whopper

Hey man, :) read what you just posted - of course you can't dump a 5.1 quart jug in and not expect it to be overfull, when it is already slightly overfull with dumping in 5 quarts.

I have never had a vehicle, car or motorcycle, take the amount of oil specified in the manual for oil changes without overfilling it slightly, no matter how long I drained the oil. Typically if they call for 4 quarts, they would actually need maybe 3.8, and if they called for 5 quarts they actually needed 4.8 or so. It really depends on the vehicle/engine.

So don't worry too much over it - the more important thing is to refill it with just enough oil to bring it up to the full mark without going over. 843de gave some good tips there (change oil and filter, start it to fill the filter then shutdown and check it after a few minutes to let the oil level stabilize). I usually give it a double-check the next day after driving a bit, and top it up if needed.

Greybeard999

I leave a little in the 5.1 jugs..... last one I got was a 5.1, I didn't use it all...... one prior to that was a 5 qt (Walmart) No problems here.

urbexHHR

But then I'm stuck with what do I do with the .1qts... Save each one up until I have 5qts?!

Greybeard999

Put it in an oil can and lubricate stuff with it.......

whopper

Use it for top-ups???

urbexHHR

Yeah, it just seems like a waste! That oil is expensive!

And I've never had to top it off (then again with it being over filled why would I?!)

08bowtie

what does it take so long for these things to drain - 1/2 hour???

i dont think ive ever owned anything that took that long to drain a gallon of oil

whopper

Drain the oil while you change the oil filter (what will that take you? 5-10 minutes?), then put the drain plug back in, and refill the oil. After 5-10 minutes the oil that is draining will be slowed to a bare trickle - and you could wait another 24 hours and let it drain another 1/4 cup if you wish. But is it worth it? Not at all likely.

The HHR motors do not take any longer to drain their oil than other engines I've had. It's not a big deal guys.

Snoopy

The problem as I see it.....

You have SLUDGE built up in the internal portion of the engine and it is taking up the extra space......thus, causing the REQUIRED 5 quart fill to appear as OVERFILL on the dipstick !!






































Just kidding. Although you might have a SLIGHT amount of "sludge" in the bottom of the pan. Fill the car with the required and stated 5 quarts of oil. That is the GM specification. The dip stick is a guide much like the analog temperature gage on the dash. I personally would accept more credible a statement and research by the engineers/designers of the engine THAN the China or Mexico company that stamped or assembled the dipstick (maybe even the tube the stick "travels" in).

For what it is worth (and I put some validity into it), ALL the car forums have had this as a topic, at one time or another. The discussions have provided many different beliefs, but the best answer was on 2 different GM vehicle forums (I believe it was Cadillac and Corvette) when 2 different engineers stated the written specification is the best way to determine the value over all other beliefs. GM, as well as all the manufacturers, spend a lot of time and money to determine this requirement.

sleeper

I clean around the oil fill cap first. Then when I remove it, I cover the hole with a clean rag.. I don't want junk falling in either..