Dipstick shows low oil on one side, but fine on the other?

[romnation]

I've tried reading the dipstick several times, and cleaning it and one side shows the oil between the marks. the other side shows it barely touching the crossthatched area. Is the oil level fine if just one side is between the marks? Or do both sides need to be? Yes I have been following the instructions per the manual regarding warmup and checking the reading on the center stand.

[Jge64]

Clean the dipstick and set it back in the hole, turn it the opposite way (loosen) 360°, one complete turn , and then read it. But to answer your question, as long as it’s wet halfway up the dipstick on one side, that’s all you need.

Best thing Yamaha ever did is using a sight glass , instead of a dipstick. So much easier.

[fish]

Homie suggests,
"Ride on the high side, only."
Fish

[E. Foster Salsbury]

If you put the dipstick in perpendicular to the oil you will magically notice why the hashmarks are at an angle on the stick! It sounds like you're putting it in parallel to the oil. You need to rotate 90 degrees.

Made this crude drawing for you to illustrate what I mean. In my example the oil is at 3.5 out of the 5 hash marks.

I hope this makes sense on paper.

dipstick.jpg (37.35 KiB) Viewed 967 times

[springer1]

If you put the dipstick in perpendicular to the oil you will magically notice why the hashmarks are at an angle on the stick! It sounds like you're putting it in parallel to the oil. You need to rotate 90 degrees.

Made this crude drawing for you to illustrate what I mean. In my example the oil is at 3.5 out of the 5 hash marks.

I hope this makes sense on paper.

dipstick.jpg

Nice going, good example.

[fish]

I thought the hash marks were to collect and hold the slippery stuff so level could be "read".
Anyway, always love visuals.
Fish

[Mel46]

I have a PCX and still am not sure where the oil level should be. On a pcx the hash marks are at the bottom of the stick. I have been keeping the oil within the hash Mark's, but there is a lot of stick and just a tiny amount of hash marks. Where should the oil appear on this stick?

MyPCXdipstick.jpg (297.62 KiB) Viewed 933 times

[Old Grinner]

When I had my PCX it was tough sometimes to see where the oil level was against the dark plastic. I'd look for "shine" in sun from oil residue. When the oil is new and really clean it's hard to tell. As it gets more miles on it and darker it may be easier to read but usually by then it should have already been changed if it's really gunky.

Also, after wiping the oil stick dry, I'd reinsert the oil stick into the crankcase (did not screw it in), remove it, and I'd carefully run my index finger along the top edge of the oil level mark and work my way down until I noticed oil on my finger. That way I had both a visual and physical reference. It's important to try and avoid hitting the sides of the oil filler neck which could leave a false indication. Just my two cents worth.

[you you]

I have a PCX and still am not sure where the oil level should be. On a pcx the hash marks are at the bottom of the stick. I have been keeping the oil within the hash Mark's, but there is a lot of stick and just a tiny amount of hash marks. Where should the oil appear on this stick?

MyPCXdipstick.jpg

On the hash marks but not over.

[you you]

I've tried reading the dipstick several times, and cleaning it and one side shows the oil between the marks. the other side shows it barely touching the crossthatched area. Is the oil level fine if just one side is between the marks? Or do both sides need to be? Yes I have been following the instructions per the manual regarding warmup and checking the reading on the center stand.

Did you lean over when poring the oil in? Rookie mistake. Pour some more in whilst leaning the opposite way.