[JohnnyFaire]

Do not forget, 7 quarts of oil will expand quite a bit once up to operating temperature.

As long as YOU know where the cold level should be from checking there should be no issue checking the engine oil cold.

Good point, but the manual suggests the dipstick is designed for hot oil with some quantity still in the OFH and coating the surfaces of the engine.

Bingo! I think the OP may have an OFH problem. "Some quantity still in the OFH." These hold that oil in via a check vavle made of plastic. If they fail, oil would leave and drain into the pan. A symptom would be a dry start for a longer duration than normal. 1 sec more than normal is included as a symptom. In the morning, after sitting for awhile, this would make the oil level to seem higher than it is...

Listen to the Bently manual. Best check the oil roughly 5min after full warm.

***x1f603;