I have a new to me 2004 honda 300ex. I went to check the oil after a long ride, had waited probably about 15 minutes after shutting it off and there was oil on the dipstick when i first pulled it. I wiped it off and put it back in without screwing it and there was almost no oil on the dipstick. I tried letting the quad idle for a few minutes shutting it off waiting a couple minutes then checking the oil and got the same results. Sometimes there would be a tiny bit on the dipstick and sometimes completely dry after wiping and re inserting for the actual check. I put a tiny bit of oil in and it seems like I get a little bit on the dipstick just about every time I go to check it now. The top end had just been replaced a year ago. No smoke or anything like that and it's been running awesome. What should I do? I don't wanna end up over filling it with oil because I can never seem to get a account measurement.

 

I always fill an engine after it has been stood a while. I have heard that you get a "correct" measurement with engine newly stopped but oil is going to run back down from the top for a while. So, once you do see oil on the stick, put a little (0.25 pint) in and check again. Keep doing it until it is almost on the full mark, then add a less, until it is on the full mark. You can get a false reading if the end of the stick has oil on it as it can brush against the inside cases and pick a little oil up from them. Overfilling is not a complete disaster, as long as you don't stick a pint too much in, and always check on level ground.

 

As im adding oil do I need to start the quad and let it run for a minute before I re check?

 

Like I wrote above, my theory is you get a false reading just after the engine is stopped as some oil is still running back into the sump for a while. Only exception are the fully automatic Hondas, they either need leaving overnight after filling, then re-checking, or running for a while, it seems to take ages for the oil to flow through the cases and level up on them. After filling an engine and changing the oil filter, you do need to start the engine, check for any filter leaks, then wait a while and re-check the level, as some oil will have filled the new filter, dropping the level slightly.