Dipstick Level - 2.5 N/A

Hi,

I have seen 3 marks and a slight bend on the engine oil dipstick of my 2.5N/A 90

Within what range should the oil level be?
Should it be measured when hot or cold?




Was not really bothered before and kept it between H and N (measured when cold), But after a recent rebuild (still running in) wanted to be sure about the best level.



Thanks

make sure you never go under or over the high and low marks, and make sure you _always_ check it on level ground and you won't go wrong. It's really important not to go over the high point!

Its in between the N and H, measured when cold. I hope that does it

But why isnt it like on other cars? Just high and Low.

why is there a Normal level and a high level?

A land rover isn't just a normal car is it!!? If you consider the working conditions of a typical 'car' engine, you're looking at it sitting practically horizontally 80% of the time, with the other 20% of the time being slight inclines and descents on the motor-way and local hills for example, all with tarmac roads that are considered 'suitable for vehicles'. Most numpties out there only need to keep their oils levels just right for the majority of roads, so the manufacturers just stick an 'N' on the stick to indicate the normal level adequate for operating, leaving no room for arguments. A land rover engine on the other hand will typically alternate between sitting at anything from horizontal to near vertical on grassy slopes and fell tracks that aren't suitable for common road going vehicles, so the need for a more accurate oil gauge is necessary. Obviously if your descending a hill at a steep gradient in your N/A, the oil pump pickup (near to the back of the sump) is going to struggle to pump as much oil as usual because the laws of physics have the oil move to the front of the sump where only oil hats sloshes about towards the back of the sump can be picked up by the oil pump.

So to kind of simplify it a bit, if you're going off roading, you'd fill your engine oil to the 'H' mark, and not a drop over, so that there is adequate oil for the constant movement of oil in the sump in relation to the oil pump pick up pipe, but not too much oil that it should over run, where as if you were on the flat most of the time, you could run it to almost 'L' before you'd need to top it up a bit more.

It's just their way of thinking I guess.
-Pos

Mine has L N & Danger on mine

Great explanation pos, never thought of it that way.:clap2:

Next time you change the oil measure the quantities in from the spec in the handbook and check where it appears on the dipstick, this should equate to the high mark. In my experience hot / cold make no difference. More important is that the oil has at least 5 mins to drain into the sump before you check it.

Normally I check the oil levels in the morning before starting, so it has enough time overnight for the oil to drain to the sump. Its not that cold here in the mornings. Is this is a safe practice?

tivrulez said:

Normally I check the oil levels in the morning before starting, so it has enough time overnight for the oil to drain to the sump. Its not that cold here in the mornings. Is this is a safe practice?

Click to expand...

Yes that's good practice. I've always checked my engine oil when the engine is warm, but sat flat. That way, I know that there's enough oil lubricating the engine and plenty left in the sump too. Not sure that this is common practice but I've never had any problems. Generally speaking you wont have to worry about oil too much. Just make sure that it's changed every year or every two years at most, along with a new oil filter and a new brass sump drain plug 'o' ring to prevent any leaks. The thicker the oil the better, just as long as you're not thrashing it's nuts off all of the time. Even the thickest of consumer engine oils will reach every part of the engine that requires lubrication.

-Pos

Normally we replace oil after 3000-4000 kms with a new filter. So roughly according to my usage we replace oil about 4 times a year here i think.