changing oil

inkonmyflesh · January 31, 2006

I have an '03 GMC siera half ton 5.3 and an '04 Jeep Rubicon tomb raider edition with a 4.0 6 cylinder. I have changed the oil in both and it looks to me that i put more oil in than i drain. Both take about 6 quarts but when i go to drain the old oil into the 5 quart jug, it only reads about 4.5 to 5 quarts. The ground is pretty level but i also move the vehicle to a different spot to check after im done. When i check the oil, it doesn't look to be mixed with old oil that didn't drain. Could the viscosity break down that much? I use valvoline, sold in 5quart jugs, in both vehicles. Please help, am i loosing my mind??

pm26 · January 31, 2006

How long is the engine not running before you change the oil? If you do it immediately after driving the vehicle, some of the oil will be trapped in the cylinder head and other oil passages. It takes some time for that oil to drain into the oil sump. Also, at least 0.3 quarts of oil is trapped in the oil filter.

Bish · January 31, 2006

I have an '03 GMC siera half ton 5.3 and an '04 Jeep Rubicon tomb raider edition with a 4.0 6 cylinder. I have changed the oil in both and it looks to me that i put more oil in than i drain. Both take about 6 quarts but when i go to drain the old oil into the 5 quart jug, it only reads about 4.5 to 5 quarts. The ground is pretty level but i also move the vehicle to a different spot to check after im done. When i check the oil, it doesn't look to be mixed with old oil that didn't drain. Could the viscosity break down that much? I use valvoline, sold in 5quart jugs, in both vehicles. Please help, am i loosing my mind??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mine is the same. I put in 6 but never get more than 5 out. I never loose any oil but don't forget a lot of it is stuck in the filter fabric. It has been that way since new and it now has 160K with no engine trouble so I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, GM says it is normal to burn up to a qt every 1000 miles or so. What a load of crap that is!