4.5 qt. oil fills

[Pluto5]

I maintain two GM engines, 3.1 and 3.8 liter for which GM says the capacity including the filter is 4.5 qts. I don't want to overfill the crankcase so I save the half qt. but I wonder how many people just pour the entire 5 qt. jug?

 

[Greg]

we have 4L jugs that fit in just right.

 

[Al]

Lots of people do wrong things. Use the capacity as a guideline. Bring it up to the full line. Probably the extra 1/2 quart is no problem-but its not the right way of doing things.

 

[Pluto5]

Greg--I have two cars that were made in Oshawa and both take 4.5 qts. of oil with the filter, so the 4L jug comes up short, too.

 

[Patman]

Mobil 1 used to sell 4.5L jugs up here when it was TriSynthetic.

 

[OneQuartLow]

Yep, those actually went on closeout last year at a few dept stores here. I think I paid something like $13 before they all disappeared.

 

[JWRENCH]

My Wife had a 3.8 Camaro up until this October and I've still got a few half quarts setting around. I always thought it was pretty retarded that they couldn't make room for it and take out the guess work.

 

[Roger]

When I'm faced with these odd-ball fill amounts: 4 1/8 quarts, 3 5/8 quarts and so on, I simply take an empty, but sturdy plastic gallon jug and mark it up with the correct file lines. You can even get about 4 1/2 quarts in some 4-quart windshield washer jugs. I clean it very good, and then start filling it with 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 quart, 2 quart, etc amounts of water. And the wife actually doesn't mind as long as I use water instead of oil in her kitchen measuring bowels while doing this. Then mark the levels I need on the outside, and use the clean, premeasured jug for changing the oil next time. I have four of these for 4 different vehicles. Pouring exactly 3 5/8 quarts of oil out of a container is a hell of a lot easier then guessing how much has come out of a 5 quart pail, risking overfilling, and then having to open the drain bolt...again. Once the fresh oil circulates, the dip stick is always filled to the mark. And its on the mark, everytime! On vehicles that take 5 1/2 quarts, I just use the 1/2 quart line and a full 5 quart jug.

 

[Pluto5]

<b>Thanks for all the input:</b> ; combining the suggestions from Al and Roger I will keep one of wife's measuring cups and pour off 8 oz. from each 5qt. jug into used oil jug and pour the remainder into the crankcase. That will overfill by only 8 oz. which shouldn't cause any problems and I will not have to collect little bits of oil which amount to 20 cents for Wal-Mart dino juice.

 

[mph]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pluto5: [b]I will keep one of wife's measuring cups and pour off 8 oz. from each 5qt. jug into used oil jug and pour the remainder into the crankcase.

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Uh, you might want to buy your own measuring cup. Women can be funny about sharing for things like this.