Dipstick vs. Owner's Manual

[Ed Island]

About a year ago I found a large, rectangular pan (2 ft x 4 ft x 3/4 in. high) at Walmart auto dept. Nice, galvanized. Reasonable price. I like it a lot. They probably still sell them.

 

[tmorris1]

My 97 F-150 5.4L says to add 6 Qts which puts it in the middle of the crosshatch area (1/2 quart low). Dealer says that is where it should be and to leave it there. I don't have any comsumption problems so I leave it at 6 quarts of M1 5W30 with Motorcraft filter. This has been a great truck so far at 72,000 miles.

 

[Whimsey]

quote:

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Originally posted by mikep:

quote:

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Originally posted by dustyjoe1:
hmmm glad I ran into this thread...both my ford trucks, 4.2 and 5.4 litre, come up short on the dipstick with the manual required six quarts. I add another half quart and it brings me half way up on the stick and that is where I've been running it...total of 6.5 qts with oil filter change...please correct me if I'm wrong.

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Ditto for my 4.6 ltr F-Series. I go by what the dipstick says. 6.5 qts puts it about 1/2 way to the top of the cross-hatch area.

Whimsey...could it be that my sump is bigger than your sump? LOL Hmmm, sump envy?

Mikep

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Hey! Size doesn't count, it's how you use it

. Other than the model year difference you have an auto tranny and I have a manual tranny. I know the sump for the auto tranny is about 1/2 quart larger. But that still doesn't account for the dip stick readings being so different. I guess it's one of life's great mysteries

.
Whimsey

 

[labman]

Would it be possible the dipsticks put the wrong dipsticks in?

 

[Whimsey]

quote:

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Originally posted by labman:
Would it be possible the dipsticks put the wrong dipsticks in?

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Interesting point. I would not be surprised if that is the case. I'll have to compare dipsticks with Mikep. Hey! get you minds out of the gutter

! Since we have the same engine with different tranny's and we read so differnt on the dip stick for owner's manual fill capacity, it will be interesting to see if the dip sticks are the same or different.

Whimsey