Oil Change 5.0L

[ford33]

Ok I just had a quick question. I just got this explorer and did an oil change. Read that there is a 5qt capacity, drained the oil, dumped 5qts in, and refilled my 5qt container only to find out there is only about 3-4qts in the container. This is the second time I have done this. Just wondering how much oil others are draining? I my plugs and compression are good, so I am assuming oil remains in an oil cooler or something?

Thanks

 

[Tom G]

Are you changing the filter too? 5 qt capacity assumes a filter change.

Do you check the dipstick before (and after) the change?

 

[Electrohacker]

i usually get right at 5 quarts

 

[ford33]

Yes, I change the filter also. I did not check the dipstick before the change, I checked it after and I am right in the middle of the min/max marks. I am just trying to figure out why I only drained about 4 qts. It seems a little odd.

Does anyone keep track of how much oil they drain?

 

[bluestream1]

Yes, I change the filter also. I did not check the dipstick before the change, I checked it after and I am right in the middle of the min/max marks. I am just trying to figure out why I only drained about 4 qts. It seems a little odd.

Does anyone keep track of how much oil they drain?

Every time I change my oil, I put 5 liters in, and only get 4 liters out (with filter drain) Dipstick reads near full always too

Not sure why, but it must burn some oil over the OCI

 

[ford33]

OCI??

It seems like there is something wrong if a qt is getting burned...i change every 2500

 

[bluestream1]

OCI = oil change interval.

one quart over 4-5K is normal on a high mileage engine,

 

[ford33]

I have 170k on my engine and my OCI is 2500...It just seems strange that it would go through a qt in 2500 miles.

 

[beach]

Every time I change my oil, I put 5 liters in, and only get 4 liters out (with filter drain) Dipstick reads near full always too

Not sure why, but it must burn some oil over the OCI

yeh I only get about 4-4.5 quarts out, but put 5 in and the 5th one pushes over the max line. And thats leaving it drain for about an hour and draining/changing filter as well.

 

[ford33]

Ok cool, so I'm not the only one! Is there anything I should be looking for as to oil burning? I am considering trying synthetic...but don't want to try it if I am really loosing a quart of oil. That is a lot to be loosing and have heard not to switch to synth if you are going through a quart or more of oil in between changes.

 

[beach]

Ok cool, so I'm not the only one! Is there anything I should be looking for as to oil burning? I am considering trying synthetic...but don't want to try it if I am really loosing a quart of oil. That is a lot to be loosing and have heard not to switch to synth if you are going through a quart or more of oil in between changes.

I changed to mobile 1 at 113K miles, should have switched sooner. Can noticeably tell the engine runs and revs smoother etc, I gained a couple mpg as well on average on the highway.

 

[ford33]

I'm using the Mobile 1 Clean 5000 right now. I just don't want to cause anymore issues by switching to synthetic and having it leak or something.

 

[bluestream1]

Ok cool, so I'm not the only one! Is there anything I should be looking for as to oil burning? I am considering trying synthetic...but don't want to try it if I am really loosing a quart of oil. That is a lot to be loosing and have heard not to switch to synth if you are going through a quart or more of oil in between changes.

I woud try Mobil one 10W30 high mileage oil. This should help to reduce consumption. Oil is a bit thicker and has a higher flash point.

 

[ford33]

Yeah I've been thinking about giving that a try. I am using the 10w30 clean 5000 right now. I guess it wouldn't hurt to give synthetic a try for an interval to see what happens.
I am using the motorcraft filter right now...is this filter ok to use with the synthetic oil? Should I consider a Mobile 1 filter?

 

[chapsdeva]

Motorcraft makes a good filter...I'd stick with it. If you have 170K+ and are only using a quart every 2500 miles I would not be the least bit worried. All engines wear at different rates and yours sounds perfectly normal. There are many posts on this site about synthetic vs non-synthetic....just use the search function and you will get TONS of opinions on this. I personally use it in my Ex and have been more than happy.

 

[bluestream1]

The main advantages of synthetic are extended drain intervals, better flow and low temperatures, and better high temperature stability. If you are doing a lot of stop and go short distance driving you better off with conventional oil.

Motorcraft filters are very good...