Subject says it. While it was still at the dealer lot, I checked the oil in the 2003 4.2 V6 that I just bought. After 600 miles, changed the oil. Put in 6 quarts Motorcraft 5W-20, like the manual says, and a new filter. Oil level only came up about 30% of the hash-marked area on the stick.

Please explain this to a new Ford owner. Should I add more to "top off" the fill mark? What does it all mean?

Thanks much.

 

If you added the amount required in your owners manual then you should be good. The level doesn't have to be to the top of the hash marks, just in the hash marks. What was the level on the dip stick before you changed it?

 

In the hash marks is OK. I usually like to top it up, that way I have more margin for effor if I forget to check the oil later on.

Often these engines will take more than rated because often we are looking at the pan capacity and not considering that the filter sometimes takes up a quart or more. Very often the dealers add a "book" amount and assume it's good without checking the dipstick.

A long shot, but it could also be that your dip stick tube has worked it's way out of its hole. Get down there with a strong light and check to make sure the tube hasn't "walked" up a bit.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

On my 4.6, although the book says 6 quarts, I have been doing 6-1/2 in order to fill it to the top of the hatch marks. I think I've heard others say this as well. I know that it doesn't have to be completely full, but it seems like it would be better for cooling and contamination dilution.

Do we think the dipsticks are accurate?

MrBSS

 

I too have the 4.2 and 6 qts puts mine just inside the hash marked 'safe zone'. While it might not matter one bit, I always add about 1/2 to 3/4 qt more which brings it to about 3/4 to 4/5 of the way up to the full line. I have done this for about 50,000 miles (out of 76,000) and have seen no detrimental effect. My manual (and presumably yours) says you can add oil to bring the level up to the top line, so I do. I NEVER overfill. The way I see it I've got an extra 3/4 qt to disperse wear metals and heat. Probably not enough to make any difference but it causes no harm. So, I do it.
OBTW, I burn no oil at that fill level.
Brian A

 

Based on these answers, it does not appear likely that the dipstick tube has worked its way out. My experience is apparently not uncommon.

I didn't check the oil right before I drained it. I don't expect that the engine used much oil in only 600 miles of initial use. It was full to the top of the fill zone when I bought the truck two weeks ago. I mentioned already about checking on the dealer's lot. From what you guys have said, and comparing to my own experience, I'd guess that it's about 7.25 quarts that Ford installs at the factory.

It blows my whole sense of balance and confidence in Ford's specifications that what is recommended in the manual does not translate into a nice full dipstick!

 

I think it would be a good idea if the dipstick reading was full when adding the owners manual specified amount! I bet there is a Ford engineer around somewhere that can explain the rationale and it would probably make sense, but like you say it doesn't give you confidence when it doesn't reach to full mark when you've done everything by the book.

My guess is that Ford likes to overfill by a small amount from the factory, and they don't want it to look like they overfilled it. So they make the hash marks to cover the range of the factory fill, and for the owneres manual specified fill. I think they also overfill the transmission by about 1/2 quart also based upon my recent experience on my '02 Explorer. It has a unique procedure for checking for full by unscrewing a fill screw on the bottom of the pan. You are supposed to let the fluid run out until it is a drip while it's warm and idling and then you know it's at the correct level. When I did this as a test, I was surprised to find around 14 oz of fluid that came rushing out (yes I measured it). So I'm guessing that they like to specify one level, but leave in some margin for overfill. Then they do the overfill themselves which privides some margin of safety in case the owner doesn't check or change the fluid regularly.

 

It's common, and apparently has been for a long time. When I first got my '81, I noticed the first oil change that it took 7 qts to make it to the top hash mark. Since the owner's manual specified 6 qt capacity and cautioned against over filling, I kept it at 6 qt.

The next oil and filter change I added 5 qts, idled for a few minutes and shutdown. After a short wait, I checked the level on the stick. The level was between the 'A' and 'D' in the word 'ADD'. Well below the lower hash mark. I added one more qt of oil the make it 6 qt, idled, shutdown and rechecked the level. Now the 'full' level was between the 'S' and 'A' in the word 'SAFE'. Well below the upper hash mark. So the operating range is actually between the first letter of the words 'add' and 'safe' on my truck.

I thought this was just peculiar to my truck, but I have read similar comments in the forums and even from a quick lube guy who said they never fill Fords to the top mark.

I was sort of under the impression this quirk was mainly limited the the '80's trucks and had been remedied long ago.

Scott

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Nov-02 AT 08:40 PM (EST)]My manual (and presumably yours) says
>you can add oil to bring the level up to the top line, so I
>do.


Let me correct myself....I think I read that in a Haynes manual, not in my owner's manual.
Another one of those "I'm a goober" moments.


Brian A

 

My manual does not provide instructions to fill it to the line and only alludes to the full mark in this way in the section "Adding engine oil", page 224 in my book:

3. Recheck the engine oil level. Make sure the oil level is not above the MAX mark on the oil level indicator (dipstick).

In the section "Checking engine oil", it simply states, "If the oil level is between the MIN and MAX marks, the oil level is acceptable. DO NOT ADD OIL. If the oil level is below the MIN mark, add enough oil to raise the level within the MIN-MAX range. Oil levels above the MAX mark may cause engine damage. Some oil must be removed from the engne by a service technician".

So, they say don't add oil if the level is in the safe zone, but they also say don't exceed the MAX level. These are somewhat mixed messages. I don't get the impression, though, that adding enough to make it "full" would necessarily be detrimental. I still don't like it, however, that the marks on the dipstick don't agree with the stated capacity for filling.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 10-Nov-02 AT 03:18 PM (EST)]Skoop,
I understand the uneasy feeling. BUT, there is some satisfaction in knowing that if you put 6 qts in, there are 6 qts in there, no matter where it falls on the dipstick. If you know where that is, then you know if you are burning / losing oil. Likewise, if you decide to add another 1/2 to 3/4 qt. then you are still below the full mark and should be good-to-go. Either way - probably doesn't make a hill of beans difference.
later,
Brian A

edited to add:
I'll bet the reason Ford says "do not add oil" is idiot-proofing things, you know...lowest common denominator stuff. If they mentioned adding oil, somebody would add a quart even if the level was 1/2 way between low and full. They would overfill, have problems, then blame Ford. Just a guess on my part......
BA

 

I work at a lube rack and we called ford about this. All of the 4.2/4.6 and 5.4 engines have incorrect dipsticks. You should not be filling them up to the full mark. 6 quarts is what it gets. If you have a wire dipstick it should be close to the minimum mark and if you have a sheetmetal dipstick it should be half way in between. Ford has yet to rectify this problem even in the 2002 trucks. I guess they don't think its a big enough deal to redesign the dipsticks.

 

The dipstick is clearly mismatched if we expect the MAX mark to reflect full with 6 quarts.

What is more ominous or disturbing, is the fact that the oil level was to the MAX mark when the truck shipped from the factory. I say again, that that has to be close to 7 quarts, perhaps 7.25. That is an overfill of between 16-20%, based on the recommended fill capacity. Ford's warnings to their customers about overfilling the crankcase don't quite ring true considering this.

However, I didn't notice anything untoward while I was driving it initially. I changed the oil at 600 miles, about 400 of which were highway miles at 65-75mph. If it were going to foam or blow, it would have, I think. I put 6 quarts in and was alarmed at what I saw on the stick. Put in another half quart and it's still about 3/4 up the safe zone.

What a pain. Is this Ford's way of giving the braindead home mechanic an extra margin of error on an oil change? Or is it really true that they are using the wrong stick?