Oil Change - More than 5qt.

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Old 01-06-2019, 04:36 PM
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Oil Change - More than 5qt.

Just did my first oil change on my '19 RDX Advance.

The manual says it's 5 qt for engine oil + filter; 4.6 w/o filter. You'll need more than 5 qt. So be sure to buy at least 6 quarts; my car took 5-3/4 qt to fill.
Old 01-06-2019, 05:04 PM
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Interesting that it took that much more than called for???
Old 01-06-2019, 06:18 PM
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I'd be curious to know how those two volumes translated into dipstick levels.
Old 01-06-2019, 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Burger Steak & Eggs
I'd be curious to know how those two volumes translated into dipstick levels.
It translated to filling it about 80% up the way on the dipstick (cold). When it gets up to operating temp it's perfectly at the top hole of the dipstick. Not over by even a nanometer.
Old 01-06-2019, 08:03 PM
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So 5 3/4 qts, when at operating temp, takes you to the top indicator on the dipstick?
Old 01-06-2019, 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by securityguy
So 5 3/4 qts, when at operating temp, takes you to the top indicator on the dipstick?
Yep. Thought it was strange since the owner's manual says 5.0 qt. capacity.

5 qt doesn't even register on the dipstick for me.
Old 01-06-2019, 08:34 PM
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Did you have the passenger side jacked up, ramps, both front wheels off the ground? What was your setup? You found how to get it all out, that’s for sure!
Old 01-06-2019, 09:33 PM
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This time I decided to go old-school and just use rhino ramps, slide under the front end and take out the drain bolt & oil filter. Nothing particularly special (my garage floor is level).

I normally remove oil through the dipstick with an electric pump, and then just replace the filter. Less of a mess.
Old 01-07-2019, 02:18 AM
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Originally Posted by OliveBread
Just did my first oil change on my '19 RDX Advance.

The manual says it's 5 qt for engine oil + filter; 4.6 w/o filter. You'll need more than 5 qt. So be sure to buy at least 6 quarts; my car took 5-3/4 qt to fill.
How much oil did you drain out?
Old 01-07-2019, 06:06 AM
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From my expirence with Honda, you always need a bit more oil than what manual says if you want it filled to the full mark. The specs are written if you fill to min or mid level.
Old 01-07-2019, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by russianDude
The specs are written if you fill to min or mid level.
What??? Says who??? Please don't speak to something you know nothing about. The manual is written to take you to the FILL level...not anything lower.
Old 01-10-2019, 06:07 AM
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Originally Posted by securityguy
What??? Says who??? Please don't speak to something you know nothing about. The manual is written to take you to the FILL level...not anything lower.
I see that you know a lot about everything. For the past 3 Acura’s I’ve owned, cars always needed little more oil to fill to the full mark than what owner manual said. Maybe 1/4-1/8 qt more.
Old 01-10-2019, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by russianDude
I see that you know a lot about everything. For the past 3 Acura’s I’ve owned, cars always needed little more oil to fill to the full mark than what owner manual said. Maybe 1/4-1/8 qt more.

Yes...I do know a lot about cars and I have been an enthusiast for over 40 years but I am willing to admit openly that I don't know everything. I do know BS when I read it though and you come across in all of your posts as a "know it all" and unwilling to be open to other posts or ideas or admit being wrong. The specifications written in an owners manual is to get the levels to "FULL". Not "minimum, half way or 3/4 of the way but FULL. Your experience with the last 3 you've owned is great but please don't make general statements on the forum that are inaccurate as you have. Not looking to get into a pissing contest but when I read BS...I call it out. If you would have just stated your personal experience with the last 3 Acura's you've owned, which I bolded above, then I'll buy that. But in your prior post you said specs get you to MIN...now you say you've followed the specs and need 1/8 - 1/4 more. Very different comments in two separate posts. If you can show me documentation anywhere that says that the specs in the manual provided by engineering are to get you to MIN or 1/2 way, I will happily apologize and move on and chalk it up to a learning experience. I just hate seeing inaccurate info posted on a forum as FACT when it is not. There is already enough bad information on the Internet as it is and we should try to keep things honest. Just my two cents.
Old 01-10-2019, 07:55 AM
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We’re done talking here. Should’ve done it a while back.
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Old 02-07-2019, 07:03 PM
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I just did my first oil and filter change at 11,500 Kms ~7,100 miles. Change was done underside. The oil was warm.

Here's what I experienced.

- About 5.5 litres or nearly 6 quarts removed
- Oil seemed very thin even for a warm engine and had what what I can best describe as a slight odor of gasoline
- Added exactly 5 litres of oil and dipstick read just about full. I didn't check level before draining, unfortunately.

Curious if anyone else noticed anything odd about the oil.




Old 02-07-2019, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by wpmcmullin
I just did my first oil and filter change at 11,500 Kms ~7,100 miles. Change was done underside. The oil was warm.

Here's what I experienced.

- About 5.5 litres or nearly 6 quarts removed
- Oil seemed very thin even for a warm engine and had what what I can best describe as a slight odor of gasoline
- Added exactly 5 litres of oil and dipstick read just about full. I didn't check level before draining, unfortunately.

Curious if anyone else noticed anything odd about the oil.
Just roughly calculating
According to this https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/c...ts-d_1262.html
engine oil will expand 0.00039 per degree F, engine coolant is about 195-220f, and the bob the oil guy site says engine oil runs at about 10-15f higher then the coolant. But I have read some sites saying up to 300 degrees for fully synthetic
lets just assume the temp is about 230f for engine oil when fully heated.
At room temp of 70f lets say you have 5 liters of oil. the amount of oil you would have at full engine temp would be about 6.24% more.
5 liters + 6.24% more is about an additional .312 liters of oil. Now assume you have it not fully heated we could say anywhere between 1/3 - 2/3s that amount, so you have about 0.1-0.2 more liters of oil due to expansion
hard to say exactly, you probably had a little bit of fuel in there, doesn't take much to make it smell like gas, and the oil was expanded from heat, now if your doing this outside in cold weather that makes an even bigger difference. I would see how it changes for your second oil change and if it goes up now that the pistons rings are seated and hopefully everything is worn and seated in
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Old 02-07-2019, 11:36 PM
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Originally Posted by securityguy
The manual is written to take you to the FILL level...not anything lower.
Did you write the manual?
Old 02-07-2019, 11:50 PM
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Originally Posted by OliveBread
When it gets up to operating temp it's perfectly at the top hole of the dipstick. Not over by even a nanometer.
As someone who has made many measurements at the nanometer scale, I'd be very interested in hearing how you managed to do this...
Old 02-08-2019, 07:04 AM
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Dereileak. Thanks for the detailed explanation. The thermodynamics of fluids never even cross my mind. Good to know.
Old 02-08-2019, 03:08 PM
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I almost hate to do this, because this subject gets strangely entertaining, but I currently have access to Honda's online service manual, and here is their take. This is for 2019 Acura RDX.

BTW, the "usual" oil change is with the vehicle level. If the front is raised, you will drain more oil. ( Note total capacity is greater than "change capacity ). And if you check the level with the vehicle raised, it will be wrong.

As to whether there may be dilution of engine oil with gasoline in some cases: maybe?

Enjoy.



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Old 02-08-2019, 03:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Wander
I almost hate to do this, because this subject gets strangely entertaining, but I currently have access to Honda's online service manual, and here is their take. This is for 2019 Acura RDX.

BTW, the "usual" oil change is with the vehicle level. If the front is raised, you will drain more oil. ( Note total capacity is greater than "change capacity ). And if you check the level with the vehicle raised, it will be wrong.

As to whether there may be dilution of engine oil with gasoline in some cases: maybe?

Enjoy.



That’s great information!!!

any way you can post the transmission and differential fluid change procedures? I have a good idea how I want to do this in the future but for my warrenty sake I want to document that I followed the Honda recommended procedure for changing it in case anything ever happens and they try to come back and blame me, I am going to document each step with pictures and the manual I followed

I have heard the changes need to be done as early as 15k the first time and then 30k each time after, but who knows

i am half tempted to pay for access myself and then download all the manuals
Old 02-08-2019, 04:54 PM
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One other thing. The "check for oil leakage" is a specific procedure:

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oil_consumption_test.pdf (4.7 KB, 138 views)
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Old 02-08-2019, 05:20 PM
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What did I do? The above are for 2014 MDX ( another member of the family fleet ).

For 2019 RDX:




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Old 02-23-2019, 06:41 PM
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Just did my A1 oil change at 6,200 miles. Took exactly 5 qts. to get it back to full. The dipstick was right on the full mark prior to drain. Method was typical drain plug removal and filter replacement, passenger side jacked up.

Disclaimer- I had done an oil change at 3200 miles (suction pump), no filter change.

Last edited by Master47; 02-23-2019 at 06:44 PM.
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Old 03-10-2020, 07:17 PM
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My 2020 RDX needed 5.25qts to get to full mark after filter change. Car WAS setting level.
Old 03-22-2020, 11:13 PM
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Originally Posted by OliveBread
... The manual says it's 5 qt for engine oil + filter; 4.6 w/o filter. You'll need more than 5 qt. So be sure to buy at least 6 quarts; my car took 5-3/4 qt to fill.
No, I won't need more than 5 qt since the people who built the engine say I should use 5 qt.

Having worked closely with engineers, I've learned to trust their intimate understanding of the things they build. Their procedures are based on math, science, training, and testing. Will 5.75 qt harm the engine? I don't know. But I do know they spec'd 5 qt for a reason.

Your money, your car, your choice. The same for me.
Old 03-23-2020, 04:57 PM
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and what do you do if after putting 5qt its still under full?
Old 03-23-2020, 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by russianDude
and what do you do if after putting 5qt its still under full?
Personally, nothing. If Honda believes the engine needs 5 qt to be optimally protected, I'm not worried.

Maybe the indexing on the dipstick is off? Maybe the seating gasket at the top of the dipstick is not set properly? Maybe Honda is allowing for some obscure variable that may increase total crankcase content? That's why they spec an amount, to eliminate end-user guesswork.

I get concerned when people recommend disregarding procedures in the user manual written by the people who build something. If I'm changing the oil in my car and engineering teams from Honda Motor Co. say use 5 qt, but someone on the internet says 5.75 qt, who should I believe? My response to that goes without repeating.

But my opinion is my opinion. Everyone else will certainly follow their own beliefs.


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Old 03-23-2020, 06:59 PM
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Have you ever left drain bolt open for few hours? A lot of drips will come out for a long time. When you do regular oil change, dealers only wait 5min max?, which brings me back to a question of when Honda wrote the manual, how long it’s expected to drain? 2min vs 2 hours, the difference will be noticeable.
Old 03-23-2020, 08:06 PM
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Typos in manuals don’t exist. You’re giving engineers a lot more credit than we deserve Lolll
Old 08-09-2020, 01:54 AM
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Originally Posted by DJA123
No, I won't need more than 5 qt since the people who built the engine say I should use 5 qt.

Having worked closely with engineers, I've learned to trust their intimate understanding of the things they build. Their procedures are based on math, science, training, and testing. Will 5.75 qt harm the engine? I don't know. But I do know they spec'd 5 qt for a reason.

Your money, your car, your choice. The same for me.
Maybe the indexing on the dipstick is off? Maybe the seating gasket at the top of the dipstick is not set properly? Maybe Honda is allowing for some obscure variable that may increase total crankcase content? That's why they spec an amount, to eliminate end-user guesswork.
The components especially like a dipstick -- a tool used to measure an important aspect of your vehicle goes through QA.

I have full access to the Acura backend -- like see that A [40 (30)] that means the torque spec for that drain bolt is 40 Nm or 30 ft-lb. This is literally from the Honda Service Manual for the '19 RDX. The actual capacity is closer to 6.3 US Quarts, and not 5.0 US Quarts via the manual. Even it asks for about 5.1 US Qt. Most likely done level on a lift.

If you're using ramps like Rhino Ramps and your vehicle is angled of course it's going to drain a bit more oil. Just follow fluid out = fluid in... and follow the tools your car has to let you know if you're within spec. That's what the dipstick is for. I don't know why you're even trying to argue against using a dipstick and even having some common sense of having some extra fluid just in case.

Like you know when you go to change say your differential fluid it requires 2 qt, but always have 3 qt just in case.




Anyways, follow the dipstick or follow fluid out = fluid in. There's a reason it's called to check your dipstick. The worst thing you can do is not follow your dipstick and have low oil. Oil is what prevents metal to metal contact on your engine parts so it's important to have that.


Last edited by OliveBread; 08-09-2020 at 01:57 AM.
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Old 08-09-2020, 02:33 AM
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Also, the manual says do the oil check via the dipstick and ADD MORE OIL IF NECESSARY during the oil change. Sheesh. Anyways, I'm done with this.

There's a reason a dipstick is part of the vehicle. It's a measurement tool.




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Old 08-09-2020, 02:51 PM
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It probably makes sense to buy 6 qt in case you need a bit more to make it to full mark.
Old 08-09-2020, 08:17 PM
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The morning after we drove our new car home I checked the oil with the engine cold and it was right at the full mark. A few days later I checked it per the manual, 3 minutes after shutting off a warmed up motor and it was right at the full mark. I drove the car up on ramps last month and drained the oil, changed the filter and refilled with a 5qt. jug of oil. That brought the level to right in the middle between add and full, it didn't take much more than a pint to bring it up to the full mark.
Old 08-10-2020, 07:03 AM
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Everyone is checking with the car level, right? If you use ramps, remove the car off the ramps and give a few moments before checking the oil. I've done 3 oil changes in 10k miles and every single time 5qts has brought it to just a touch under the full mark (perfect).
Old 08-10-2020, 07:14 AM
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What is the expected drain time as per manufacture? Is it 5min or 1 hour? I let mine sit for 1 hour, it continues dripping for a long time
Old 09-13-2020, 02:16 PM
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I can confirm that it took 5.6qt to fill to full including oil filter. And yes, I did warm up engine to full operating temp on level surface, turn off, waited 2 min and check many times.
I think on jack stands more oil comes out because nose is lifted up. I also left car drain for 1 hour, it kept dripping for long time.
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Old 10-19-2020, 07:28 AM
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Wanted to follow up on this, about 1000 miles later after I set my oil level perfectly to a full mark (5.5qt), I noticed the oil level went up by less than 1/4”. I pumped out excess oil to bring it back to full, maybe got 1/4qt.
It did not raise before the oil change. My driving habits maybe changed and its more short trips now. Also, its 0w-20 mobil1 EP, but dont think its related to kind of oil. Did not smell gasoline, and oil was not milky. Looked normal. Wonder if it gained some water and some gas.... hmn. If it raises again, might have to change oil sooner because the viscosity is probably getting diluted.


Id recommend keeping an eye on your oil level if you do a lot of short trips.
Old 10-19-2020, 03:42 PM
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I wouldn't blame the oil. You could have fuel dilution, but with it being noticeable on the dipstick, I'd think you'd be able to smell it seeing as gasoline is quite pungent. I dunno ... there's variance between cars, so my car takes 5qts and it fill its up to the full mark every time, and I drain mine on ramps. If you're concerned about fuel in the oil, you could send it out for a used oil analysis to see if there's fuel ... but again, I'd think you'd be able to get a whiff of it. Try filling with only 5qts next oil change and see what happens. Being between the low and full mark is still within spec.
Old 10-19-2020, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by leomio85
I wouldn't blame the oil. You could have fuel dilution, but with it being noticeable on the dipstick, I'd think you'd be able to smell it seeing as gasoline is quite pungent. I dunno ... there's variance between cars, so my car takes 5qts and it fill its up to the full mark every time, and I drain mine on ramps. If you're concerned about fuel in the oil, you could send it out for a used oil analysis to see if there's fuel ... but again, I'd think you'd be able to get a whiff of it. Try filling with only 5qts next oil change and see what happens. Being between the low and full mark is still within spec.
yeah, I drained some to be back to full mark. Will see if it raises again. Could be fuel dilution, my sense of smell is not the best. If it goes up again will send for analysis. Maybe thats why they only want you to put 5qt is because they know it will increase in volume due to fuel dilution? They say 2-3% is normal
I used floor jack in the front middle, should be similar angle as ramps.


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