I was checking my engine oil yesterday and it was on the lower end of the fill mark. So I started adding oil and it took more than I had thought it would, but finally got it to full.
Last night I was noticing alot of smoke coming out of the exhaust, I figured I must of overfilled by a little bit.
When I checked the dipstick again, I was past the full mark by a couple of inches. I checked it a couple of times and same thing happened.
I spun the dipstick 180 degrees and put it back in, checked again and now it was on the full mark.
I noticed that the oil is at different levels on the dipstick, depending which side of the stick you are looking at.
When the oil is on the full mark facing you, the oil is a couple of inches higher on the other side of the stick.
Is it just me or is this normal?

 

I always check my dipstick on a cold engine after it has been sitting overnight. The problem is if you check it multiple times the oil gets up in the fill tube and becomes nearly impossible to read.

 

I will add that in order to raise the oil level 2 inches on the dipstick would take a fair bit of oil, like a couple quarts maybe more.

 

You don't say if the engine was hot or cold when you added the oil. If cold it's going to take a good while for it to get to the sump.
I'm pretty sure it takes 1 qt to bring the level from the Add mark to the Full mark.

 

Always check the oil parked on level ground and after sitting overnight.

My dipstick only have writing on one side and that is the side I use and because I have some sort of OCD I always put the dipstick back in the tube the same way everytime, with the words facing the inside of the engine.