(Home) Checking oil, service

I'm a little confused about checking the oil in my 1990 4x4 TD townie. In the past, I have always checked the oil in the morning before the engine is started to get a correct reading. According to my experience in the past, if the engine is hot you will always get a low reading. When I check first thing in the morning with my townie the dip stick shows that the oil level is a little low. If i check it when the engine is hot it shows that the oil level is just right????

Also, I see you guys from England write about having your townie serviced. What all does that include?? If I go to a garage in Moscow and ask them to service my townie they will want to know what is wrong with it.....if I tell them nothing I just want to make sure nothing happens to it, they will look at me like I am a few notches off. If it's not broke, why try to fix it. When I ask the garage to fix something on my Russian car before I have to have it towed to the garage they just think I am a crazy foreigner.

Thanks to all for your help and answers.

- (#7976) mervin, 8 Apr 03 15:02

Mervin. Yes, the level should, normally, be higher when the engine is cold and before being started, because the oil will have drained back into the sump. However, I should think that this is nothing to worry about and may well be a feature of the 2C engine.
Ref "servicing", this is the essential preventative maintenance which should not be overlooked. A diesel engine does generate a lot of soot (which turns the oil black)and it is normally good practice to change the oil much more regularly than with a petrol engine.
Personally, I change mine at every 3000 miles. The garage, when servicing the vehicle, will change the engine oil and filter, check the various levels, ie, brake fluid, coolant, gearbox oil etc, remove a brake drum to inspect the linings and inspect the front brake pads. If done competently, a regular service does keep the vehicle in good condition and, sometimes, allows a problem to be rectified before it gets too serious. The Townace service book schedule is quite comprehensive, albeit, written in Japanese.

- (#7977) John Davis, 8 Apr 03 16:14