What I discovered on the oil level/capacity

I know the actual amount of oil the 2.7 holds with a filter change has been debated on this site quite a bit. I thought some might be interested in what I came up with. My 2009 tacoma hit 4,900 miles today and decided to change the oil. First thing I did was check the level with the factory fill. From the factory my oil level read about a 1/4 inch above the top dot on the dipstick. I used a file to scribe a line on that spot.

I then proceeded to change the oil. I pulled the drain plug and filter and let it drain for approx. 30 minutes. I then installed a Pure One filter #PL10241. To bring it back up to the line I scribed the truck indeed held a full 6 quarts of oil. I used Castrol GTX 5W20 oil. So these are my personal results. Don't know if this helps anyone, but thought it worth posting.

 

I think much of the debate was actually related to the 4.0 Liter V6 engine.

 

Actually the main debate is with the I4. The results are interesting. That means the spec is correct and the stick is wrong. It would also mean that any dealer that automatically does 5 quarts is under filling by a full quart.

 

True and on '07 which I used to tae to the dealer, the receipt always showed 5 quarts.

 

Thats not necessarily a bad thing. Having the oil a quart low will cut down on windage losses. You'll pick up a few ponies.

 

I rather have a little more than not enough, without damaging the seals of course. My supercharged (raced hard) Prelude always gets more oil than spec.
So I just brought my brand spankin new 4 cyl Tacoma home - factory fill is way above the second dot. And that's after 60 miles and at least 10-15 WOT pulls to redline. I love this truck btw.

 

Yep, I think that's exactly what it comes down to. Bet the next Gen Toyota has this fixed....they read these boards ya know.

 

YES the 5.0 Fox body stangs had the same problem, having owned several of them this isn't a new issue to me LOL. The concensus on the 5.0 boards is that you just pour in 5 quarts of oil as the manual calls for and put a new mark on your dipstick.

Another thing I noticed is that my wifes Yaris reads over the full mark by about the same amount my tacoma does when using the amount of oil called for in the manual (4 qaurts).


Also you would have to add a WHOLE lot of extra oil to start blowing out seals. Oil pressure is what would blow out a seal and no matter how much oil you pour in, your oil pump and tolerances in the engine are only going to build so much pressure. The concern is adding so much that the crank is splashing around in it. I HAVE had an oil filter explode on an engine , but that was because the bypass spring in the oil pump malfunctioned not because it had to much oil in it.

 

At least you got the goods right. I been using this combo on all of my vehilces for as long as I can remember. Never an isse.

 

5 quarts to get over the low line, 6 quarts to the top. That's what I've found, really either will work fine.

 

I just did my first oil change this weekend and 6 qts filled it back up to the pre oil change level.

 

LOL, if so then you'd think they wouldna went 5 years puttin on shitty leaf springs on the back of them or several years worth of frame weld issues or several years of folding tailgates. If they are reading them it would be to fuck modders on warranty issues or to see just what crap they can get away with. Highly doubt anything would be used to improve the customer experience unless they were facing lots of lawsuits.

 

I am on the "free oil change plan". Just took mine into the dealer for the gas pedal recall issue and first oil change. Told the service assistant not to over fill the engine. Got it back and it was slightly over the full mark. Guess the big T just loves giving away oil. Incidentally, ticket indicated 7 quarts?!

 

These days I just buy a 5 qt jug of whatever at Waldo-World, and it along with a PUre One it comes up to just below the line. Has not moved during 5K OCI's.

 

Just below which line? The low mark or the full mark?

 

The full line. 4 more oz will make it hit the full line

 

I buy a 5+ container of mobil 1 and its perfect for mine. The plastic mobil 1 container states that it is 5+ quarts

 

I can't really understand the obsession to make sure that the oil is just up to the full mark on the dip stick. I guess if you had a leaky engine and didn't want to bother checking the oil every time you started the motor I could understand wanting to have the oil right up to the top without being overfilled. Since the two marks are intended to be a reference to the level in the engine, and as long as the oil falls within the two reference marks I would think the engine would be perfectly happy. It is the overfilling and seal blowing that bugs the hell out of me. If I could just convince the dealer to put 5 quarts in and leave it that would be great!
JMHO you understand.

 

Correctly defining the fill level (and keeping the oil at that level) is beneficial for engine cooling in high load operation where the oil can help dissipate heat. I certainly agree that overfilling is bad, but if 6 is the "correct" amount then running one qt low means you have 17% less fluid to handle the lubrication function. That doesn't appear to be optimal.