Member Since: 24 Nov 2015
Location: YORKSHIRE
Posts: 77
D4 Oil level-thoughts idea
Thinking aloud, with D4 electronic dip stick and D3 manual. Does the D4 oil drain tube fit in same place as D3 dip stick tube. Presume this has been thought of yes convert D4 tube to D3 dip stick. If for some reason this is a no go is it possible to adapt a dip stick to fit in Oil drain tube of D4. Even if it was to just use for to check oil level then removed for the next time you needed to check it.
10th Mar 2019 11:27 am
Fireburst
Member Since: 02 Nov 2017
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 186
Hi
I have a Renault Master camper van, every time I go to start the engine a message comes up on the dash saying "Engine oil level OK" it may be worth doing some research to see how its done on the Renault engine.
10th Mar 2019 11:53 am
adam
Member Since: 20 Sep 2005
Location: Home and Happy
Posts: 6917
Re: D4 Oil level-thoughts idea
les-goose wrote:
Thinking aloud, with D4 electronic dip stick and D3 manual. Does the D4 oil drain tube fit in same place as D3 dip stick tube. Presume this has been thought of yes convert D4 tube to D3 dip stick. If for some reason this is a no go is it possible to adapt a dip stick to fit in Oil drain tube of D4. Even if it was to just use for to check oil level then removed for the next time you needed to check it.
Why? - D3 dipstick is crap - never had an issue with D4 oil checkingNow Golf GTI PP, 7 speed DSG.
Ex D3 and D4
10th Mar 2019 12:08 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10336
Yeah Renault have for years have oil LEVEL gauges or level checks more recently.
Shame about their cars
10th Mar 2019 12:18 pm
trev 1
Member Since: 09 Sep 2014
Location: Seaton, Hull
Posts: 212
Come on Les keep up! dipsticks are old hat now, it will tell you when it wants oil or stop does ya truck have one?Serbian Silver 2011 Discovery 4 HSE SDV6 8 speed auto
10th Mar 2019 8:48 pm
TwoSheds
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Royal Deeside, in a cottage on a hill
Posts: 25
IMHO, a dipstick is more useful because it not only gives you a quantitative check on your oil but also a qualitative one. I miss rubbing it between my fingers and looking at the colour...
So I for one have often wondered how easy it would be to retrofit a dipstick and would probably buy a reasonably priced kit if there was one...
.Disco4, Disco2, R1200R, CBX600FX, multiple Ham radios, and several bicycles...
All that lot and a tool fetish means that I seldom have more than two brass farthings to rub together.
11th Mar 2019 8:05 am
tcr4x4
Member Since: 24 Jan 2010
Location: England
Posts: 1526
My work lorry has a digital level sensor and a dipstick, but you have to raise the cab to get to it, which is a pita.
So when I first got it, I relied on the digital readout...
Until it went for a service once and they said it had no oil in it
The level sensor was faulty and said it was fine when it wasn’t.
Also often in reverse it says it’s empty when it’s not.
So now I just raise the cab and check!
11th Mar 2019 8:15 am
dgardel
Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: Greater Venice
Posts: 2025
TwoSheds wrote:
IMHO, a dipstick is more useful because it not only gives you a quantitative check on your oil but also a qualitative one. I miss rubbing it between my fingers and looking at the colour...
So I for one have often wondered how easy it would be to retrofit a dipstick and would probably buy a reasonably priced kit if there was one...
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8043
It is unquestionably a bad design, but not as bad as the oil pressure light, what’s the point of having a warning light that tells you you have no oil pressure? - it might as well say you have just blown the engine
25 years ago I had a ML Merc that warned the driver the oil was low before it was empty and without any driver input , and it had a dip stick.
I have tried inserting a dip stick in the oil extraction pipe without success It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
11th Mar 2019 8:55 am
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13576
Hi
Is this the tube ur talking about in the pic
Would a net curtain wire be any good to take the oil level , or 2-3 mm plastic tube , wonder if the jag or Citroen engines have them
Also see the Citroen engine is quite different , even the cross over pipe and turbo actuator
11th Mar 2019 9:04 am
Bardley
Member Since: 02 May 2018
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 437
Bicycle brake cable?
M3DPO wrote:
It is unquestionably a bad design, but not as bad as the oil pressure light, what’s the point of having a warning light that tells you you have no oil pressure? - it might as well say you have just blown the engine
25 years ago I had a ML Merc that warned the driver the oil was low before it was empty and without any driver input , and it had a dip stick.
I have tried inserting a dip stick in the oil extraction pipe without success
Have had a think about this, and maybe a bicycle brake cable will slide in? They're pretty thin. Just the cable mind, not with the outer.2011 MY D4 HSE
Previously 2001 D2 TD5, 1996 D1 300Tdi, 1985 90 2.2 petrol.
Bikes! KTM, BMW, British, Classics and others.
11th Mar 2019 11:09 am
les-goose
Member Since: 24 Nov 2015
Location: YORKSHIRE
Posts: 77
trev 1 yes all our fleet have them but as tcr 4x4 has said had a few showing ok then gone for service and its been a different story with faulty sensor. Dipstick might be old hat but its as safe as anything in making sure the oil is there or not.
11th Mar 2019 5:38 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8043
Re: Bicycle brake cable?
Bardley wrote:
M3DPO wrote:
It is unquestionably a bad design, but not as bad as the oil pressure light, what’s the point of having a warning light that tells you you have no oil pressure? - it might as well say you have just blown the engine
25 years ago I had a ML Merc that warned the driver the oil was low before it was empty and without any driver input , and it had a dip stick.
I have tried inserting a dip stick in the oil extraction pipe without success
Have had a think about this, and maybe a bicycle brake cable will slide in? They're pretty thin. Just the cable mind, not with the outer.
I tried a curtain flexible wire, there appears to be an acute angled bend near the bottom that nothing will pass and nothing shows on the wire, maybe she’s very low on oil
Below is a photo taken from a previous post of mine, where the pipe goes into the sump, it has a simple push on/ squeeze off connection, to the left can be seen the sump drain plug, in my case the connection was not sealing properly, by removing cleaning and refitting it made a seal, but left unexamined it could have been disastrous, if this is the bend the wire will not go past there should still have been oil on it.
It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
11th Mar 2019 7:30 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13576
Hi m3dpo
Would be good if they done a Tee to replace that elbow so u could then run a tube up for a dipstick
Or to leave the elbow alone and if it’s easier removing the sump plug and putting a fitting there with a tube going up, incorporating a low level switch wired in above the sump for an early warning indication
Sump plug I see is a M14x 1.5, see there are a lot of various fittings
Hope u don’t think I’m interfering , just always find it interesting
13th Mar 2019 5:11 am
TwoSheds
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Royal Deeside, in a cottage on a hill
Posts: 25
TwoSheds wrote:
IMHO, a dipstick is more useful because it not only gives you a quantitative check on your oil but also a qualitative one. I miss rubbing it between my fingers and looking at the colour...
I had an idea yesterday - I used my brake bleeding tool - a vacuum one - to suck some oil up that tube for inspection...
It felt like thin, black, muddy water.. And the car had supposedly received a full main service 7000 miles ago.
It made me wonder if the service actually included an oil and filter change, and then I thought 'well how would anyone know if they use the sucky method?'
So does anyone else have any suspicions of garages charging for oil changes that never happened?
RogDisco4, Disco2, R1200R, CBX600FX, multiple Ham radios, and several bicycles...
All that lot and a tool fetish means that I seldom have more than two brass farthings to rub together.
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