Oil Change - Hot or Cold and Oil Level Check - Hot or Cold?

Seriously? I salute you...

Seriously. I'm aware that's more than necessary, but cheap oil is, wait for it - cheap.
The drain plug isn't sitting at the lowest spot of the Mini R56 N16 engine oil pan.
Even the GTI's EA888 3G shows a delta of about one quart between total oil fill and
oil change quantity (5.7 l vs 6.6 l total). As a conclusion some flushing seems relevant
as it'll flush at least some of the remaining dirty oil out, perhaps half a quart/liter or
so. I wouldn't go that far and recommend this approach to the public though. Just
wanted to let you know my reasoning.

@NitroM3: Is this a B48 engine?

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Seriously. I'm aware that's more than necessary, but cheap oil is, wait for it - cheap.
The drain plug isn't sitting at the lowest spot of the Mini R56 N16 engine oil pan.
Even the GTI's EA888 3G shows a delta of about one quart between total oil fill and
oil change quantity (5.7 l vs 6.6 l total). As a conclusion some flushing seems relevant
as it'll flush at least some of the remaining dirty oil out, perhaps half a quart/liter or
so. I wouldn't go that far and recommend this approach to the public though. Just
wanted to let you know my reasoning.

@NitroM3: Is this a B48 engine?
Here is a tip I do... I say I do I am NOT suggesting anyone else to do it!
No matter how long you let a pan drip even to the pint that nothing is coming out there is always a residue that collects at the bottom of a pan. Not necessarily on performance used engine but work and daily drivers. The pan drain plug bung tend to also create a bowl for some old oil to remain. Soooooo speaking of cheap.... a small can of WD-40 and that famous little red spray tube will eliminate all the residue and old oil. You simply spray up into the drain pig until the WD40 comes out clean. WD-40 that remain will NOT in anyway harm anything in a gasoline internal combustion engine. PEROIOD!

Mine are 2002, and 2009 MCS N14B16A Engine and the 02 is 2.0
 
You forgot to mention the capitalization and punctuation as well...

but dipstick vs. dip stick is more understandable than then vs. then...although, not as bad as brakes vs. breaks...

While we are giving out info...

How do you use then and than?
The way to keep the pair straight is to focus on this basic difference: than is used when you're talking about comparisons; then is used when you're talking about something relating to time. Than is the word to choose in phrases like smaller than, smoother than, and further than.
18 years "HEAR" and we NOW get a NOOB GRAMMAR ENGINEER..........I guess that's the "BRAKES." :rolleyes:
Anyway, my 4.2 V6 has always read below the full line when cold. I'm going to do as Z06 stated in a reply, check the oil about 5-10 minutes after running the engine and see if the dipstick reads full.
 
#1 - neither...warm. As for me, I'll change it first thing in the morning and just give it extra time to drain out...beats getting burned.

#2- No, the manufacturer probably has taken that into account. Plus, the capacity stated in the owner's manual...I find to be low...I always have to add about 1/2 quart over the stated capacity to get to the top mark on the dip stick...even sitting for a long while.

#3- what??? If it did, I don't believe its a significant amount of expansion. In fact, I find that the oil level reads a little lower after driving because some of the oil hasn't settled into the pan. Hence, many will state that you need to let the vehicle sit for several minutes before reading the oil level.

Don't get so hung up on it...it is a relative reading not an absolute. How do you know your vehicle is sitting 'perfectly level' when you check it?
Stated capacity does not include filter, if practical, fill filter before installing, engine will develop oil pressure faster
 
R53 2.0? Guess you swapped both crankshaft and pistons?

I'm sure spraying some WD-40 into the pan won't help in case of the N12 - N18 engines at all.
This is the oil pan with a raised drain plug thread:

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As you can see some of the old oil will inevitably remain in the pan. Oil remaining in the cylinder head, oil cooler and elsewhere comes in addition.

The GTI's EA888 3G oil glassfibre reinforced nylon pan is shaped more nicely. The drain plug is actually sitting at the lowest spot:

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1075169_x800.webp


Despite that, there's still the difference of approximately one quart between total fill and
oil change quantity (5.7 l vs 6.6 l total). Spraying WD-40 into the drain hole won't help,
but flushing with some fresh oil from top likely will.

.
 
18 years "HEAR" and we NOW get a NOOB GRAMMAR ENGINEER..........I guess that's the "BRAKES." :rolleyes:
Anyway, my 4.2 V6 has always read below the full line when cold. I'm going to do as Z06 stated in a reply, check the oil about 5-10 minutes after running the engine and see if the dipstick reads full.
Do what you want to do, but why would you criticize for something so insignificant? By filling the oil to the max line...is that going to end the world, make Republicans and Democrats come together and sing Kumbaya...dog and cats living together? You seem to have a problem with what I do to MY vehicles without knowing the rhyme or reason...oil leaking or burning or sleep well at night.

It is not like I'm putting in 10w40 in a vehicle spec'd for 0w20 (uh oh, here we go...)

Don't get me wrong, I know overfilling can have detrimental affects...er, effects...bah. I take great care not to do that.

You can actually gain HP by putting less than recommended...there was an episode of Engine Power on MotorTrend TV about this.
 
Stated capacity does not include filter, if practical, fill filter before installing, engine will develop oil pressure faster
I've never seen that before...

I've always seen the capacity stated as 'Engine oil with filter'...but even with that, it may still read below the max line. On the Toyota I have, it states both with and without capacities...about 1/2 quart difference.

One thing to note...not all oil filters are the same which might affect your oil level somewhat. For example, if you look at the OEM filter for a 4th gen 4Runner and compare it to a Mobil 1 oil filter listed for this vehicle...the Mobil 1 filter is about an inch shorter. I've had vehicles where the aftermarket filter was slightly bigger than the OEM (Jeep XJ 4.0L).
 
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I come by about every 3-6 months to see what is the hot topic. Hot oil may not be the hottest but it is interesting. We've got a 2013 Tundra and a 2017 Avalon. At 79 years old I don't crawl under vehicles any more. I take it back to the dealer, which is about a 20 mile drive one way. As with many dealers they don't let customers in the shop but do have a window where you can observe. I'm sure that the lowest mechanic on the seniority list has to use the bay in front of the window. I've also noticed that it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes after I arrive at appointment time to bring the vehicle into the shop. Oil has had time to drain down. Does driving from the parking lot into the shop negate the drain down?

Neither vehicle gets 10K miles a year any more and right now it is doubtful that either will ever be replaced. We normally don't replace a vehicle until it reaches 100K+ miles. If we replace the car, it will only be because one of the grandchildren needs a car.
 
Checking: hot or cold doesn’t matter as long as you are consistent (assuming you mean checking for oil consumption, etc)

OIL CHANGE - cold or run briefly so I don’t burn my hands on hot oil. Doesn’t really matter though.
 
I've never seen that before...

I've always seen the capacity stated as 'Engine oil with filter'...but even with that, it may still read below the max line. On the Toyota I have, it states both with and without capacities...about 1/2 quart difference.

One thing to note...no all oil filters are the same which might affect your oil level somewhat. For example, if you look at the OEM filter for a 4th gen 4Runner and compare it to a Mobil 1 oil filter listed for this vehicle...the Mobil 1 filter is about an inch shorter. I've had vehicles where the aftermarket filter was slightly bigger than the OEM (Jeep XJ 4.0L).

The counterpoint is that the oil you add to the filter will hit the engine unfiltered. Of course we want to believe that freshly bottled oil is completely pure, but VOAs frequently show some contaminants and, if you’re using bits of leftover oil, there could be more still. Likely doesn’t matter much either way.
 
Do what you want to do, but why would you criticize for something so insignificant? By filling the oil to the max line...is that going to end the world, make Republicans and Democrats come together and sing Kumbaya...dog and cats living together? You seem to have a problem with what I do to MY vehicles without knowing the rhyme or reason...oil leaking or burning or sleep well at night.

It is not like I'm putting in 10w40 in a vehicle spec'd for 0w20 (uh oh, here we go...)

Don't get me wrong, I know overfilling can have detrimental affects...er, effects...bah. I take great care not to do that.

You can actually gain HP by putting less than recommended...there was an episode of Engine Power on MotorTrend TV about this.
I'm going to give you some friendly advice, don't mention politics or religion in your posts. That's a very easy way of getting a vacation from the MODS here. ;)
 
Some manuals will list the oil change capacity with and without the oil filter. The amount of oil that drains when the filter is removed is typically more than just the capacity of the filter because some of the oil in the galleries above the filter will also drain out - and how much depends on the specific engine. If someone up-sized the filter then it will take a few more ounces to get back to the same oil level.

So with all the factors involved that could affect the oil level, it still boils down to where the oil level is on the dipstick ... there's a reason the dipstick was invented. 😄
 
I've also noticed that it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes after I arrive at appointment time to bring the vehicle into the shop. Oil has had time to drain down. Does driving from the parking lot into the shop negate the drain down?
Yes
 
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