Oil Change Mystery!

[Mach 1]

Good info, i will check mine when i do it. I suggest the dipstick be inserted 1) when cool engine so all oil migrates to pan 2) insert/remove dipstick at least 3 times to remove residual oil from inside dipstick tube 3) if engine type is ecoboost with stop/start technology, engine HAS to be off at least 20 minutes before getting acurate dip stick reading.

Start/stop technology engines are engineered to CONTAIN oil in topend of engine and requires time to settle to bottom of oil pan, hence the 20 min wait time to check oil level.

I have dealt with and found that the 1.9 VW Jetta diesel engine had an inaccurate dipstick and had to be replaced with a TSB because oil level was too high and crank drag foamed oil. So been down this street before.

Thx for heads up will check with OC on my Mav hybrid.

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[MaverickTopGun]

Dealers and quickie-lube places don't allow at least 10 minutes for the oil to drain down (as our Owner's Manual says it needs). They are typically in a hurry. A car I had a while back, an '18 Equinox, needed 15 minutes, and I found out they really meant that.

So when they look up how much oil to put in, there is probably residual oil left inside to over-fill it. I've seen this at professional shops many times in the last 30 years. I usually do my own oil changes, preventing the impatient problem of insufficient time to drain out.

No harm done with a little over-filling..... IF there are no bubbles on the dipstick fresh after a high speed run. No foaming, no problem.

I usually put in about 0.7 quarts less than the spec amount, 5.7 qts for the hybrid (5.5 qts Ecoboost), which results in exactly one 5 quart jug of Castrol Extended Performance oil from Walmart. Convenient amount.
That gets it between the upper and lower lines where it needs to be.

Then, just add about a cup (1/4 quart) of make-up oil every 2-weeks after that, checking the level routinely, until it eventually sneaks up on the full-line or full-hole on the dipstick.

 

[Gpp]

Been changing oil now about 50 years now and never realized just how much trouble it was.oh well, let’s get on to what the best brand is to use

 

[Aherpa]

Shut the engine off for at least 5 minutes before checking the oil level. Oil can remain in the dipstick tube and 'contaminate' the stick with oil. Also, pull the dipstick out, wipe it, and wait a minute before reinserting again. This lets the oil drain faster from the tube as opposed to with the stick in place.
I mention this because the dipstick picture appears to have gaps in the level of the oil, meaning that it might be oil in the tube has not had a chance to drain out and you are getting a false reading of high oil.
Good luck.

 

[gwrjones]

Shut the engine off for at least 5 minutes before checking the oil level. Oil can remain in the dipstick tube and 'contaminate' the stick with oil. Also, pull the dipstick out, wipe it, and wait a minute before reinserting again. This lets the oil drain faster from the tube as opposed to with the stick in place.
I mention this because the dipstick picture appears to have gaps in the level of the oil, meaning that it might be oil in the tube has not had a chance to drain out and you are getting a false reading of high oil.
Good luck.

Engine hadn't run in at least 12 hours when I checked. This picture was taken after I had checked it a few times, and a couple minutes after the first time I checked it.

 

[gwrjones]

Been changing oil now about 50 years now and never realized just how much trouble it was.oh well, let’s get on to what the best brand is to use

I too have changed my oil many times. Had it changed for me many times as well and never have I experienced something quite like this.

 

[Stock411]

any oil change I never fill to the maximum level I just fill a little beyond the low zone or whatever is deemed the safe zone in the manual.

 

[MaverickTopGun]

This picture was taken after I had checked it a few times, and a couple minutes after the first time I checked it.

Getting it over-filled is frequent with pro shops, I've found. One solution is to get an oil extractor pump, works great. or something similar. Put small tube down the dipstick hole, easy, quick. If I ever have a pro do it, I'll check it in a nearby parking lot, and it's so quick to pull out half a quart, I could do it in 3 minutes into a small container.

 

[mavmav]

I would check dipstick length to make sure it is correct length. In my case i did oil change by myself and added 5.7 quarts of oil - that was right amount of oil. (hybrid model)
I changed my first oil at 200 miles - glad I did. it was full of metal sparking particles. Main reason why i change is that I don't like the fact that ford is putting small oil filter and semi-synthetic oil blend vs. full synthetic oil. I don't understand Why ford installed small "startup" filter.
it reminds me printer cartridges that manufacturer sells so end user can print a few hundred pages and to buy full cartridge you have to pay 50% cost of the printer. I don't understand ford economics. are they trying to save on a oil filter ?

 

[NextTruck]

Another reason I always change my own oil. Free or not. I watched in the past at "quick lubes" and they don't wait long enough for the oil to fully drain. To be "quick" they replace the plug too soon. And then they add the specified amount of oil. Hit the same shop twice and you could be 1/2 to 1 quart too high easily. I asked the tech if he was going to check the level after pulling it out of the garage. He shut off the engine and checked. I said you have to give it some time to drain down and get the proper level. He said "no I don't" . I got home and checked it , and it was way over the line. I ended up pulling the plug to drain off some of the oil. Other experiences told me it is not worth it.

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