question about oil change and capacity on my Bonneville??

[miked]

Hey guys, I'm new to the board. I have a 03 Bonneville with the 3.8. My owners manual says 4.5 quarts to fill. When I put 4.5 in, it puts my dipstick at about midaway. It takes almost 5 quarts for it to reach the full mark. What should I do? Go by the dipstick reading or just put in 4.5 quarts?

 

[Mike_dup1]

Here;s what it says in my GM owners manual (05 CTS).

quote:

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All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this manual. Recheck fluid level after filling.

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So go by the dipstick. You might want to check is cold to see if you get a different reading then warm.

 

[miked]

Same reading cold. I'm just afraid of overfilling it.

 

[Pluto5]

Have the same engine. I don't think you can overfill by adding a half a quart. Mine seems quieter at startup with the extra oil. Most lube places seem to put in the whole 5 qts.

 

[kingrob]

Stick with 5 quarts. I have two of these motors and both of them take almost five qts (I'd say more like 4 and 3/4) despite what the manual says.

BTW are you running the 3387 filter on it? On one car I can fit the longer 3980 and fit a full five quarts in it. The other one I can only fit the 3387 and not quite five quarts.

 

[miked]

quote:

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Originally posted by kingrob:
Stick with 5 quarts. I have two of these motors and both of them take almost five qts (I'd say more like 4 and 3/4) despite what the manual says.

BTW are you running the 3387 filter on it? On one car I can fit the longer 3980 and fit a full five quarts in it. The other one I can only fit the 3387 and not quite five quarts.

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Nah, I'm running the stock filter size.

 

[T-Keith]

Go by the dipstick. When they switched to the aluminum pan the capacity went up to 5 quarts. The owners manual is wrong in this case.

-T

 

[miked]

quote:

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Originally posted by T-Keith:
Go by the dipstick. When they switched to the aluminum pan the capacity went up to 5 quarts. The owners manual is wrong in this case.

-T

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Really!! This is the first I've heard this. Very interesting. How do you know this? You have a Bonneville. Just curious.

 

[T-Keith]

I've changed oil in quite a few 3800s.

The change is in some newer manuals, but it seems they didn't get it changed right away. BTW this would be on the H-body 3800s only. I believe the aluminum pan W-bodies still take 4.5 quarts.

 

[Schmoe]

My 3.3 takes 4.75 quarts, filter included. I normally put 5 in. It goes over the "full" mark on the dipstick, but those things are accurate nor precise. Haven't had any issues as far as frothing or bubbling go, and this is a 1990 model and I'm the original owner.

 

[H2GURU]

I've got this 3.8 and 4.5 QTS should get you to full mark. If you drove it around and checked it a day later, let it sit for a while it will probably be right at full.