NYC993

Supposed to be very basis but it's not. Perhaps somebody can shed some light.

So I did oil change yesterday and only about 5qrts of oil came out (3 from oil tank and 2 or so from the engine). I didn't disconnect the oil line below the small filter. I put in about 6qrts and it registers on the dip stick half way through. I just went through oil checking a few months ago. I thought just bunch of oil was left in the oil cooling part due to car not being perfectly leveled (leaning a bit forward to the left - where oil cooler is). But I read that still 10qrts or so should come out. I did very spirited drive today, the car ran fine, oil pressure is at 5 when under load and at 3 during idle. No cooling issues.

Couple questions:
1) is dip stick supposed to read oil level right away when engine is warm? I.e. I pull it out first time it's full of oil to the top of the twisted area. I wipe it and put it back. If I pull it right away there is barely any oil on it. If I let it sit of a min or so, there is some oil on it. The longer it sits the more oil it has on it. I'm not talking higher level, just more traces of oil up to certain level. Does something block the stick in the tank? I assume it's not simply sitting in the oil.

2) How does the thermostat exactly work? I know that it opens when the oil get past certain temperature so oil flows to the cooler, but where is that oil sitting meanwhile in the cooler? Could this explain shortage of oil during oil change?

3) So I want to fix the oil level gauge. For those who have done this, when engine is cold how much oil is the tank?

Thanks in advance for any info.

P-daddy

Even if the engine is cold, 9-10 qts should come out.

Paul902

Did you drain the dry sump, the tank, and both large and small filters? Does the 5q include what was in the filters, if you did drain them? Did you check the level before the oil change?

Some info here may help.

NC TRACKRAT

Re: Question #3, With engine cold and oil measuring mid-way on the dipstick, I pulled my oil level sending unit and the oil was just below the opening in the tank. If you have any concerns, use a MityVac with a Mason Jar attachment and extract a pint from the tank via the fill tube.

NYC993

Drained the tank, engine and took both filters out. Whatever was in the filters is not included (they went to garbage bag). I checked oil level 2 months ago.

First oil change I had about 7-8 quarts come out and a spilled a bunch. This time spilled almost none. Was it really that under filled?

NYC993

I assume you did this to align the dipstick and the gauge and then took oil out to have correct level. How much did you take out?

Vorsicht

Was the car fully warmed up b4 removal of oil?

You can only trust the dip stick when the engine is fully warmed and level.

IIRC, the t-stat is completely mechanical in operation. As the oil warms 2 springs coupled with a cylinder/plunger open up a path to the oil cooling lines. See items below in a red box.

Ed Hughes

Did you pull the PLUG from the engine, or the pressure relief?

Paul902

If 5q came out plus a bit in the filters and 6q went in, and you are now at the halfway mark on the dipstick when warm, idle, level, I'd say that prior to the oil change you were just near the bottom of the dipstick, or a bit less, and that for some reason not all the oil came out in the change.

Maybe this? I think Ed means the plug and pressure relief on the tank, not engine. I did that trick my first time round. Also, I would recommend doing the oil return hose in future changes as an appreciable amount comes out. If it were me, I would watch the dipstick closely now to ensure you are not burning oil faster than you think, and do a change again sooner than normal since only about half the oil in there now is new.

Addition: I forgot there was a pressure release on the engine.

NYC993

Yep, it was hot. Oil came out like water.

I assume so...the one by the left R shaped ventilation door. 2 or so quarts came from the engine. Where is pressure relief one?

Quadcammer

pressure relief is vertical in the center of the case closer to the transmission.

you would know if you pulled that cause a spring would hit you in the face.

NYC993

So when you check the stick do you see oil well? When I pull it first time, there is plenty of oil on it. But second, third, fourth time around there are just small traces of oil, it's like the system is spitting oil onto the stick not like the stick is sitting in the oil. I've been reading about making sure it's not overfilled, so I may have the opposite problem.

Ed Hughes

The plug is horizontal, the relief points straight down.

If your dipstick is wiped down, placed all the way in and then pulled and checked by laying on a paper towel to show it is seeing oil from immersion, then that is what you go by. IMO you can stick the dipstick in and get some risidual oil trace as it goes in and out when the o level is too low.

Paul902

Yes, the dipstick is notoriously difficult to read, especially with clean oil on it. Try the paper towel trick like Ed mentions, above. I agree that you can get traces of oil further up the dipstick, too, so a careful reading is mandatory.

NYC993

If the stick is actually immersed, there is no problem seeing oil on it. I experimented by putting it into can of brand new oil, and there is no problem seeing oil on the stick.

If the stick is supposed to be be fully immersed in the tank, I have too little oil. My understanding is that the oil is constantly flowing, which makes it not as straight forward.