Dipstick Accuracy

For all you tech guys, are you finding the oil dipstick to be accurate? I have a 2020 with a six cylinder.
After a DIY oil and filter change I’m reading a 1/4” above the full mark. 6.2 qts of oil and an OEM filter.

 

Sounds bout right. I just drain it with a filter and dump six in it. I check it once or twice just to verify its not low and never check it again. It's too hard to see haha

 

I noticed this on my first and second oil change. From now on I’m just buying 6qts since I keep a spare on board. Seems 6 puts it just at or below the full dot on the stick.

 

I've not changed my oil yet but I've checked the oil already and it's even that full from the factory.

 

I go six quarts in my oil no issues think you’re about spot on. Would keep it between 5.5-6 quarts. Will agree the dipstick sucks make sure oil is cold.

 

The manual actually recommends you run the engine till warm, shut it off, wait at least 5 minutes, then check the oil level.

Not sure why the warm part matters, I'd imagine if you let the truck sit overnight you would have the maximum amount of oil in the pan which might make the dipstick read a tad high.

If you haven't already, maybe try the warm engine, shutoff , wait 5 minutes method and compare?

 

I never put the entire official recommended oil amounts in either my old gen 1 or my new gen 3. It would have been too much.

 

Thermal expansion/ prime the filter?

Also, OP, make sure u pull the dipstick out and let it sit before reinserting

 

not an issue

dipsticks are there to gauge when oil levels are toooooo low

does more harm then

its been almost a century since engines were ' splash ' lubricated

the crank weights & big end rods actually beating the oil in the sump

true some gets thrown around yet U would have to have near double the sump capacity to engage oil & crank

a quart either way is no worry

 

I add 4.7 liters after draining and changing the filter - start - wait 10 min and check the stick. I then do a full heat cycle before doing a final adjustment to the full mark.
1 - I did a hot / wait 10 min / check vs a sit overnight / check and found only 1/8 inch difference with the hot being higher of course. Since the difference is so small I check my oil cold after sitting overnight. It is easier to read as well.
2 - An engine over full is taking a chance on being churned by the crank and getting foamy. Bubbles in the oil stream to any plain bearing is not good. While not as bad as an engine that is low on oil, why chance it by not checking and relying on the stick.
3 - I check the oil on any engine on a regular basis. My truck is a keeper so it gets checked weekly and before any trip - towing or otherwise.

Just my 2 cents ...

 

My taco is only 25k miles and the engine oil is so clear that I can barely tells there’s oil on the dipstick. I just drain until it drips and put 6 qts and I’m done. The 0.1 qt is negligible.

 

This is the first vehicle that I have had in quite a few years that has a dipstick. My BMW and the Benz didn’t have them.

Honestly, 7700 miles and I’ve never checked it. Maybe I’ll look in the morning.

 

I never go by the volume. Too many variables with components to depend on that. That’s why Toyota says to check the dipstick. Also why for the diffs and transfer case oil they say to check the level by hand.

 

Thanks for responding guys. I’ve changed my own oil for years and they’ve all read per the mark on the stick when filled to specs. It’s the first change for this truck and although I did check the level a couple times between new and now ( 6000 miles ) I honestly can’t remember if it read a 1/4 over or not. I suppose I now have a baseline, huh.

 

Yea, I just go with 6qts. Gets it just under the full mark, with new filter.

 

A dipstick ain't rocket surgery. It ain't gotta be precise.

 

Always thought as long as the oil level read between the marks on the dipstick it was properly filled. On my 4.7 tundra it was always a tad over 6 qts.

 

I was wondering the same thing myself. New 2.7 and looking up the specs, it says with oil/filter change 6.2-something qts of oil.
(I plan on changing my own when I hit 5K ... Just because it'll make me feel better ... Then letting the dealer do their thing at my 'free' oil/filter change at 10K ..) And I thought '6.2X' quarts of oil? Where did that come from?'
And I was a bit disappointed at the 6+ quarts of oil ... Especially as a 5 qt. jug of Mobil 1 (Example) is about $25.00 +- , and just a quart is about $8.00 +- ... (Go figure, right?) .... So I'll probably just bite the bullet and buy 3, 5 quart jugs, just to save some $$ on down the line. I'm supposed to get my first 3 oil/filter changes for 'free', so I'll just have oil on hand for afterwards.
I'm wondering if the 'specs' are assuming you'll always use genuine Toyota filters. (?) ... I've been a big believer in WIX XP filters for decades now, but they.. Like many other brands ... Are not all the same size. The WIX filters are a bit shorter (Not much, but still) than the Toyota filters. And other brands of filters are kinda' all over the place, so far as size also. So maybe that's where the little bit of 'extra' over just a straight 6 qts comes into play?

 

I always do my oil changes at 5k miles intervals and buy Mobil 1 0-20 full synthetic and use the Mobil 1 oil spin on filter. I don’t actually drain the oil 100% so putting in 6 qts is ok. I usually pay $60 for oil and filter and do the oil change myself.

 

Who makes the Mobil 1 filter? I know that the NAPA 'Gold' filters and (I forget what they're called) the 'top' filters at O'Rielliys' are made by WIX.
I'm with ya on the 5K oil/filter changes though. I'm 65 and have yet to ever see an engine ruined because the oil/filter was changed too often.