Oil change stuff

[PowerJrod]

Alright...here's a new one for you guys. A tech told me that when doing an oil change on Ram 1500 Hemi...the capacity listed in manual (7 quarts) is for a newly assembled truck thats bone dry. So I did an oil change today and put 6.5 quarts of Pennzoil platinum in. So far that amount reads right between min and full marks on dipstick. Thoughts? Should I add the last 1/2 quart or leave it as is? Explain your answers

 

[OH UNCLE PAUL]

Add the last 1/2 quart.
Reason why. It’s not full.

 

[Jeffjad]

Add the last 1/2 quart.
Reason why. It’s not full.

Add 7, the manual doesn't say add 7 quarts only if it's a newly assembled truck .

 

[PowerJrod]

Add the last 1/2 quart.
Reason why. It’s not full.

I said the same thing to the Ram tech at Dodge lol. He did have a good point though when he said the manual states capacity is 7 quarts, but doesn't say what the recommended oil level really is in manual. He stated that if it reads at the full line then it's actually overfilled...more so because we're in a very hot environment where the oil could expand quite a bit.

 

[SpeedyV]

Alright...here's a new one for you guys. A tech told me that when doing an oil change on Ram 1500 Hemi...the capacity listed in manual (7 quarts) is for a newly assembled truck thats bone dry. So I did an oil change today and put 6.5 quarts of Pennzoil platinum in. So far that amount reads right between min and full marks on dipstick. Thoughts? Should I add the last 1/2 quart or leave it as is? Explain your answers

If you put in exactly 7 qts, it will read high. Ask me how I know. Thank you, Fumoto

 

[Jeffjad]

I said the same thing to the Ram tech at Dodge lol. He did have a good point though when he said the manual states capacity is 7 quarts, but doesn't say what the recommended oil level really is in manual. He stated that if it reads at the full line then it's actually overfilled...more so because we're in a very hot environment where the oil could expand quite a bit.

Haha its semantics at that point. Funny how everyone reads things differently. I would imagine if you added 6.5 or 7 you would be just fine but I plan to go by the manual so they can't say I was wrong. You should see some interesting responses in this thread .

 

[PowerJrod]

If you put in exactly 7 qts, it will read high. Ask me how I know. Thank you, Fumoto

Agreed. Don't want it read high though....I did the same thing in my Hemi charger once and it tripped an oil pressure sensor lol. That's how this whole talk with my Ram tech started and just got me thinking.

 

[PowerJrod]

Haha its semantics at that point. Funny how everyone reads things differently. I would imagine if you added 6.5 or 7 you would be just fine but I plan to go by the manual so they can't say I was wrong. You should see some interesting responses in this thread .

That's a good point...for warranty purposes anyway lol.

 

[2019REBEL]

Put 6.8 into it, not too low and not too high. That's what I did.

 

[PowerJrod]

Put 6.8 into it, not too low and not too high. That's what I did.

Hehe, I put all expect for like 6 ounces in. Leaves it just a hair below the full line which is perfect for when the oil expands in the summer down here in Las Vegas!

 

[mikeru82]

7 quarts is close enough for me. The amount of oil left in the engine will depend on oil temp and how long you let it drain. I'm not usually in a hurry when I do maintenance on my vehicles. After warming the engine to operating temp I'll let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then I'll pull the drain plug and filter and let it drain for about 20 minutes. Then install the new filter and drain plug and add 7 quarts of PUP.

For the truly anal who might be losing sleep over this, drain the oil and replace the filter in your normal way. After reinstalling the drain plug, add the 7 quarts then start the engine allowing it to circulate the oil. Shut off the engine and check the oil level after allowing enough time for the oil to settle into the sump. If it's above full, drain a little back out until satisfied with the oil level. Measure how much you removed for reference when doing future oil changes. Be consistent with your oil changes in the future or this method will not be as accurate.

 

[PowerJrod]

7 quarts is close enough for me. The amount of oil left in the engine will depend on oil temp and how long you let it drain. I'm not usually in a hurry when I do maintenance on my vehicles. After warming the engine to operating temp I'll let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then I'll pull the drain plug and filter and let it drain for about 20 minutes. Then install the new filter and drain plug and add 7 quarts of PUP.

For the truly anal who might be losing sleep over this, drain the oil and replace the filter in your normal way. After reinstalling the drain plug, add the 7 quarts then start the engine allowing it to circulate the oil. Shut off the engine and check the oil level after allowing enough time for the oil to settle into the sump. If it's above full, drain a little back out until satisfied with the oil level. Measure how much you removed for reference when doing future oil changes. Be consistent with your oil changes in the future or this method will not be as accurate.

Talk about over complicated lol. 6.5 quarts added, then added .25 In at a time worked! Thanks all! If anyone is interested...6 and 3/5ths seems to be the sweet spot for the 5.7. But unless you drain the oil for 45 minutes with the oil fill cover off...7 quarts is just a tad overfilling.

 

[Scram1500]

I go by the stick. Fill the filter, dump in 6 quarts, then add as necessary after running. I had no idea it could be more complicated than that

 

[mikeru82]

Talk about over complicated lol. 6.5 quarts added, then added .25 In at a time worked! Thanks all! If anyone is interested...6 and 3/5ths seems to be the sweet spot for the 5.7. But unless you drain the oil for 45 minutes with the oil fill cover off...7 quarts is just a tad overfilling.

I go by the stick. Fill the filter, dump in 6 quarts, then add as necessary after running. I had no idea it could be more complicated than that

Well I did say for the truly anal.

 

[JimD007]

The OP did essentially what we did at oil change events at my last church. We drained, changed filter, refilled but left out 1/2 to 1 qt of oil. Then we backed it off the ramps, shut it off and checked it on the dipstick. If it needed more oil we added it. When we did not do this, we occasionally had to drain some. It is always best to refill to where the engine says it is full and not more. It is a little reckless to assume that because the manual says the capacity is X that is the amount you should pour back in. Overfilling is not good for the engine.

 

[Jeffjad]

Fumoto oil drain valve is clutch to prevent accidental overfill .

 

[PowerJrod]

The OP did essentially what we did at oil change events at my last church. We drained, changed filter, refilled but left out 1/2 to 1 qt of oil. Then we backed it off the ramps, shut it off and checked it on the dipstick. If it needed more oil we added it. When we did not do this, we occasionally had to drain some. It is always best to refill to where the engine says it is full and not more. It is a little reckless to assume that because the manual says the capacity is X that is the amount you should pour back in. Overfilling is not good for the engine.

Exactly! Thank you. That's how this thread started due to a tech telling me about the capacity not being the same as the refill amount lol.

 

[AmericanRebelution]

This seems like an overcomplication of a simple process to me. None of these responses are "wrong". Your engine is going to be fine with 6.5q or 7q - that's less than a 10% difference. I'm sure we have all followed our own practices with our vehicles over the years, but I've owned about 10 vehicles and followed the manual's capacity for everyone of them. Never have had any issues.

 

[GunnyZXR]

You'll easily have a half quart of motor oil in your catch can, or down your intake, if you go the recommended mileage between oil changes.

 

[Willwork4truck]

7 quarts is close enough for me. The amount of oil left in the engine will depend on oil temp and how long you let it drain. I'm not usually in a hurry when I do maintenance on my vehicles. After warming the engine to operating temp I'll let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then I'll pull the drain plug and filter and let it drain for about 20 minutes. Then install the new filter and drain plug and add 7 quarts of PUP.

For the truly anal who might be losing sleep over this, drain the oil and replace the filter in your normal way. After reinstalling the drain plug, add the 7 quarts then start the engine allowing it to circulate the oil. Shut off the engine and check the oil level after allowing enough time for the oil to settle into the sump. If it's above full, drain a little back out until satisfied with the oil level. Measure how much you removed for reference when doing future oil changes. Be consistent with your oil changes in the future or this method will not be as accurate.

Brings back a memory of the 2015 F150 with the 2.7. Takes over 30 minutes to drain. A new car testing magazine that buys there vehicles then keeps them for a year had it serviced, the truck was so new that the dealer tech hadn’t fully let it drain so it had 10 qts in it, instead of 6. Oops. (Edmunds.com)
begin quote from article: “Yes, it's that time again. The oil change reminder flicked on while I was driving our 2015 Ford F-150 and a quick check of the Engine Information screen showed the oil life down to five percent. I was near an auto parts store and a Ford dealership, so I bought the oil at one and a filter at the other and got to work. I didn't have to do this myself, but I was gun-shy after I did oil change number two myself and discovered that the dealer technician had mistakenly added 10 quarts of oil during oil change number one. Besides, Josh had taken it in for turbo feed line oil leak some weeks back. That dealer technician topped up the oil after he completed the fix. But did he overfill it like the first guy had? Nope. Everything was A-OK on that front. Six quarts came out like they should.”
End of copied article

And you are supposed to wait 15 minutes prior to even checking the oil:
2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test
EcoBoost V6 Makes You Wait