Oil quantity, Ford Godzilla V8

[bigjohn]

Yesterday morning, after the E350 sitting all night, I drained the oil, dropped the oil filter. TIghtened the plug, spun on the new filter and poured in two..... one gallon jugs of motor oil.... 8 quarts. I ran the rig for about 100 miles, pulled over and checked the oil level and it is barely hitting the very bottom of the dip stick.

Should I be concerned????

Manual says I need 8 quarts with a filter change.

........

 

[tah8436]

How many minutes did you let it sit with the engine off before checking the oil? And are you certain it was a pretty level surface you were on?

 

[Tman220]

You didn't check the oil after the oil change?

My 21 silverado 5.3 calls for "8 quarts" with a filter change as well but the reality is that if I let it drain for an hour it will often take 8.5 quarts and maybe even a tad more to reach the full line so I wouldn't be too surprised if other vehicles were similar. sometimes draining for longer will empty the oil pump and pickup tube, perhaps an oil cooler as well, all of which isn't factored into the typical oil drop and refill you get at an oil change shop

 

[JayhawkRoy]

If you are confident in your dipstick reading, add an additional half quart and move on. Mistakes and inaccuracies happen.

 

[Astro14]

My Tundra has a nominal 8.0 quart capacity. If I let it drain for a long time, it takes 8.5 to bring it to the top of the line.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Concerned no, but I would add an extra 1/2 quart to satisfy my OCD.

Many people think when they drain an engine its empty, but not true. The change spec and rebuild spec can be different by quite a bit. My Nissan 4.0L rebuild spec is more than 1 quart over the oil change spec.

 

[TheOilWizard]

Lesson learned: check the dipstick after an oil change.

You definitely want it on the safe range of the dip stick. The capacities in the manual are to give you an idea how much oil is needed. But the actual amount varies.

 

[QwikKota]

Who makes 4 quart jugs? Most of the ones I buy are 5 quarts.

 

[QwikKota]

Lesson learned: check the dipstick after an oil change.

You definitely want it on the safe range of the dip stick. The capacities in the manual are to give you an idea how much oil is needed. But the actual amount varies.

You're saying the people who designed the engine are wrong on the amount of oil to put in?

For my Ram the dipstick is way off compared to the manual's guidance. I marked my dipstick with a scribe after putting in the proper amount.

 

[Speedy3861]

Who makes 4 quart jugs? Most of the ones I buy are 5 quarts.

Amsoil does, gallons, quarts and half quarts
And 55 gallon drums........

 

[TheOilWizard]

You're saying the people who designed the engine are wrong on the amount of oil to put in?

For my Ram the dipstick is way off compared to the manual's guidance. I marked my dipstick with a scribe after putting in the proper amount.

I wouldn't say they were wrong. but there's too many variables for them to provide a super accurate capacity for normal maintenance. For example, how long you let it drain, slight incline/declines, etc. In the owner's manuals I have from Ford and Nissan, they generally say "for approximation purposes" and "use dipstick to determine proper level" or similar under the capacity specifications section.

 

[QwikKota]

Amsoil does, gallons, quarts and half quarts
And 55 gallon drums........

Thanks. 2 of my vehicles call for exactly 5 quarts so that would be a hassle.

 

[QwikKota]

I wouldn't say they were wrong. but there's too many variables for them to provide a super accurate capacity for normal maintenance. For example, how long you let it drain, etc. In the owner's manuals I have from Ford and Nissan, they generally say "for approximation purposes" and "use dipstick to determine proper level" or similar under the capacity specifications section.

A small amount in the pan should not make much difference unless it has a trapped area or something similar. If I were to use the dipstick hash mark on my Ram the pan would be underfilled by quite a bit. I would think the dipstick manufacturer's quality control would vary widely compared to the engine itself.

 

[TheOilWizard]

A small amount in the pan should not make much difference unless it has a trapped area or something similar. If I were to use the dipstick hash mark on my Ram the pan would be underfilled by quite a bit. I would think the dipstick manufacturer's quality control would vary widely compared to the engine itself.

Agree to disagree. An age old debate here.

From my manual "Approximate dry fill capacity. Actual amount may vary during fluid changes."

 

[D60]

I pretty much always shoot for near top of dipstick zone. If it's not foaming or causing problems, I'd rather be slightly "overfilled" than the other way. This is especially true for clients who never open their hood.

 

[D60]

Also, could anyone ever argue with a straight face that any mekanik was negligent or irresponsible by following the dipstick? That's why it's there.

Say someone pulls in with unk mileage on the oil and just wants you to check the level. You're not starting from scratch -- you're just adding to existing oil. What are you to do? Use the dipstick, presumably.

obviously we're excepting vehicles which have no dipstick and simply tell you oil level on the dash or via other means