Dipstick Oil Level
07-05-2011, 11:24 PM
#51
funny nobody mentioned how long the bottle needs to drain into the engine to get all the oil from it..as the oil tends to stick to the sides..so really, without measuring it, how does one know exatly how much oil is in the pan? And does 1 mm of oil level realy matter that much? When did oil changes turn to rocket science? And seriously..when is the last time anyone saw an oil related failure that wasnt a defectie part? People have been changing oil for years just dumping the bottle till empty and never..never had any problems. What i read here is its ok to let the oil go below the max but not above it..Do we need to measure the dipstick to make sure its the proper length to start with?or that the oil pan gasket has the exat amount of crush to allow proper oil level to be indicated? do you see how silly this whole discussion is? I dare you to ask the dealer mechanic how they change oil...same as JiffyLube I bet,,exept they tighten the drain plug and filter.
07-05-2011, 11:54 PM
#52
Platinum Member
Join Date: 04-09-2006
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 7,032
Woody: I totally agree. Unfortunately what we have seen with this thread is a byproduct of the limitations of communicating on the Internet along with a dose of misreading and misinterpretation. But it does get frustrating trying to explain that you need to gauge the oil level via the use of the dipstick, and not get sidetracked over 5 quarts resulting in it being slightly overfull. Like you said, it ain't rocket science - put in enough to just fill it.
Peace
Ps: did you say we need to wait 30 mins for the oil container to drain, or not? *GRIN*
Peace
Ps: did you say we need to wait 30 mins for the oil container to drain, or not? *GRIN*
07-06-2011, 01:50 PM
#53
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Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,805
funny nobody mentioned how long the bottle needs to drain into the engine to get all the oil from it..as the oil tends to stick to the sides..so really, without measuring it, how does one know exactly how much oil is in the pan? And does 1 mm of oil level really matter that much? When did oil changes turn to rocket science? And seriously..when is the last time anyone saw an oil related failure that wasn't a defectie part? People have been changing oil for years just dumping the bottle till empty and never..never had any problems. What i read here is its ok to let the oil go below the max but not above it..Do we need to measure the dipstick to make sure its the proper length to start with?or that the oil pan gasket has the exat amount of crush to allow proper oil level to be indicated? do you see how silly this whole discussion is? I dare you to ask the dealer mechanic how they change oil...same as JiffyLube I bet,,exept they tighten the drain plug and filter.
I find particularly interesting your statement on the dealer mechanic fills and Jiffy Lube. I was thinking the same thing. Technicians, whether at a dealer or an independent, check the "book" for the capacity indicated by the manufacturer and check out the required quart bottles from the stock room (did anybody EVER get the unused/excess quantity from the fifth bottle....you paid for it). Or if using a pressurized bulk oil system, they dial the needed capacity, again 5 in this example, and pump. A final check of the "Max" line on the dipstick (I do wonder how many exceed the line, however). And your ready to go. 30 minute oil change....GUARANTEED.
07-17-2011, 08:53 PM
#58
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Join Date: 01-11-2010
Location: California
Posts: 72
Amazing thread. Put friggin 5 qts in the thing and let's go already. A quarter of a qrt either way full or low will do absolutely nothing to the engine. Now if you put 6 full or 7 in now we have an issue. Where ever your max line is that's where it should stop but you would only worry about that if the thing burns oil and your adding it later, why you ask? Because when you put 5 qrts in when you changed it you knew it was the FRIGGIN RIGHT AMOUNT. AHHH NOW I'M PISSED, I'M GOING TO CHANGE MY OIL, LET IT SIT FOR FIVE MINUTES DRIPPING ADD 5 QRTS AND AT AROUND 150,000 MILES IT WILL BLOW UP ANYWAY. Haha that was fun and a waste of a post lmao. You guys have way too much time, oh crap now I do too!
07-18-2011, 05:06 PM
#59
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Join Date: 02-22-2011
Location: dunnville ont canada
Posts: 119
who's to say that the dipsticks are all exactly the same length either. a bit too low or a bit to high; big deal. as long as the level remains constant from oil change to oil change is whats important. as a matter of fact, we had a tractor on the farm that always used oil. we finally realised that the oil level stabilized at a certain level on the stick below the full mark. it found its own level and stayed there even though it was below the full mark. ran for years with "low" oil level.
07-18-2011, 06:52 PM
#60
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Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,728
Oh, geez I wanna play. The EcoTec engine is European, meaning that they actually are converting liters to quarts for us Americans. I will bet that 5 liters is just over/under 5 quarts. Depends on the Tech writer who edited the manual! Most just say liter=quart and forget about it.