I change my engine oil about every 3000 miles. I always use synthetic oil, as I don’t want sludge building up.
The problem is: the manual says I must put in 5.4 quarts of oil if I am changing the filter, which I always do. But if I put in that amount, the dipstick reads WAY OVER the Full line. I don’t want to blow out a head gasket, but I don’t want to run the engine without enough oil. So I fill it up to the Full line, which means I only put in about 4.5 quarts. Aren’t dipsticks supposed to be calibrated to the engine’s amount of oil? (the dipstick is the original one that came with the engine.)
I agree with you—they should match what the manual indicates the capacity is. Assuming you’re checking the oil when the car is on a level surface, the only thing I could think is that perhaps the anti-drainback valve in your filter isn’t working well, and the dipstick is measuring oil that drained out of the filter back into the oil pan. There was another poster on this forum where exactly that was happening. (I think he had a Toyota too)
You could try changing your brand of filter to see if another keeps this from happening. (I’d use a Wix or Purolator myself, and avoid Fram) If it still reads high, maybe a compromise would be in order–put in 5 instead of 4.5 or 5.4. A half quart or so either way shouldn’t be enough to either starve the engine or cause foaming.
When are you checking the oil? If you drain oil & filter and then refill and check before starting then it will appear to be overfilled.
If 5.4qt overfills it by the dipstick even after you’ve driven it, then I would go by the dipstick. If you’re off by half a quart in one direction or the other this is not a bod deal - but I would err on the side of half quart down rather than half quart over.
I Don’t Know A Toyota Tacoma, From A Schwinn Aeordyne, But You Forgot To Give The Car’s Model-Year. Please Do. Sometimes It Matters.
Interesting Links:
http://boardreader.com/thread/2_7L_2009_Tacoma_oil_capacity_e4nbX6qat.html
CSA
How about making contact with Toyota some way and asking them to verify just how much oil the engine is suppose to hold? Myself I am a “get data from manufacture and mark stick” kind of guy. I wonder if there is a TSB about this inaccuracy?
Are you sure you are reading the owner’s manual correctly? Sometimes it will list different oil capacities for different engine configurations. If you are reading it correctly, are you sure you have right owner’s manual for your vehicle?
If I were a betting man, I might be willing to bet 5.4 quarts is the capacity for the V6 Tacoma, and you have a Tacoma with an I4 engine.
BTW, if your engine is one of the sludge prone engines, I would use synthetic oil and change it every 5,000 miles. If your engine isn’t sludge prone, I would use regular oil and change it every 5,000 miles. In my opinion, you are wasting your money.
I didn’t put down the year of the truck because the website’s box didn’t provide a box in which to do that.
My truck is a 1999 Toyota Tacoma “Pre-runner”. Automatic, two wheel drive, 180K on the engine.
I had no idea there was such a thing as a 'anti-drainback valve". I change the filter every time I change the oil. I change the oil in my garage, on a flat surface.
I’ve always used Fram oil filters. Maybe you’re right, I can try something else.
What I’ve been doing, is going by the dipstick rather than the manual.
I don’t mean to whine, because I’m a solid Toyota fan and always will be. But it is almost impossible to get someone from Toyota Corporate to answer a question. One is always referred to a dealer, and the reasons I don’t take my truck to the dealer are 1.economical (I can’t afford them) and 2. I don’t like being lied to just because I am a woman. I know how to do maintenance on vehicles and resent being told by a dealer that"They all do that." 3. The local Toyota dealer parts shop on at least two occasions has sold me the WRONG parts.
So I stay away from the dealer. I am lucky in that I patronize a fabulous mechanic in town and he is professional, capable, and honest. And yes, I will tell you his name if you wish.
I’m with Whitey on this one. I have a 2000 taco v6 and it takes about 5.5qt each oil change with filter. You don’t state whether it’s the 4cyl or 6cyl but it sounds like that’s the case.
Oddly enough, the prerunners and 2wds I4s have a higher oil capacity than the V6 4wd. I guess because there’s no front diff in the way. So I take it back.
I have a 2002 Tundra 6 cylinder. When I change the oil & filter it always fills up with a half quart less than the manual says it holds. It’s not for lack of draining enough oil, because I always let it drain for at least an hour.
Are you measuring the level with the car is level. How long are you waiting after filling and before measuring?
I always check the oil level on level ground after filling and then running the engine and I wait at least 10 minutes to check the oil. I then check again for the next couple of days and the level never changes. It has always been that way.
I change my oil every 6 months and the oil level has never gone below ‘full’.
You have a 12 year old truck wih 180,000 miles so you are obviously doing things right. I have a 1978 Oldsmobile with 240,000 miles that I purchased new. I think that the dipstick has always been off by 1/2 quart. I do what you are doing. When I change the oil, the dipstick always reads full when I have put in 4 quarts. The engine specifies 5 quarts. I start the engine a let it run a few minutes while I check for leaks. I turn off the engine and let it sit for 5 minutes. I recheck the oil and and 1/2 quart. That always brings it up to the full mark on the dipstick. I keep the other half quart in case I have to add a little oil between changes.
I have a friend who has a Mazda and when the dealer changes the oil, the dipstick always indicates that the crankcase is overfilled. He makes the dealer drain out some oil unti the dipstick reads correctly. I think engines have some tolerance to being somwhat overfilled. My wife drove a Ford van that our church had rented from Rent-A-Wreck for a 1000 mile round trip to take youth to a work camp. Our minister drove in a separate vehicle. On the dashboard of the rented van was taped a big sign that said “Check Oil at Every Fuel Stop”. Our minister checked the oil at each stop and added a quart. When the group arrived at the destination, my wife checked the oil and found that it was overfilled. She took the van to a service center and they drained out more than a quart of oil–the minister misread the dipstick. Apparently, no damage was done. She checked the oil at fuel stops on the way back and found the van didn’gt use oil.
Take time and put him in Mechanics files on the Car Talk home page. That way he gets continuing credit from you for his good work, and possible references when someone needs a good, professional mechanic.
The oil filters that the dealer uses are made by Purolator. They have the anti-drainback valve and are generally available as easy as the Fram filters. I use Purolators in all my Toyota’s.
What does your Tundra have to do with the OP’s Tacoma?
Why are you answering questions being asked of the OP? Mr. Meehan was responding to WMeadowlark, not you.
WMeadowlark here. I will clear some things up. My vehicle is a 4 cylinder, automatic, 2 wheel drive Toyota Tacoma “Pre-Runner”. The engine is a 2Z or a 3Z, I cannot remember which. I use a Fram oil filter that I change every oil change. I change the oil on a level pad in my garage. I drain the oil, refill up to four quarts, and then put some in, check the dipstick, put some in, until the dipstick reads Full. Because I’ve known about the Toyota’s propensity for sludging up, I’ve always used synthetic oil (Castrol 5W-30)
I am the original owner. The manual is the one that came with it. The manual has THREE different types of measurement, that being Liter, Imperial Quart, and Quart. I go by Quart, and it says, 5.4 quarts.
I have always gone by the dipstick, not the manual. It’s just in the last couple months that the truck has started using oil, and that’s what tipped me off to the discrepancy between the dipstick and the manual.
This past weekend, after changing the oil and putting in five quarts, the dipstick read a little over Full. I checked the oil level after driving fifteen miles and the level had not changed.
So, thank you, everyone for answering my question. I will go by the dipstick, just as I have done in the past.
He was probably checking the oil before it had a chance to run back down into the pan. Always best to fuel up first, pay for your gas, & then come back & check oil.