Oil quantity issues

M1ck3y · December 19, 2021

32 minutes ago, elcamino said:

It takes 6 qts, you put in 6 qts. Why do you want to add more? That's nuts. Reminds me of someone I know that claimed the same problem, it showed a 1/2 qt low (he said) after he did the oil change so he topped it off. Next day he checks the oil and its showing overfull by a small amount. I know this because he kept bugging me about it because I more or less convinced him to buy the vehicle after he asked my opinion. Since then he is nit-picking finding faults with the vehicle that are not really faults, he is just compulsive and is checking the oil more times in a week than I do in 5 yrs. Some oil is always going to cling to interior engine parts (ever more so with synthetics) so of the 6 qts some its not all draining back and you are over thinking it. Sorry if that offends buy but it had to said. Put in 6 qts and drive it.

He's a perfectionist. It'll drive him nuts knowing that something isn't exactly the way it's supposed to be. More so if he has the power change it.

KARNUT · December 19, 2021

I got on that merry go round on the last trip with the CRV. I check the oil before I left. I should have just left it alone. But noooo, I checked every day. Even turned it around at the father in law’s driveway. Guess what? It read different every time. Even showed down a qt once. If I had a qt I’d would have put it in. I get home the next day check it. Exactly the same as before I left 3K miles later. Funny thing I know if it’s going to burn oil I’d smell it, leak I’ll see it.

Edited December 19, 2021 by KARNUT

diyer2 · December 19, 2021

Let it sit overnight then check it.

Grumpy Bear · December 19, 2021

I use to take mine to the shop and let them do the change and once in awhile next day I'd get a reading like that, or worse.

So... I started asking for my bottles back and guess what? Taking my time on the bench I'd get 1-1/2 to 2 ounces per bottle in a Mason jar. 10 to 12 ounces total. Happens when one gets in a hurry, the oil is cool and you have money to make. DYI guys do this too. Just a thought. Patients.....

Different brands of filter can vary 3 or 4 ounces.

The oil above the full line happens when you repeatedly check dragging oil up the tube. That bullet they use now is almost the size of the tube. Give it more time between checks. Patients....

Some books show as much as 20 minutes for drain down. Patients....

My stick never showed full on the level until I leveled the truck.... Everything about these trucks is set up for fully loaded. That will make about a 3* difference and that will make about a 4 ounce difference. About what your stick shows.

Did you know that running them overfull will force them to use oil?

I just noticed that the stick in my 2015 is different in shape than the one in yours. Yep...full....

BlaineBug · December 19, 2021

10 hours ago, Supreme Pizza said:

I pre-fill my oil filter. Then, when I add oil to my 5.3, I drop in 4 quarts, and then I start checking the dipstick for every 1/2 quart after that. I honestly could not tell you exactly how much oil it takes to fill the motor to the proper level. somewhere around.... 6 quarts I assume? Once it gets up to the 1/4 quart below the full mark, I start the engine for 5 seconds, and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I check the oil level, and add enough to get it back up to the 1/4 below the full mark. Then I run it for a few minutes and shut it down and let it sit for and hour. Then I top it off to the "full" mark. Then after driving it for a day, I check the oil level again (just in case there were leaks on the oil filter gasket or something). Then I check the oil level at every fuel fill. I also check the oil any time I'm doing other stuff, such as topping off the windshield washer fluid. I keep a rag, a funnel and 3 quarts of spare oil under the hood (along with a gallon of wash fluid, and a gallon of 50/50 coolant). I use the rag a lot, but not the oil , coolant or funnel. I also keep two tool boxes, jumper cables, engine scanners, brake fluid, a repair manual, tire chains, tire plug kit, tire pump, ratchet straps, gasket sealer, a torque wrench, spare hoses and belts, and a full on wilderness survival backpack in the rig with a GPS beacon and a set of playing cards. I am probably too attentive to my oil levels, oil change frequency, and oil pressure readings, but oh well. I enjoy it all, and it keeps connecting rods from poking holes in my engine block, so what can ya do.

I've pre-filled some filters that hang upside down in the past but have since learned that the practice is a horrible idea for potential contamination.

Supreme Pizza · December 19, 2021

1 hour ago, BlaineBug said:

I've pre-filled some filters that hang upside down in the past but have since learned that the practice is a horrible idea for potential contamination.

Ya, I have considered that in the past. However, I use oil from a newly opened jug, and I am very careful not to let any dirt fall into the filter, which could happen with or without the pre-fill. I have been doing pre-fill on filters since the 90's, and I have not had a problem yet. I do agree that contamination is possible, any time a new filter is installed and that pre-filling theoretically adds more opportunity for contamination to happen.

SilveradoRST · December 19, 2021

Sorry for my newbie question. How does pre-filling the filter cause the possibility of potential contamination?

Minnvmax · December 19, 2021

I like my oil at the top of the hash marks. My 6.2 takes approximately 8.3 quarts to get there but mid hash marks is probably perfect. Measured hot with enough time for oil to settle.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Minnvmax

BlaineBug · December 20, 2021

6 hours ago, SilveradoRST said:

Sorry for my newbie question. How does pre-filling the filter cause the possibility of potential contamination?

The claim is that a particle that is introduced through the filling of the oil filter can get by and go straight to the crank bearings. If you don't pre-fill the filter, any oil from the pan will have to first circulate through the filter which will not allow any contamination to reach the crank bearings.

M1ck3y · December 20, 2021

2 hours ago, BlaineBug said:

The claim is that a particle that is introduced through the filling of the oil filter can get by and go straight to the crank bearings. If you don't pre-fill the filter, any oil from the pan will have to first circulate through the filter which will not allow any contamination to reach the crank bearings.

The engine will also not get oil immediately..

Edited December 20, 2021 by M1ck3y

Supreme Pizza · December 20, 2021

11 hours ago, SilveradoRST said:

Sorry for my newbie question. How does pre-filling the filter cause the possibility of potential contamination?

In theory, you are adding oil to the "filtered" side of the filter material. So if a bit of foil or plastic from the oil bottle flows into the filter as your adding oil to it - then the contaminates would go "unchecked" and distributed though the engine. If you install a dry filter, then no liquid oil goes to the top end of the motor without passing through the filter material. So in theory, yes - I suppose its possible to mess your engine up by pre-filling the filter. On the other hand, many people change the oil fumbling around in the dark, drunk, in their underwear, with a cigarette dropping sparks on them as they try to spin the oil filter onto the bottom of the power steering pump - dropping dirt, crud and dust into the oil filter..... So I would not say that pre-filling the filter with oil is a bad idea - I would say that replacing the filter without knowing what your doing, is a bad idea.

Edited December 20, 2021 by Supreme Pizza

Bamacommander · December 20, 2021

My dealer charges $79 for an oil change. Seems pretty cheap to me. By the time you go to the store, crawl under the truck, dispose of the oil , etc. , I really question whether your saving anything. Plus by using the dealer there is an on line record in the event of a warranty issue. Call me crazy.

KARNUT · December 20, 2021

51 minutes ago, Bamacommander said:

My dealer charges $79 for an oil change. Seems pretty cheap to me. By the time you go to the store, crawl under the truck, dispose of the oil , etc. , I really question whether your saving anything. Plus by using the dealer there is an on line record in the event of a warranty issue. Call me crazy.

I’ve been doing it that way for about 20 years except with my classic vehicles. Longer with the wife’s cars.

diyer2 · December 20, 2021

21 hours ago, BlaineBug said:

I've pre-filled some filters that hang upside down in the past but have since learned that the practice is a horrible idea for potential contamination.

Amazing the stuff people can come up with. Is this possible? Sure, if you're an idiot. I have been prefilling oil filters for over 50 years. Never had an engine failure. The first start after an oil change and not prefilling an oil filter causes a short time before oil pressure comes up while it fills up the oil filter. Does this matter? To me it does. Your vehicle, your choice.

BlaineBug · December 20, 2021

58 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Amazing the stuff people can come up with. Is this possible? Sure, if you're an idiot. I have been prefilling oil filters for over 50 years. Never had an engine failure. The first start after an oil change and not prefilling an oil filter causes a short time before oil pressure comes up while it fills up the oil filter. Does this matter? To me it does. Your vehicle, your choice.

It might be an a n a l thing to worry about, sure, but here's a "Bob is the oil guy" topic dating back to 2009 about the subject.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/prefilling-oil-filters-not-good.114428/

Think about all of the other a n a l-esque topics that get discussed here. If it's not necessary to pre-fill I'm no longer going to worry about it, personally. Once again the 50,000 other users here have mileage that may vary.

Edited December 20, 2021 by BlaineBug