I purchased the Craven Speed oil dip stick and love it! As you know the factory Dip stick is very hard to read. The new dip stick is flexible and does not bind up against the filler tube which makes it so much easier to insert and remove. $79.00 bucks well spent!

 

I modified my dipstick as BlackIce showed on the following posts. I was expecting the change to make it easier to read the oil level. It surprised me how much it helped. Great job BlackIce.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...50-post11.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...68-post17.html

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

I agree that the Aftermarket dipstick is easier to see oil on it over the standard non altered dipstick. What is interesting to me is that the aftermarket stick still has oil on the wide part at the top (the part where the spring starts). If the oil level was at 4.4 quarts the aftermarket stick would still look like more than 4.4 quarts of oil was in the crankcase. You still have to get the oil out of the tube to get an accurate reading when the oil level is correctly full.



Some tips and tricks to using a dipstick:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...00-post13.html

 

I agree with OceanMini2 that for a 100% positive reading, the oil must be drained or wiped out of the dipstick hole. I have tried the multiple partial insert method to clean the dipstick tube and the cold oil reading method to drain the dipstick tube. Both of these methods are very consistent. With either of those methods the oil level is the same all around the dipstick with no oil on the dipstick above the level shown if the oil is not overfilled. BlackIces modified dipstick is much easier to read that the unmodified dipstick but I like the cold reading method the best. If you take the dipstick out and leave it out for at least two hours, the oil tube will completely drain. Also the oil as it cools will contract and the level shown will be below the level when the oil is at its full operating temperature. This drop in level puts the level further away from the upper bulge and makes it easier to read. You do need to take into account that the oil level is actually above the cold reading when at full operating temperature. See the following post for the change in oil level with temperature.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...584-post1.html

The following short cut is to a thread that explains the methods of reading the dipstick and details for modifying the dipstick.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-dipstick.html

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

Picking my Craven dipstick up very soon with a few other mods to my JCW

Cant wait

 

I love mine - but I always check my oil about five minutes after shutting my engine off and the Craven's dipstick can be very hot. I keep a pair of leather work gloves just for checking the oil so I don't burn my hands. This may seem unnecessary until you check your oil with your Craven's dipstick barehanded.

 

One of the first things I got was the Craven dip,
I always measure two times for consistency and check when oil is cold.

 

You don't follow the manual then.

 

Checking when the oil is cold is good bcs as anything expands with heat and doesnt give a true reading

Same is said with tyres

 

Well....yes and no.
Liquid expansion when heated is minor compared to gas expansion with heat (air).
The difference in checking the oil in your MINI hot or cold will be minor, it is different but probably so small most of us would not notice.
The difference in checking the tire hot or cold could be very different.

 

The volume of oil in a R56 will alter by about .2 quarts between ambient oil temperature and normal operating temperature due to thermal expansion. Keep in mind that when the oil is warm from the motor running some the oil is sticking to the inside of the crankcase and the oil filter is fully charged so not all of the oil in the motor is in the pan. The stick reading will not track an exact .2 higher when the motor has recently been running compared to stick reading done say, in the morning after the Mini has been sitting for 10 hours.

 

And that is a good thing, the manual does not tell you the best way to check oil in a Mini.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...00-post13.html

 

I check my oil once a week the way my manual specifies and my Craven's dipstick makes it very easy. So far I've had no problems with my oil level.

 

More important than exactly HOW you check your oil is that you DO check it. The modified and Craven dipsticks both make that easier. However you choose to do it, I think the main thing is that you do it consistently. If you check your oil the same way each time, then you'll be able to notice if it changes, which is really what you're after.

 

Originally Posted by area49
I always measure two times for consistency and check when oil is cold.

I never got a manual, so what's the procedure ?

 

For both of our cars the manual says to wait 10 minutes after you have stopped the car to check the oil level. It also says that it should be up to full operating temp.

 

Not the best way but this is what Mini tells you to do on the R56. It is far better to pull the stick out and wait for 20 min. I don't think Mini can tell you to check your oil the better way because the oil would be exposed to the atmospheric too long because the stick would not be plugging up the dipstick tube tube. .

 

With BlackIce's modification (shown in the links below) I can read the oil level 5 minutes after shutting off the engine as MINI recommends. When I compare the readings taken after at least 8 hours, the difference is about .2 quarts as OceanMini2 stated. I like to take the reading when the engine is cold because the level is below the upper bulge and easy to read. With the full 4.4 quarts and the engine at full operating temperature, the level is on the upper bulge. Before I modified the dipstick, I would take the dipstick out, cover the dipstick tube opening with a piece of tin foil, wait at least 2 hours, and then take the reading. With the correct amount of oil, the cold reading was easy to see on the factory dipstick. With the modified dipstick, I leave the dipstick in and wait for at least 2 hours and then take the reading. You can leave the dipstick in with either the Craven dipstick or the modified dipstick since they don't pull the oil into the dipstick tube like the factory dipstick does. There will be oil wiped off the tube by the upper bulge of the modified dipstick or the spring end of the Craven dipstick but you can see the clear area above the oil level.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...50-post11.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...68-post17.html

 

I agree with this. The aftermarket or modified dipstick that does not have the lower cone helps reduce the amount of oil transfer to the tube. The part below the splice to the spring or upper ball is more protected and seeing a gap helps you to understand the oil level better. Without seeing the gap you can't tell if the motor is overfilled. The tip still rubs on the curved wall of the tube however and picks up oil when the tube has oil on it. You still need to be careful hot checking when the oil level is below 1/2 quart.

 

I have tried using the following method to read the oil level 5 minutes after shutting off the engine that was at full operating temperature as MINI recommends. I modified my dipstick as suggested by BlackIce ( see links below.) but this might work with the unmodified dipstick. MINI shows the center of the upper bulge of the measurement area as the maximum level and the center of the lower bulge as the minimum level. They also state that the distance between these bulges is 1 quart for the US MINI's or 1 litre for the European MINI's. The distance from the portion of the handle that contacts the dipstick tube to the bottom end of the handle is almost exactly 1". I measured 1" from the center of the upper bulge and marked where that level was on the measuring portion of the dipstick. I pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, push it in until contact with the lower portion of the handle, wait 10 seconds, pull it out and read the level. The level shown is 1" lower on the dipstick than the actual level and will be at the spot I marked on the dipstick if the maximum amount of oil is in the engine. If the reading is lower than the mark, oil needs to be added. If the reading is above the mark, oil needs to be removed. Because this moves the reading area 1" away from the center of the upper bulge, the oil wiped off the the dipstick tube does not get on the reading area. Each reading I have made using this method has been very consistant. I can see a dry surface all around the dipstick above the indicated level with the oil at the maximum level.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B
https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...50-post11.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...68-post17.html

 

But what does the dealer say if I show up with either a modified factory stick or the craven speed stick? Are they going to give me a hassel about warranty? Hard to beleive MINI continues with a dip stick that no avg joe can use reliably. Heck, people who have been around cars and engines will have a tough time with that factory thing. Does BMW use something similar to the MINI?

 

I've had my car in for service and they never said anything about my Craven dipstick.

 

I just recently got rid of a 2012 328i with the straight 6 motor. There was no dipstick on that car, just a bar graph on the OBC readout. I suppose it was easier to use the computer readout for the oil level, but I still prefer the old school Mini way with a real dipstick. While the factory Mini dipstick may be hard to read for some, it's a lot more reliable than a computer gauge and electronic sensors (at least in my feeble mind).

 

I had my oil changed by the dealer after I did BlackIces modification to my dipstick. Nothing was said about the dipstick.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

I would be willing to bet the tech didn't even look at the dip stick. They drain the oil, put plug back in (new washer hopefully), move overflow reservoir over and change filter, grab shop oil hose and it pumps out exactly 4.4qts and then they are done. Send the car to wash and call customer to come get their car.