Checking oil after driving

[scagle777]

I usually check my oil on a pretty regular basis. I just bought a 2014 with 32000 miles. I drove it approximately 15 minutes this morning, and decided to check the oil. After I let the truck sit about 45 minutes, I checked the oil and it was a bit low. The engine temp was around 170 degrees at the time I pulled the dipstick. Could the oil still be draining into the oil pan? Also, how low does the oil need to be before it throws a light? Thanks.

[Darmichar]

The oil in these engines is just slightly thicker than sewing machine oil if you're running the 0W-20.  After 45 minutes, the level you got was probably accurate.

The time my oil pan was leaking on mine, it threw the low oil message when it was about 2 quarts low.

[Sierra Dan]

Check the oil cold to see if there is any difference.

 

[Spurshot]

You should get an accurate indication on the dipstick within a few minutes of stopping the car.  When the oil is hot, the viscosity is not much thicker than water.   If you pull into your driveway and go take a leak, when you return to check the oil, the dipstick will read about as close as necessary.   It's not like draining the rain forest of South America. The longest path to drain to the pan is but a few feet.  Don't get too worried about a little low indication, unless it's loosing oil at a high rate.  I don't even check my oil anymore.  It doesn't go down much over an entire change period and it has a low indicator on a very large 8 qt reservoir.

[scagle777]

I’ll definitely check it when I get off work. This is the first time I’ve dealt with the ecotec engine as well as 0w-20 oil. Thanks for the info