5 Quarts = Overfill for 4.5 Quart Capacity?

[Roob]

I'm a stickler for following the manufacturers instructions. If an engine calls for say 4.2 litres of oil then it gets 4.2 litres.
I would have an issue if 4.7 litres was added instead, but that's me. If Jeff Jetter comes out and says " we got it wrong, add 500ml more to your oil change" I'll defer to him, he's an expert.
Each to their own I guess, it's your vehicle so good or bad, ultimately we are responsible for them.

 

[Patman]

It sounds like you've been doing this for a while, and obviously it is not causing a problem, so just keep doing it. I've been in the habit of rounding up when I fill my vehicles with fresh oil too, and it has never caused a problem.

 

[Subdued]

My little 1nzfe wants 3.9 qt. I add 4qt like a boss.

livin on the edge.

 

[Jay1981]

My Caravan owners manual calls for 4.5qts, but 5qts puts it right on the full line.

 

[Sonataman]

My Sonata takes a measured 4.5 L to get it to the full line.

 

[Hyde244]

Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: Hyde244
It read about a quart of an inch over the max line, on the A of Max.

At present, I have a Motorcraft 400, which is slightly longer than the OEM 910.

I have checked the oil when hot after having turned corners, and cannot find evidence on the dipstick of oil aeration/frothing.


I am assuming that you are putting a Motorcraft FL-400S in place of a Motorcraft FL-910S?

If yes, why would you put the wrong filter on your car? The FL-400S media is only 0.75" longer.

Is this something Ford says is OK?
It is a simple experiment with an oversized filter on the Focus. The filter is longer, but still remains shorter than the vehicle frame.

Of course it isn't something OKed by Ford - neither is putting 5 quarts of oil in the engine.

Originally Posted By: Patman
It sounds like you've been doing this for a while, and obviously it is not causing a problem, so just keep doing it. I've been in the habit of rounding up when I fill my vehicles with fresh oil too, and it has never caused a problem.
This is my 3rd OCI with 5 quarts of oil. In total, I have driven around 12,000 miles with 5 quarts in the engine without fault. This has included driving from California to New Hampshire, with plenty of twisty, mountain roads in between.

Would it be worth checking the PCV to see how it has held up? I was planning on doing a normal schedule change of it once I hit 90,000 miles.

While the thought of keeping an excess .5 quarts of oil around sounds taxing in terms of taking up space, a possible compromise could maybe be using some of the oil as a flush during an OCI, let's say .3 quarts, and using the remainder 4.7 quarts as the fill.

 

[ThirdeYe]

In the 2003 Malibu that I maintain, it calls for 4.6 quarts. I've been putting in 5 quarts for years and the engine still runs strong at over 130,000 miles. The UOA I had done it came back fine as well. I wouldn't worry too much unless it's 1 quart overfilled, or more. We do use an oversized oil filter for the vehicle sometimes to help offset the increased amount of oil.

 

[uart]

I put in what ever it takes to fill to the top mark on the dipstick and am quite happy to have some left overs.

I guess I'm the complete opposite of the OP. I loath to *not* have a spare half liter or two kicking around, for top offs or general workshop lube or the mower or whatever. I hate having to crack open a fresh jug of oil for that stuff.

 

[default]

Those specs are rough estimations at best, go by the dipstick, more than 1/4 qt over the full mark and you might want to do something about it.

 

[fdcg27]

I put five quarts in our '99 Accord, '97 Aerostar, '95 318i and '09 Forester for years. All of these call for 4.5 quarts with filter, save the BMW, which calls for 4.7 quarts (4.5 liters).
No problems at all.
I also dislike having a half a quart left in a jug or the odd half quart left over, so I just dump the whole five quarts in.
Overfilling by 1/9th, which is what you're doing, is perfectly safe with any engine I've had.

 

[fdcg27]

You were gone for some time.
I thought you'd dropped off the roles.
Good to see you back.

 

[TechnoLoGs]

I think it makes it a little bit overfull on dipstick but isnt horrible, IMHO.

Always did do the "round up" unless I knew for sure what my vehicle did or did not like.