oil change question -- too much oil?

according the manual - our engine should hold over 4qts of oil (i think it said 4.2?) ... off course not all of it drains out so it shouldn't take over 4qts to refill at an oil change.

 

the first time i changed my oil, It took a full 4qts to get it to the proper level. and on a side note I usually Check every 3rd or 4th gas fill up -and i wasn't burning or losing any oil. seems like most new cars i've had burn a bit of oil over thier first 5000 miles.

 

yesterday it was time for the second oil change -- this time moved up to mobile1 - and bought it in the 5qt container becuase it's cheaper. Poured in (according to the makers on the side ) just over 3 and a half quarts. Check the dips stick and its WAY over the full marker.... I run the engine and let the oil settle for a while -- still way to high. So I attempted to drain off a bit (what a pain in the ass) and will see today if it's at a more reasonable level.

 

 

so how much oil is too much -- i know the negative side effects of overfilling -- but not sure of how much of a buffer the manufacture builds into the dipstick. ( i was probably close to 1/4 of an inch over the top marker)

 

 

anyhow.. so are the markers on my 5qt container just way off... or is my car hiding more oil in there this time around? How much do you all normally have to replace after an oil / filter change?

I think the manual calls for something like 4.2 quarts. Two observations: in order to direct the drain plug flow downward as much as possible, I use a floor jack under the front passenger-side jacking point (I found that leaving the car level results in a shooting stream which easily goes beyond any reasonable drain pan). Once the plug is removed, I release the jack. This might result in a bit more oil draining out of the upper passages. Second, the dipstick is not a real clean read. You need to wipe it replace it before you can get a read, then compare both sides. I found that oil will show very high on one side (picking up oil from the wall of the dipstick tube?) but lower on the other. The lower is probably a better read since it's "full" with 4.2 quarts or so.

Everytime after an oil change at the dealer, I check my oil and everytime the oil would creep up above the fullmark hole and notch, but I've never had any problems and I run my car hard, harder than most people on this site or your average person for that matter.

 

I think the oil dipstick is calibrated in a way so that the difference between the tip and the fullmark hole is about 1 quart instead of 4.2 quarts, so as to exaggerate any change and in your case gain.

 

About oil loss, it depends on one's driving style. I run the car very hard and even though I've had to add about 1 quart of makeup oil in my 5000 interval on Mobil 1 10W-30, my butt-dyno hasn't experienced any degradation in performance and my coolant temp never climbed even with 80F ambient temps. Btw, 1 quart every 3000 miles is acceptable from the dealer's/SoA and I guess most manufacturers' standpoint. This is especially true for our horizontal cylinders in the boxer engine, where the oil tends to stay at the bottom of the cylinder walls because of gravity compared to going down to the crankcase like a V or inline engine.

 

Mojo

PLEASE HELP

 

My second oil change and it took all 5 quarts from the big jug to bring the oil level to the full mark. What gives? Last time it seemed ok but now it seems like it took much more oil than the manual says. The car was sitting all day when I drained the oil and I filled the oil filter up prior to installation like the walkthrough suggested. What is the deal? The dipstick should read full after 4.2 quarts right?

 

Please advise.

I just add 'till the dipstick sees the proper point.

 

There's no telling if, from one time to another, you've managed to drain all/the same amount of oil remaining in the pan, so I just trust the stick to give me a "true measure" of what I should be putting in, be it 3.5 quarts or 5.

Every oil change I've added 4.5 qts of oil total (4.2 is the engine capacity w/o filter IIRC) and it's right on the F dot on the dipstick. Also, I've never had the issue where the oil stream shoots out crazily or anything like that, and I do the oil change on level ground, I don't jack the car up at all. It's always drained out like any other car I've ever changed the oil on. However, I do oil changes on a cold engine, tired of getting burned by hot oil. I do let it run for a few minutes before draining however. Now, the oil filter change is another story...it's pretty messy! Hafta start punching a hole in the filter & let it drain before replacing I guess.

it's pretty messy! Hafta start punching a hole in the filter & let it drain before replacing I guess.

 

 

Now why didn't I think of that? What a great idea. Now I have the fumoto valve and I'll have to market the oil filer hole puncher.

is it maybe one time ur changing ur oil filter and some other times ur not?..im not possitive on how much more or even if wat im saying is true..but when u change ur oil filter along w/ ur oil change...it would take more oil that it would if u werent changing an oil filter right?

FWIW the manual is wrong for the H6 and takes more.

it's pretty messy! Hafta start punching a hole in the filter & let it drain before replacing I guess.

 

 

thats what i do

so what do i have laying around that would easily punch a hole in the filter without breaking anything.

Phillips screwdriver and a hammer.