Is it just me....or is the dipstick terrible on this car. I was on a trip, and had between 4000-5000 km on it, and it looked as if the car burned oil when i checked the dipstick, and checked a few times and still looked below the minimum. then i added half a litre....and checked again after driving it for a bit, and it was half a centimetre over the max line. I was paranoid i was going to blow some seals. is there a different dipstick i can get for this car. Anyone know, how far over you can fill these cars and not do damage? Thx.

 

It's not you. the dipstick is screwy. I've found no one who can explain why the stick says "empty" on first pull if the car has been sitting for a while, but says over full on the second pull (wipe the first pull, re-dip, make the second pull). Where did the oil come from on the second pull if it was not there on the first? See the pics atttached.

 

okay, my dipstick does not look like that....
my dipstick is made of long braided metal strands, with a oil level indicator pressed on near the tip

 

Same here. I've got a 2006, maybe the earlier models have a more conventional dipstick?

 

No mine doesn't look like that either. mine has a trough at the bottom that pulls some oil up with it. I live in calgary canada, and asked mazda if there is another dipstick option and they said no and admitted its awful.

 

Mine is an 07 Speed3. I had your type of stick on the Contour SVT I just sold, but it was easy to read. Strangely, when the car had not run for a while, if the pan was "full" and you just pulled the stick, it would read "full".

I've plastered this thing with pictures across several boards now, but nobody seems to have a clue what's going on with this.

 

I have 09 mazda 3i 2.0 I have the weird dipstick with the threaded steel and an oil thing at the end. I noticed that its like a reservoir for the oil. you let it collect in there. then you put the dipstick horizontally and then the oil will spread and slowly show you how much oil you have.

 

Can anyone explain the correct technique for checking the oil level, when you have a dipstick that reads Low after the car has been idle for a long time, but reads HIGH on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th... tries?
Thanks!

 

im not sure i am understanding what you guys are saying, obviously the dipstick is going to read low right after the engine has been running. you have to give the oil time to settle back to the bottom... then check. this should give you the most accurate reading. as for the weird dipstick some of you are talking about, im not sure, maybe post a picture of it??

 

If I just pull the stick after the car has been sitting for hours, the oil is just at the bottom tip of the stick. Then I wipe the stick and re-check the level a 2nd time and the oil is way at the top, like the level is too high.
I brought my car to Mazda, for an oil change, a few months ago. I forgot to ask them how to read the stick. When I checked the oil, the following morning, the oil was reading a qt low. When I rechecked it, it was reading a qt too high.
Is anyone familiar w/this issue and how to read the stick?

 

I think I figured out what happens. The stick must be in some kind of tube that extends into the crankcase oil. You have to pull the stick for a few seconds to let the oil come up in that tube to give you a true reading. MS3 is the first car I ever had that does this.