Oil Change

Not sure what's going on just had oil changed 2013 SR5 4.0 & dip stick is reading a quart high cold or hot . Doesn't make sense to me & I've always been told don't over fill . Ask my mechanic & he says no biggy ! It says 5 1/2 Qts. so I left 6 ...not sure where the other half went ? Is this normal ? Just got the truck & going through everything 85K

 

I fill 6 Quarts, but that's with a new oil filter. My dip stick does not show its overfilled.

 

I put mine exactly on the full line, +/-.020". But I'm an anal-retentive 35+ year engineer.

 

My last Truck was a 5.3 2014 Sierra but I had a 2002 Tundra before that I bought new (should have kept it ) wife wanted a smaller truck she could drive if need be , so i'm getting acquainted again with handling , servicing & sounds to get comfortable again. Always paranoid of break downs on a trip when you don't know a rig from new. GMC worried me with recalls , censors & things the dealer gave up on so I wanted a truck I could trust to go 300K +.

 

I'd be concerned with a full quart over the fill line.

I drain mine and remove the old filter. Give everything 10 minutes to drain then replace the plug and spin on a new filter. I add 5 quarts. You never get all the old oil out and adding just 5 quarts will get me just under the full line. Close enough. If the oil level is anywhere between the hash marks on the dipstick you're fine.

I don't add partial quarts. If the oil level reaches the point where I'm a full quart low, I add a full quart unless I'm planning to change the oil in the next few days anyway. I almost never add any oil between changes. By the time I'm a quart low it's usually time to change it anyway.

I suspect you left more old oil in this time than usual. Maybe the truck wasn't level when draining. If it were mine I'd drain some out then check the oil level and add back until at the mark.

 

The dip stick tube is a bad design. If you check it right after turning the engine off, it’ll read high. Even leaving it sit for a couple hours, it’ll still read high. One way to get a more accurate reading is to pull the dip stick out, leave it out for awhile, then check it. The better way is to check it after it sat overnight and before starting it in the morning.

If they put in a full 6 quarts, it’s going to be high. My last oil change, I used a Napa 1772 filter, which is significantly larger than stock. I still can’t get all 6 quarts in.

 

On my 07 with a new filter 5 qts gets you inbetween the 2 marks.... 5 1/2 to full mark. I'd rather have 5 in than go over with 6.

 

The oil fill level is not as critical as some make it to be.
And a 1/2 quart is nothing to worry about. This 1GR isn't a precision engine.
5, 5.5, or 6 quarts is close enough.
Don't over think it.

I'd close the hood and never think about it again.
Damn sure not crawling under and draining a 1/2 quart out.

 

Agree with your points (as usual) although I think it's fair to caution that folks probably don't want to go over 6 qts if they overfill.

 

Next time give your mechanic 5 quarts. Keep 1 quart for yourself and set the level after you get your keys back from him.

5 quarts is more than adequate but won't show on the dip stick. You can then fine tune it to get to the full mark on the dipstick if that's your goal.

 

I agree. You don't want to drastically over fill it.
That can lead to high crank case pressures.

But little over the full mark isn't going to hurt it.
Some people (internet) seem to think it has to be exactly on the full line, other wise it's "wrong".
Mostly, I just replied to help OP feel "better" and not worry.

 

I would question how good this mechanic is if he was willing to send you on your way with the oil overfilled. Did he even check the dipstick after filling?

 

I mean OP says he left 6 quarts.
The truck is full at 5.5
And then OP also says it shows 1 quart over full.

That would mean the mechanic added an extra .5 quarts of his own oil, out of pocket. (not likely)

I really don't think any of this is a big deal.

 

They say put 5.5. I haven’t changed my capacity so that’s what I do and don’t burn oil.

then I verify. Level ground. Engine at operating temp. Let it sit a bit. Dipstick in and out wipe clean a couple times to get any residual film off the tube to avoid a false reading. That’s just what I do. Final check. It’s a hard to read design and sometimes I only see the actual level on one side.

it’s not like other car dipsticks that have a bunch of tiny grooves in the read to hold the oil, or ribbed plastic (which eventually breaks)

are there fancy nice aftermarket dipsticks with a better design? Dont know. But then that’s money spent on a dipstick that offers 0 performance.
So far all I’ve seen is universal handles for engine bay aesthetics that do just that. No dipstick change. Just butchering the stock one to put a different handle.

 

Hey, Thanks for all the feedback ! My mechanic has one fault , if he's stressed having a bad day about something he hurries but on a good day he's great. I may go back to crawling under again myself as I have my whole life ! Wife thinks because I'll be 81 in July I shouldn't be under cars . I've always done all my own maintenance until cars got difficult in way's to work on like my wife's Outback oil change (2011) , in 2013 they came out with the on top oil filter & you can see why ! Anyhow thanks , appreciate being able to ask questions !

 

My new hero!

So many around cant even find their owners manual!

 

I now know it just needs to be between the marks, not necessarily right at the upper mark. Before I learned this, I was doing the wakamole method, oops overfilled it, jack it back up pull the drain plug to drain just a little, opps I dropped the plug, now I drained too much, put more in, overfilled again, rinse & repeat, now I ran out of oil, my only vehicle is low, walk to the auto parts store for 1 quart, rinse & repeat.

 

Untwist your panties. A small overfill is of no concern

 

Took me a while to figure this out

Took me a while to figure this out.
It's much less time consuming to refill after an oil change.
Let's say a car calls for 4. something quarts of oil. I just put in 4 quarts, then restart the engine, check for leaks, let it run a minute or two, then shut it off and let it sit for a minute or two, THEN recheck level and top off.
It takes way more time draining too much out, than adding a little in.
* pro retired career auto service monkey.

 

Did y'all catch I didn't do the oil change, it was a professional licensed mechanic & not one of these franchise maybe I know how to quicky places. Up till now I've been changing oil for at least 69 years plus the folks & wife's vehicles . Nobody you can trust like yourself I've learned. It's all cool !!


PS: a guy gave me some new takeoff Strut front shocks off a 2018 4-runner , curious if they could be used on my 2013 Taco ?