Broken dipstick!!

[Malcolm]

This is a weird problem that I've been having with my AW11.
The engine is a gen 2 3sgte, I know that it has just over 4L of oil in it.
But nothing shows on the dipstick! Well, to be accurate on ONE side of the dipstick it reads just over full, but the other side shows nothing, it's completely dry. I really would like to work out why it's doing this as I don't want to destroy any more 3s big ends! I once had a similar problem on my GT-Four, except that the next day the big ends went and draining the oil showed there to be just over 1L in there!
I have drained the oil in the MR2 and like I said, there's just over 4L in it.
I thought maybe I had mounted the engine on a backward lean, causing the oil to run away from the dipstick, but jacking the car up or checking it on a hill doesn't make any difference to the reading. I thought maybe the dipstick might be hitting something in the sump and deflecting away from the oil, but I think this is quite unlikely as it would have to bend very sharply (checked it out on a spare block+sump), which is pretty much physically impossible.

SO, any theories? I also put the dipstick into a container of oil to make sure it doesn't have some coating on it that's repelling oil, and it appears to work fine in this circumstance.

[RS13]

Borrow someone else's dipstick?

I've had this problem before on both of my skylines, for some reason it only shows up on one side of the dipstick.. maybe when you're pulling it out, its' being wiped clean by the edge of the dipstick pipe or block?

except that the next day the big ends went and draining the oil showed there to be just over 1L in there!

Does your car not have a working low oil level sensor?

[Malcolm]

I tried a spare dipstick, same story

Not many Toyotas (particularly not before 1995) have oil level sensors. They have the low oil pressure idiot light but that is absolutely hopeless

[Mr Revhead]

i would say its rubbing on something as its being pulled out, either that or its sitting against something in the sump.

from my days as lubie here, i can say its not uncommon at all

[Malcolm]

so how the f*ck do I check the oil!?
just been out driving the car....aahaha I love this thing so much

[Mr Revhead]

by reading the dipstick nobby!!

what i did was top up, then put dipstick in, and leave it there for 30 odd sec then pull it out. i never had an issue

oh and that tiny writing.... is to small! cant read it

[Scottie]

dose you dip stick have the twist in it near the top? Causing the dipstick to twist as it is pulled out. Maybe this has something to do with the problem. *shrug*

[Malcolm]

no twist at the top, it's just straight until the little bend on the tip

[wde_bdy]

If you're concerned about the oil pressure, swap your sender for a higher pressure one. Will give you a little more warning of a sudden drop in pressure.

Callum

[Malcolm]

well it's not a problem in the aw11 as it has an oil pressure gauge rather than the idiot light found on gt-fours