I just checked the oil in my TA (4500 miles up) and noticed the dipstick has become quite discoloured since last check about a month ago. It was normally a clean white / grey colour but is now a sort of dirty oily brown colour along it's entire length but cleaner at the bottom where immersed in oil. Anyone else notice this and is it just normal discolouration? Seemed to appear over about 1000 miles.
General Dirty Dipstick!
- Thread starter Mercky
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General Dirty Dipstick!
Piccolo Nero e Bella
Established member
Mine is much the same (brown that is) but was so from when I first checked. I presumed that was it's normal colour but perhaps it discolours after contact with the oil. It makes it a little difficult to see the oil level.
P.S. Just clocked 3500 miles.
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Ok cheers, mine was definitely clean up to recently. When new it's really difficult to see the clean oil on the stick, now my oil is a lot darker and easily measured - even on a brown dipstick! I'll put it down to normal heat / oil discolouration, tried cleaning with petrol but no joy.
I checked ours just the other day. Engine is doing fine, not using any oil and yes, the dipstick is becoming discoloured as the oil becomes more brown in colour.
Our car has just hit 4k miles, not bad seeing as we've had it for 7.5 months. I'm getting it into a Fiat dealer before 5k miles for its first service, a low mileage service, just oil and filter change, so I'm guessing around middle of September time.
Our car has just hit 4k miles, not bad seeing as we've had it for 7.5 months. I'm getting it into a Fiat dealer before 5k miles for its first service, a low mileage service, just oil and filter change, so I'm guessing around middle of September time.
Piccolo Nero e Bella
Established member
I prefer the dipstick on the 1.2 because it's a metal spring type of thing with a checkered plate at the bottom and is easier to read, but my main gripe with the TA one is that it's so difficult to get leverage on the knob in that deep recess. I only tighten it till the first 'click' but have to use a tool to get it to start turning when I want to unscrew it. Is it the same with yours?
I can get mine off handy enough and likewise generally only tighten to the first click. I might have smaller fingers though!
Mine is the same, after 22k. Uses no oil at all but I still check it regularly 
ahmett
Prominent member
maybe you need to rev it more = )Mine is the same, after 22k. Uses no oil at all but I still check it regularly
That's not possible
Got the P0069 error on it though that's not gone with a software update
ahmett
Prominent member
my gearbox shows error codes after being fixed but I haven't bothered to take a look. I have decided not to listen to Fiat electronics but feel the car through intuition.That's not possible
Got the P0069 error on it though that's not gone with a software update
You get gum and varnish created when the oil is very hot... It sticks to everything and makes it go a nice shade of hazelnut..
The hot weather and the car being at raised temperatures as a result might be making the symptoms worse at the moment.
You can remove the varnish with paraffin/turpentine substitute, though it's not doing any harm.
Ralf S.
The hot weather and the car being at raised temperatures as a result might be making the symptoms worse at the moment.
You can remove the varnish with paraffin/turpentine substitute, though it's not doing any harm.
Ralf S.
Use The Force, eh?
Ahmett, some days my mechanical sympathy makes me hope you’re just trolling.
ahmett
Prominent member
my car doing just fine = )Use The Force, eh?
Ahmett, some days my mechanical sympathy makes me hope you’re just trolling.
