Oil reading discrepancy

Hello... new to the forum. Great resource here, so thanks for all the experience and assistance.

I changed the oil and filter yesterday on my 98' SR5. First I added the 5.5q and had no reading on the dipstick. So i polished it off to 6q but my dipstick is still reading below the bottom line. All of this on level ground. Should I fill to get the proper reading on the dipstick or just overlook the dipstick here? Its not leaking and I'm not sure why 6q is still below the line. It would probably need closer to 7q to get it between the lines on the dipstick, but obviously I don't want to damage the engine with too my oil or pressure. Any suggestions would be very welcome... Thanks.

 

did you use an oversized filter or do you have a filter relocation kit on your truck?

fill it to read full unless you have some reason to believe you have the wrong dipstick or something

you are pushing the stick all the way in when checking correct? and be sure to check for the "shine" since fresh brand new oil can sometimes be hard to see on the stick.

 

Not using an oversized filter and no filter relocation that I know of. Installed behind the panel in the front left wheel well. and yes, correct dipstick and pushing it all the way in.

If I fill it to the top line, my engine would have 7 to 8 quarts...

 

Overfilling is worse than underfilling. If you put in the correct amoun t, stop! Run it around the block a few times, let it sit, then check.

 

^ What he said. Fill it with the proper amount (I think my Tacoma 3.4 takes 5 1/2 quarts) run it for a little bit, give it time to settle then check it again. It's not magically disappearing, it's in there.

 

Have u ever changed the oil on this vehicle before?

 

Thanks. I've had the truck for almost a year and I've had this problem every time I've changed the oil. The past few times, I've put in 6q and stopped. Its really unnerving for the dipstick to read below the line with the proper amount in there though and I tend to add a little more now and again to be sure its not running too low.

Maybe the length of the dipstick?
maybe the engine is mounted at a slight tilt?
I don't know what could be causing this...

 

Could someone have put an oversized pan on it?

 

Measure your dip stick and post it for us. Then one of us can measure ours to confirm youve got the right one. Also put in more vehicle information(engine size and body style, and maybe even tranny type) in the "personal details" section of your profile so we know better what rig were dealing with..

 

When I was in autobody (years ago) one of the students had an old cherokee, didn't know how much oil to put in so he "just put in the case". Cranked it over and flooded the air filter with oil being pumped out of the pcv valve, then blew the head.

He *might* have been a little over full.

 

3.4l V6 seems to.be right about 17".
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/verifiy-i-have-the-right-dipstick-for-a-3-4l.35172/#post-559360

 

I know of no reason it shouldn't read full with 6 quarts in it unless your engine is trapping oil.

do this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
maybe someone stuck a shorter dipstick from a 4runner in it

while others are correct in that over filling is bad, its never as bad as running without enough oil in the drain pan "no matter what the reason" so keep that in mind. the warning on overfilling is based on the oil pan being over full which it is something not determined just yet.

since tis has been going on for a while, keep doing what you have been doing and don't add any extra until we figure out why its not reading right

 

I always fill mine with 6 because it puts it right on the full mark, but don't go over that! Only thing I can think of is that you have a shorter dipstick.

 

Is the dipstick tube all the way down?

 

My stick is 17 5/8 inches. This is measured from where it sits in the tube to the very end. I assume that you have a 3.4 because it is a SR5. I also assume that the oil tube is attached to the alternator on the drivers side front like mine. As far as the dipstick tube not being all the way down...would it not leak?

 

We can all compare dip stick lengths

 

<SLAP>

 

I will pass!

 

Well, apparently the dipstick was short! I ordered a new one to compare, and at some point the PO must've put in a different one. WTF? With the new one, my 6 quarts was right at the full line. Thanks for your help.

 

glad its sorted now, not uncommon to lay the dipstick on the engine and forget to replace it and it gets lost on the road.

the guy probably just grabbed the first Toyota dipstick he saw at the junk yard and stuck it in there. I saw mentioned on the 4runner forums that a Tacoma dipstick reads overfull if used in a 4runner so they figured out theres wasn't the same length as ours.