Does anyone have problems with their oil level? I have 02 TL-S 68k miles, the manual says 4.6 qts of oil, and I put exactly that much. but my dipstick is showing it over, by a lot i think. Its about half of the spacing between the dots ABOVE the top dot.
I change oil regularly at 3k, check dipstick on level ground and such....
Anyone have any suggestions??
Much appreciated

 

A different size of filter could account for that . Just unscrew the fiter drain off the oil that is inside. Screw it back on. Check oil level.

 

Did you make sure to change the filter and drain ALL the oil out? I stick 5 quarts in every time and its right to the top of the full dot.

 

Did you check it after it had recently run?

Let it sit for a while, like overnight and check again.

 

i didnt know you could use different size filters. i use the size in the catalogs at stores. so removing the oil filter and draining would just empty some right?

 

yea i change oil with a warm engine and replace filter everytime too....i bought the car about a year ago, changed oil twice, and twice its happened.wow you make it to 5 qts?!

 

i've checked it a couple hours after runs, overnight, same deal.

this isn't the first time, and I'm worried because i notice that for the first couple hundred miles after oil changes, the engine is a little slow to start-up (I'm not much of an enthusiast as most here, but maybe the oil is too high and the starter is have trouble turning the crank when the oil is new?)

I'm close to another oil change. should i go with 4 qts and check? Or would this cause problems?

And thanks for the replies everyone!

 

If you have to remove some, use the drain plug to do so, a lot easier and cleaner. I woulnd't drain through the oil filter, it would be a mess. You don't need to warm up the car to just drain a little. warming up is good when changing all the old oil.

 

Drain some through plug. I put about 4.5 in mine and its right on. I throw in four, a new filter, start it up, drop it, and then check oil and top off.

 

I always put in 5 quarts and the level is about 3/8" above the full mark. Doesn't hurt a thing.

 

I would rather run with it below the full line than above. 3/8" is probably half quart over, being that I am sure that the 1qt indicator is just shy of an inch

 

Why is that? 3/8" on the dipstick is not 3/8" in the pan since the dipstick goes in at an angle. I guarantee that you could go 1" on the dipstick without a problem. The crank is usually well above the oil level, the main seals are at the crank centerline. What would the problem be? There are many pluses of running it high as long as it's not too high.

I'm not trying to come off harsh, just wondering what the reasoning behind running it under vs over. My main reasoning is I commute and I run it a little high in hopes that it might knock down oil temps a little.

 

Well, main seals surround the crank, so a bit lower than centerline. Regardless, If you figure that the one quart indication, for sake of argument, is 1", then you are running 3/8 qt high. This stands to be a pretty close determiniation. There is no bend in dipstick at the level of your "crosshatches" or within the few inches above either. There is no reason whatsoever that you are safer running it high. There is also nothing wrong or unsafe about running it a half quart low. Oil level in pan is higher and I have seen front main seals go due to less than 1 qt. over.

So, I don't feel like pushing luck ESPECIALLY when there is absolutely no gain to it. If you are pulling in excess of 1g in lateral accelleration, by all means mess with the oil level to make sure your system stays primed and pumping. But, if this is the case, please put a racing pan on with the proper baffling to keep the oil where it should be.

No reason to run it high. No reason not to follow the indications of the dipstick

 

I think this is probably the best thing to do since I'm close to an oil change. And I'm learning so much from the posts!

But does anyone have an idea why I'm so much over with 4.5 qts? Could it be a problem with the oil pan or is this just a one off case?

 

cause you have 5 qts in it now! and maybe the smaller filter size too

 

What I meant about the dipstick is it enters the oil in the pan at an angle, not that it's bent. That's why it's not a 1:1 ratio between the oil in the pan and the level on the dipstick. There's nothing wrong with it being in the crosshatched area or a little over full. The crank counterweights would whip it into a froth long before it touched a seal.