FULL mark.
 Record the vehicle mileage.
 Instruct the customer to return for a level check after driving the vehicle as usual for 1,610 km (1000
miles).
 Check the oil level under the same conditions and at the same location as the initial check.
NOTE: If the oil consumption rate is unacceptable go to Step 4.
4. Check the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system. Make sure the system is not plugged.

fwiw.
cheers
Guy.

My 4.2 XKR does not burn oil to any measurable extent, same for my prior ones.
I have no need to fill up in-between change intervals.

However, I have been wondering about the relevance of the exact specification, apart from viscosity.
Why wouldn’t almost every modern high quality synthetic oil do the job properly?

The OP has a 5.0, like me; my owners manual makes no mention of this oil working temperature when checking oil.

The 2012 XF Owners Manual says the oil level measurement should be made when the engine oil is " hot " ie stop the engine and wait at least 10 minutes . This manual also states that minimum safe operating oil level is approximately 1.5L below the full mark. Also from the Owners Manual one can infer that when the electric gauge shows "Level OK " you have at least approximately 1L more than the minimum safe level and up to 1.5L above the safe level.

This why I check the oil level before I start my car each time I take it out and I have never checked it hot.

The expansion of oil when it heats up is so slight that it would not be significant in the context of checking oil levels in a car, i.e. less than 5 mm on the dipstick / computerised sensor.

Richard

The standard oil level check on the 5 litre cars is based on an algorithm that calculates and monitors the engine oil level over a period of time so it doesn't really matter whether the oil is hot or cold.

You have to put it into service mode to see the live oil level on the display and the instructions say to wait at least 10 minutes after switching the engine off to allow for the oil to drain back into the sump (the text below says to wait 5 minutes if you see F but it says to wait at least 10 minutes before checking, on the previous page).


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Thank you for the replies. I have confirmed that it does work prior to starting the engine. Still can't get it to read after the engine has run. I've waited 15+ minutes.