Ultrasonic or Capacitive Sensor for Detecting Oil Level in Sump—Min/Max Detection

Hi, I would like to make a sensor Ultrasonic or otherwise that will detect the oil level in an oil pan (sump). I would need to know if the oil level is at the minimum level and also detect if there is too much oil. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

One approach could be mount the sensor on the top of the oil pan so that you can measure the distance to the top of the oil. By knowing the distance without any oil in the pan, you should be able to calculate the height of the oil in the pan.

A few things to consider are:

* You will need a sensor that can handle high temperatures.
* You may need to consider changes in the oil pan tilt since this will affect the height of the oil in the pan. You could keep track of this using a digital accelerometer.
* You also may be able to use light instead of sound to measure the distance to the oil.

Why not continue the original discussion and address the questions asked there, rather than starting a new discussion?

http://www.eeweb.com/electronics-forum/electronic-oil-level-meter-dipstick/