Getting More Old Oil Out When Doing a Change

My engine retains about 1.5 quarts of old oil when doing a change. That's a pretty big percentage in relation to the total capacity. I'd like to get more of the old oil out when making a change.

My thought was to add some extra, clean oil to the engine just before making the change. I have a quart of M1 that I won't be using in this engine, so I thought of adding it to the crankcase prior to making the change, running the engine a short distance (from home to the shop that's doing the work, just a few miles) and then draining the engine.

Would that dilute the oil so that there's less old oil remaining in the crankcase, and give me more fresh oil, by percentage, when doing the change? Thoughts?
Don’t put in a quart over and run the engine -
If this bugs you enough - pour a quart through with the plug out after the dirty oil is drained.
Many folks here change oil at 5K with the same oil good for 10K … so matters little at all
 
Draining the oil on jack stands almost always results in more oil drained. Usually it is a 1/8-1/4 qt difference.
 
Oil Capacity 2AR-FE Engine

Drain and refill with oil filter change
4.4 liters (4.6 US qts, 3.9 Imp. qts)

Drain and refill without oil filter change
4.0 liters (4.2 US qts, 3.5 Imp. qts)

Dry fill
5.7 liters (6.0 US qts, 5.0 Imp. Qts)

I'm draining from below, with new filter.



1.4 Quarts remain in engine
Where is this 1.4 quarts hiding out @ ?
 
I prefer cold. All the oil is in the pan and I don't get burned getting to the dang filter.
But the MityVac prefers hot...
I prefer starting it for 15 seconds after in a.m. before changing.
This gives me oi on all parts so with my new filter oil takes a few seconds to get pumping I have some protection
 
As usual, @Cujet is spot on. 5K OCIs rock!
In April 2020 I picked up a 1 owner 2013 Civic LX for my grandniece Tatiana who is in the Marine Corps, currently stationed in Camp Pendleton, which is a flat out gorgeous place if you have never been there. She was in Kuwait before that.

Anyways, that Civic was Honda and Quickie Lube serviced since new, using the MM. I got the car with 80K. I serviced it at 5K intervales with everything from M1 to Kirkland 0w20. The oil generally came out pretty dark.
I just serviced it on the 26th; she was at 8K and 10% MM. "Uncle Jeff my car is waaaaay over due for an oil change!" Tati knew I would rag on her...
The Kirkland 0w20 came out just a shade darker then it went in. I drove that little Honda, dang engine runs as smooth as our Tesla. I swear it has just gotten better.

View attachment 82642
Not surprised. We been buying and driving Hondas in my family , sons , cousins , nieces nephews for years. Since the 1980s and no one has had any need for major repair. A nephew races them. They just satisfied our needs so much we never even looked at anything else since our first one.
They just keep going and going ......... Just about all auto brands quality have improved so much since the 90s.
 
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Not surprised. We been buying and driving Hondas in my family , sons , cousins , nieces nephews for years. Since the 1980s and no one has had any need for major repair. A nephew races them. They just satisfied our needs so much we never even looked at anything else since our first one.
They just keep going and going ......... Just about all auto brands quality have improved so much since the 90s.
Owned 5 Hondas and had nothing but good experiences. Mother in law had exactly one and hated it. Said never again; it gave her nothing but problems. She ain’t a stickler for maintenance and drives like a banshee. So there’s that.
 
dry fill is for when it taken apart, all internals cleaned and then reassembled similar when it is first put together at the factory.

Like the petrol that is always left in the tank.

oil change quantities is real life situation as it is impossible to get all the oil out unless in the above situation and is taken into consideration by oil & car manufacturers.

So personally I would not concern myself if the refill quantity I put in is in line with the owner's manual.
 
Sweet baby Jesus! Get that filth out of that Yoda, ASAP! Alright, here’s whatcha gotta do... Knockout about 5 or 6 drain/fills with 0w20. Whatever you can find will have to suffice.These are perilous times and this is a perilous situation. Save the used flushing oil in the original containers. Don’t get rid of it; I’ll be messaging you my address shortly. Ship me that wretched poison for proper disposal posthaste.
 
Remember those videos of the guy who ran Simple Green or some such through his engine?
Or the people from Finland who got a junker running then swapped the oil for Coco-Cola? It fizzed.
The OP might need to use Zep Floor Stripper as a post drain flush....or the time honored 'crankcase full of kerosene' and let it just idle.
 
I know how I do it on an old car or motorcycle. Just pull the plugs or disconnect the ignition system then crank the engine on the starter for a few seconds. Must be much more complicated to prevent a modern engine firing up when cranked so I've never tried it.

For what it's worth I find using an oil extractor gets more oil out than using the drain plug. That doesn't make sense but I've measured it and found that to be the case.
While my experience with an oil extractor is the same (gets the oil below the drain plug, which isn’t always at the bottom) there is no way I would crank the engine with no oil in the sump.
 
Oil Capacity 2AR-FE Engine

Drain and refill with oil filter change
4.4 liters (4.6 US qts, 3.9 Imp. qts)

Drain and refill without oil filter change
4.0 liters (4.2 US qts, 3.5 Imp. qts)

Dry fill
5.7 liters (6.0 US qts, 5.0 Imp. Qts)

I'm draining from below, with new filter.



1.4 Quarts remain in engine
I have NEVER had this happen and I have owned many different of car and engine combinations.

Something is not correct.

I may have missed the post but are you usings ramps? That can be an issue. Maybe the engine was low on oil.

I jack up one side of the car, with a floor jack with the vehicle parked it in my drive way ( which is NOT flat) to aid the drain process a bit.

So If the drain plug is on the rear of the pan, the car is positioned with that facing DOWNHILL just a tad.
Lower the jack to facilitate draining after removing the drain plug and filter.

1) NEVER start and move the car into position with COLD engine before draining

2) Run the car to get it up to or near operating temp, then let it cool for ~ 1/2 hour
many time I will plan an errand trip then the perform the OC after the errand has been run.

3) Drain the oil hot to warm in to the drain pan

note - a) It is NOT necessary to remove the oil cap or pull the dipstick to facilitate draining. The Crankcase is open to the airbox
through the PCV air inlet hose.

note - b) check the oil level BEFORE draining and measure the qty of oil drained. by pouring the drain pan into the
oil jug you just refilled the sump with.

I hope this helps - Ken
 
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My engine retains about 1.5 quarts of old oil when doing a change. That's a pretty big percentage in relation to the total capacity. I'd like to get more of the old oil out when making a change.

My thought was to add some extra, clean oil to the engine just before making the change. I have a quart of M1 that I won't be using in this engine, so I thought of adding it to the crankcase prior to making the change, running the engine a short distance (from home to the shop that's doing the work, just a few miles) and then draining the engine.

Would that dilute the oil so that there's less old oil remaining in the crankcase, and give me more fresh oil, by percentage, when doing the change? Thoughts?
It'll never work because you don't know where in the engine the remaining oil is held. Pouring a quart into the engine just sends it straight down and out of the sump. Perhaps you get some residual oil but that could either be a lot to almost nothing
 
It'll never work because you don't know where in the engine the remaining oil is held. Pouring a quart into the engine just sends it straight down and out of the sump. Perhaps you get some residual oil but that could either be a lot to almost nothing
Yep - out of curiosity, I've tried it. Most of that fresh quart just pours out of the drain plug, bringing just a bit of oil that had puddled in the crankcase. But not much of the old oil, just a bit. Not worth the effort.

The trapped oil is all over, in galleries, the pump, pump pick-up, part of the heads where it puddles, who knows.

But the path between oil fill cap and drain plug is relatively short, and relatively free of trapped/old oil.
 
Yep - out of curiosity, I've tried it. Most of that fresh quart just pours out of the drain plug, bringing just a bit of oil that had puddled in the crankcase. But not much of the old oil, just a bit. Not worth the effort.

The trapped oil is all over, in galleries, the pump, pump pick-up, part of the heads where it puddles, who knows.

But the path between oil fill cap and drain plug is relatively short, and relatively free of trapped/old oil.
Wouldn't everyone think this "left behind oil" is a simple characteristic of the internal combustion engine where oil flow must pass thru all sorts of nooks and crannies to do its job? :unsure:Never heard of that remaining oil discussed much or posed as a problem. I CAN understand and "get it" if I have a vehicle and I know I put 4-5 qts of oil in and when I change it I only get 3 or ? out and clearly know it all is not drained. BUT would I not need to make a point to verify my oil level is constant and not burning before changing it out? Also - speak with the dealership or even seek out information from the manufacturers? This subject for some reason brings to mind the old story of why there are no drain plugs installed on transmission / transaxle pans. :)
 
Wouldn't everyone think this "left behind oil" is a simple characteristic of the internal combustion engine where oil flow must pass thru all sorts of nooks and crannies to do its job? :unsure:Never heard of that remaining oil discussed much or posed as a problem. I CAN understand and "get it" if I have a vehicle and I know I put 4-5 qts of oil in and when I change it I only get 3 or ? out and clearly know it all is not drained. BUT would I not need to make a point to verify my oil level is constant and not burning before changing it out? Also - speak with the dealership or even seek out information from the manufacturers? This subject for some reason brings to mind the old story of why there are no drain plugs installed on transmission / transaxle pans. :)
I think you missed my point…I know where it is.

Just wanted to see what would happen. I was describing the result for those who haven’t tried it.

Further, I don’t know what cars you own, but all of mine have transmission drain plugs. Every single one.

Differential drain plugs, too. And a drain plug on the transfer case.

So, to what “old story” are you referring?
 
I think you missed my point…I know where it is.

Further, I don’t know what cars you own, but all of mine have transmission drain plugs. Every single one.

Differential drain plugs, too. And a drain plug on the transfer case.

So, to what “old story” are you referring?
🙇‍♂️Probably just my clumbsiness with my comment coming across in the wrong, rash sounding words. No harm meant. 🙌 I don't sleep a lot.

Simply meant that your problem is not a common one. Failed to ask what vehicle (I am also gonna guess you said it and I missed it) as I am sure you do not experience this with all your cars (I hope). I also would be concerened if I did not get a lot of the oil out I know I put in my car. This is what sounds like you are experiencing. I have the exact oposite happening. I am getting more out than I put in. Granted I will not be surprised if you say you can not get help or a straight answer from anyone. This happens at times. It is frustrating.

So has anyone been able to help you out or give you a reason for what you are experiencing? Dealership or a mechanic you trust? I know its agravating when you can get NO help/answers. I am kind of there now myself. ☮️

Ok- the old story about why MOST vehicles do not have transmission drain plugs. Well a couple of them I recall.
Not my words:
Actually, they stopped putting in drain plugs on trannies back in the 70's because people and shops were just draining and refilling them without replacing the filter. By omitting the drain plug, this forces them to replace the filter. Thing is, you don't need to change the filter nearly as often as you should change the fluid.
My words read way back....
Auto lore is that in the early days some guys would drain the oil thinking they were draining the transmission fluid and then fill er back up and you would run off with zero motor oil.

Why don't all transmissions come with a drain plug ...

gmtnation.com/forums/threads/why-dont-all-transmissions-come-with-a-drain-plug.…
 
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