Ford can't figure out 2.7L Bronco oil capacity

The SVT Cobra forums was convinced Ford was a quart low on all the 4.6 DOHC engines. Alot of us ran 7qts. Too many spun bearings on the 6 quart recommendation and dipsticks didn't show full with 6 quarts.
 
A lot of times this comes from converting from liters to quarts (but doesn't appear to be the case here).

Thing is, a number like 6.2 is probably the specific volume for the oil pan but anything from 6 to 6.5 quarts is perfectly okay and they know that's what owners, shops, etc will do.

I get that but we in 'Murica, we don't use liters, we use quarts.
 
My fault, I meant if they can put in the old capacity (7.5 dry, 7 for drain/fill). I don't see an issue with doing the same. More proof to me that the oil pan is sized for 7 quart capacity but they don't want to actually fix the dipstick problem. My concern was thinking that all these engines had been overfilled this whole time. Also, the problem with a 1 quart variance in fill capacity is that if you burn/lose some are you one quart low or two quarts low? 14-16% is a large variance to say it's close enough when there is a team of engineers working on these designs.
Better under than over here for highway use vs. all attitude.
Foam is a bearing killer though I would assume Ford engineered extensive baffling and windage control.
 
I scanned the thread and didn't see anyone mention the JL but it was similar: the JL 3.6 takes 5. Apparently basically every JK took 6. Dealers were routinely filling with 6 because they were so conditioned from so many years of JK's

There were guys custom printing tags to attach at the filler cap stating "5 quarts per manual".

Since I change my own oil I never cared, but it is nice just grabbing a single 5 qt jug and being done.....first world problems I guess
 
We need to measure the OD of a 2.7L oil pan and figure out where the quarts stack up. does the oil level typically stay below the gasket?
 
You may or may not find this interesting. The whole Bronco launch has been such a fiasco you would think something as simple as the oil capacity would be a non-issue. Luckily my truck has been great but I wanted to share the journey that is the mysterious oil capacity of my engine.

TL;DR version: Ford says 7qt, dipstick shows overfull. Instead of revising dipstick they say 6qts is fine. Still fills new engines with 7.5qt at factory.

We start pre-production when people are dying for any tidbit of information on the highly anticipated new model that they put deposits down to reserve.
Angles That Will Make You Pucker
With a long list of additional off-road standards being added to the engineering requirements, one challenge that surfaced was keeping both the 2.3L and 2.7L engines properly lubricated in aggressive terrain. John Kilby, Engine Systems Engineer at Ford, told Bronco Nation that the rear oil sumps were upgraded, and the oil pans enlarged to deliver adequate pressure at a 45 degree downhill angle and a 30 degree side slope –– not bad. The larger pans mean the Bronco will hold seven quarts of oil (the Ranger uses six). This will ensure Bronco engines maintain standards under the demands of off-roading.


Fast forward to official specs coming out. The 2.3L only holds 6.2 quarts but the 2.7L remains at 7.

View attachment 110794



Now production and deliveries have begun. 2.7L owners are confused how much oil to drain and fill. From the factory the dipsticks are filled well above the "maximum" line on the dipstick. The manual says to use 7 quarts but also never exceed the maximum mark on the dipstick. This is impossible to do because 7 quarts fills well above the mark. There is some thought that owners are not following the oil drain steps correctly and oil is being retained in the engine. Eventually a dealer reaches out to a field service engineer at Ford who confirms 7qts is the correct capacity and there is no issue with filling the engine with 7 quarts.

So now owners are using 7 quarts but the dipstick still reads incorrect. A few weeks ago a new/revised part number pops up for 2.7L dipstick. The story is that during covid remote/work-from-home engineering the wrong stick was used. My dealer orders some and swaps them out under warranty. Ford calls back the parts which is somewhat unusual according to the him. The new stick reads correctly and everyone is happy, right? Now Ford needs to send 40,000 dipsticks out to all the 2.7L owners to make the oil level read correctly.
View attachment 110795


All was seemingly fine until about 7-10 days ago when an owner had his oil changed at the dealer. They used 6qts which the customer questioned. A lot of dealers are used to changing F150 2.7s which take 6. They assume the Bronco is the same. The dealer shows him the service manual which is the bible they are to follow. It now suddenly shows 6 quart capacity. A few days later the online owners manual updates with the same. A dealer employee says to wait until a special service bulletin is issued to make sure it's not a mistake. Sure enough they release one yesterday.


View attachment 110797

Notice they say drain and fill is 6qts, but they still fill a dry engine with 7.5. Also using 7qts will not damage the engine.

Since I have the revised dipstick I used 7 quarts last night when changing my oil. 6qts would show low. I don't think any of this is related to the 2.7L engine failures the NHTSA is investigating but it certainly doesn't inspire confidence that they can't even stay consistent on how much oil the pan holds.

If the factory can use 7.5qts why can't I? More oil in the sump is a good thing right? What would you guys do? Am I making a big deal out of nothing or is this ridiculous as it seems to me?
If refill is 7qt but empty fill is 7.5qt, I would suspect the remaining is in oil cooler lines or other lines. I would just put 7 in and see where it falls on dipstick and go from there.
 
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