Changed oil but not showing up on dipstick

The first thing to do is to NOT START this engine until there is sufficient oil showing on the dipstick!

Even if there was excessive sludge in the area of the valve covers, after an hour or two, most of the oil should drain back into the crankcase. And, a bad oil pump would not prevent the oil from coming to the correct level on the dipstick.

Since we don’t know your level of expertise in these matters, it is necessary to ask some potentially insulting questions, such as–Are you sure that you added the motor oil to the engine? Is it possible that you put the motor oil into the transmission by mistake? In fact, that is the type of mistake that amateurs (that includes the staff at Jiffy Lube) have been known to do, and in the process, they wind up destroying the engine and seriously damaging the transmission.

So–please humor me by checking the transmisson dipstick also. If the color and the level of the fluid on that dipstick is normal, then you can rule out the possibility of having put the motor oil into the transmission.

But, in any event, do not start this engine again until you have a normal level of oil showing on its dipstick. And, I’m sure that some other members of this board will have other suggestions that will be helpful.

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