Well said, and thanks for setting the record straight. We have been programmed to believe that the 'range' is between the marks, the marks meaning 'full' and 'add'.

I believe what Ford published in my manual (6 quarts), but I still wonder why they didn't calibrate the stick to eliminate the confusion?

I'll still maintain my 6 qt fill of Mobil 1 05w-30 and check the level frequently. I also believe that any more is a waste.

Take Care

 

Uh, the oil consumption issues have been basically along two lines, those of us who use dino oil and have almost or NO consumption, and those with synthetics...

The synthetics have a "volatility" which is where some of the oil actually evaporates off... on the Amzoil site, figures they have for it compute out to something like 1/2 qt between changes for Mobil 1. Depending on heat, of course.

There are people with oil consumption using dino oil - but someone here just talked about fixing his PCV system and oil consumption dropping drastically...

I AM rolling my eyes at the dipstick thing - today with manufacturing processes being what they are, I doubt there is any fluctuation in dipsticks. Witness the many people on here who say 6 qts is right in the middle between FULL and ADD - and 6.5 brings it right to FULL. That doesn't sound like much fluctuation in V10 dipsticks

Answer this: Where did you get the information that dipsticks can't be calibrated correctly by Ford?

 

My 05 manual on page 284 states for both the 5.4 and the V10 an oil/filter change takes
7.0 quarts or 6.6 Litres so Ford has made a change. I have serviced my own vehicles for the last 38 years and posts like this make me so glad I do. I know exactly how much oil is put in the vehicle because I am the one that does it. Dipsticks are and always have been for reference only because how many people check their oil on a 100% level driveway.
When you add the right amount of oil , you check it where you park normaly , you know approx. on the stick where it reads............simple. Even the Ford 05 manual states on page 253 and they highlight this. If the oil level is BETWEEN THE MIN AND MAX marks DO NOT ADD OIL. This proves what ChipnDales states is correct. The dipstick is not a precise measuring guage. It is for reference only. Wrench

 

Where I park, my dipstick always reads approx 1/8" down form the top mark. That is my reference point.

 

Wrench,

Is that 1/8" down using the complete 7 qts?

Thanks,

 

Yes , a full 7 quarts and dipstick pushed in all the way before reading.
Also, my driveway like most, is on a slight grade to allow water to run to the street. I live on Vancouver Island, monsoons in winter , paradise the rest of the year. Wrench.

 

Be careful proving things with indirect evidence

It's more for the different times people check their oil. Granted, some variability will appear in the length of the dipstick but I can't imagine it's enough to throw off the measurement by more than 1/2 qt.

Think about it: One guy does it when he pulls into the gas station. The other (like me) checks it cold, after all the oil has drained back into the pan. With both people using 6 qts, they will get different levels. Are the dipsticks different lengths? Nope, but all the oil is still up in the head when you pull into the gas station

The newer motors probably has a different pan, bigger oil cooler, or something... 3-valves is more valvetrain, maybe they wanted more oil.

 

I don't have to prove anything. Ford does. That is a direct quote from from page 253 of the 2005 F- Series Super Duty Quide. If we can't trust this what can we trust. The angle a vehicle is parked on , the fact that oil can still be draining are both good examples of why a dipstick is for reference. Bulls eyes on pumps are the same. Anything that holds oil for lubrication is made with leeway . If you want to believe the dipsticks are made to a 0.0001 " tolerance, fill your boots.

 

LOL! I think the "indirect" part was for the "ChipNDale" part... LOL!

 

Laugh if you want, its not that the dip sticks are not all the same lenght it's the dip stick tube that may or may not be seated into the block all the way all the time, think about it.

 

I never said that, stop exaggerating ... I doubt there can be much more than .1" of a difference in tubes, dipsticks, whatever. There was one instance of RV's having the wrong length dipstick, but that's another topic.

Ford's documentation is known to be wrong once in a while. As well as their mechanics, engineers, marketing people, salesmen, you name it. I take everything Ford writes in manuals with a grain of salt, as in I make sure for myself ...

Wrench, you have a 3-valve, right? What does the owner's manual say for oil capacity?

 

Haven't checked it myself, but I can't imagine that by the time you get out of the cab, grab a paper towel, open the hood, pull the dipstick, wipe it off and shove it back in, there's an appreciable amount of oil left in the heads. After all, it has to gravity flow back into the pan at least as fast as the pump is flowing or the pan would soon be empty. When I have some time to kill I'll see how much difference it makes measuring immediately after shutting down versus 10 minutes, 1 hour, overnight, etc.

 

It does make a difference... I've checked, and it's something like 1/4 qt or more between "just been shutdown" and an hour later.

 

Yea but, what about the, well when does the, who said the, ????

OK, .01", 1/4", differences in length yes, but you pull in to fuel up, and pull the dipstick, does anyone add a tenth of a quart ? A quarter of a quart ? A 20th of a quart ? How much oil is .01" on the dipstick ? So miniscule variations in a dipstick probably don't matter when I check my oil, if it's half a quart or more low, I add. If it's 15/32 of a quart or less low, I wait. Oil always takes a few minutes to drain back into the oilpan, so to turn the engine off and run around to check will result in a lower reading. I stop, pop the hood latch, get my credit card out, get the nozzle in and going, warsh (a Wash state thing, don't ask) the winders (a Tennessee thing) and then open the hood, check everything out and finally pull the dipstick. I still know that some oil is on it's way down to the pan. But miniscule amount of dipstick length, or oil measurements shouldn't upset anyone, can't we all just get along ? Peace! And I MEAN IT !!

 

Krewat, see my new post, Ken is the guy exaggerating dip stick sizes.
The 05 manual shows the V10 and the 5.4 now taking both 7 quarts for an oil/filter change. I apologize for my little comment and thanks for being a good sport about it. I started a new post to see if there are any real changes in the 3 valve oil pan or dipstick. Take care, Wrench.