Question about that old timer's trick to check engine oil on level ground

My neighbor Bob, who's like 80 and used to work on farm trucks, told me last summer that you gotta check your oil on perfectly level ground or you'll get a false reading. I always just checked in my driveway which slopes down toward the street. So one day I parked at the flat part of the grocery store lot, checked it, and sure enough it read a quart lower than at home. Added a quart and the engine ran way smoother on my commute to work in Austin the next week. Has anyone else tested this and found a big difference?

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2 Comments

angelacooper4mo ago

Oh man, that thing about "once checked the oil in my neighbor's truck by accident" made me laugh out loud. I can totally see that happening with a sloped driveway. But seriously, your neighbor Bob was spot on. I had the exact same experience years ago when I moved to a house with a steep driveway. I checked the oil there for months and thought everything was fine. Then I parked on flat ground at my sister's place and the dipstick was almost dry. It's crazy how much a little slope can throw off the reading. Felt like a total idiot for not figuring it out sooner. Now I always drive to the nearest flat parking lot for oil checks, no exceptions.

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sams254mo ago

Tbh my driveway's so sloped I once checked the oil in my neighbor's truck by accident.

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