Oil capacity not adding up (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
91
Location
Houston, TX
1988 FJ62 with auto transmission, pretty well stock. bought about a year ago. initially the oil level was "too high" on the dipstick, so I let some out to get it on the crosshatches. just changed the oil for the first time (we haven't put many miles on it). Only got out 1 gallon :oops:.
Put in 15W40 Delo and a Wix 51515 filter after some research on this forum. Filled to the crosshatches - still a gallon in my 2.5 gallon Delo jug. Drove it some, oil level is still good - on the high side of the hatched section. Oil pressure is OK.
Seems that it filled properly per the dipstick with only 6 quarts, and capacity should be 8 qts.
no obvious big dents in the oil pan. could my dipstick be too long? Any thoughts on how to figure this out? Seems like a bad idea to just add two more quarts and disregard that it will read high on dipstick....

thanks,
-Sammy
 
The dipstick should have a 10-digit part number on it. The correct part number is 15301-60031. There is also the tube that the dipstick fits into. This tube is just a press fit into the engine block. I suppose that could be too short--if it broke off or something. I don't have the 3FE so I don't know how long it should be.

If you didn't drain all the oil out, then you wouldn't have to put it all back in. Does the new oil still look clean or did it get pretty dirty right away? There are baffles in the oil pan, but I'm not familiar with whether they can get clogged and trap oil.

If the oil was too high when you acquired the truck, then maybe the PO knew something he didn't tell you. If you think everything is OK with the dip stick then I would start with an inspection under the valve cover. At least on the 2F the valve cover is much easier to R&R compared to the oil pan. If it looks "clean" up top, then you should not expect to see sludge in the oil pan. But that is the next step, to drop the oil pan. Maybe somebody is storing their drug stash in the oil pan!

Some pics might be helpful...
 
Last edited:
For reference, when I change my oil I use a K&N HP3001 filter and put in 7 total quarts of oil. It sits right at the top of the hash marks on the dipstick. I still have a small amount of oil consumption that I have yet to do a leakdown test and track the source of. It's decreased dramatically though since I gave the valve cover a thorough cleaning and greatly reduced the amount of oil getting drawn into my PCV system.
 
Perhaps a picture of your dipstick with a tape measure next to it would help. Funky dipsticks are not unheard of.
 
ok, here are some pictures. dipstick and the tube.
IMG_2749.JPG
IMG_2750.JPG
IMG_2751.JPG
IMG_2770.JPG
 
Not to be insulting, but are you giving a few minutes to let the oil settle before checking?
 
☝ With the same sentiment as above, was this oil change and re-fill and re-check all done on flat ground? Sounds crazy but I have seen it done before.
 
Could be numerable things from clogged oil cooler or other passages to just having an old oil pan filled with crud. If your measurements check out, and they look very close to the measurements on my 62 a place to start is the oil pan. You can remove that mutha. It's a pita but it probably needs to be re-sealed anyway. You will probably never get 8 or 8.5 quarts. I think that is a dry fill. I get about 7 give or take so you are not all that far off.
 
Its possible you have enough sludge on the bottom of your oil pan that oil capacity is limited
 
Just to remind us all - the amount of oil required to fill the engine from the bottom of the crosshatches on the dipstick to the top of the crosshatches, is something like 1.8 quarts. On most vehicles, it's 1 quart - so just note this fact. The FJ60/2 owners manual mentions this, if you have one.
 
well it just so happens that it has some drips so removing the pan has been on the list. I even bought a new Felpro gasket already. I was hoping that the switch to 15W40 might help me put off this project, but sounds like it just moved itself higher on the list. I guess I also need some FIPG. I have read through some of the posts on the various methods to get the gasket in place and it sounds like it can be a bit of a challenge.
thanks for the feedback, I'll post what I find in the pan when I get to this project.
 
well it just so happens that it has some drips so removing the pan has been on the list. I even bought a new Felpro gasket already. I was hoping that the switch to 15W40 might help me put off this project, but sounds like it just moved itself higher on the list. I guess I also need some FIPG. I have read through some of the posts on the various methods to get the gasket in place and it sounds like it can be a bit of a challenge.
thanks for the feedback, I'll post what I find in the pan when I get to this project.

Have you had the valve cover off recently? If your pan is gunked up you often see a lot of mess under the valve cover too.

Here is a random google image of someone having a bad day

1604692845914.png
 
If you have never done a F engine oil pan, it can be frustrating, especially with the arched portion of the gasket near the rear main seal, which chronically falls into the pan as you install the pan. I used tiny zip ties to tie the gasket to the pan (through the bolt holes), but others use FIP to glue the gasket to the block. There are many threads on this, so be sure to search and read them.
 
Its possible you have enough sludge on the bottom of your oil pan that oil capacity is limited
VERY possible! Not even 200K miles and my brother in law's oil pan on his 5.3L LS had about two quarts worth of hard sludge taking up space in the pan. Pickup tube almost completely clogged and everything. Absolute mess. It's why I only ever use synthetic with a quart substituted with MMO.
 
VERY possible! Not even 200K miles and my brother in law's oil pan on his 5.3L LS had about two quarts worth of hard sludge taking up space in the pan. Pickup tube almost completely clogged and everything. Absolute mess. It's why I only ever use synthetic with a quart substituted with MMO.

really important to just change your oil regularly. I know Saab experimented with high blow by piston rings as a way to increase efficiency. As a result they had very complex PCV systems and if you didn’t keep on the regular maintenance sludging was a big issue.
 
really important to just change your oil regularly. I know Saab experimented with high blow by piston rings as a way to increase efficiency. As a result they had very complex PCV systems and if you didn’t keep on the regular maintenance sludging was a big issue.
Ouch. Hard pass for me. With my valve cover finally good and clean, synthetic oil, and a PCV catch can, my system is clean as a whistle. Not even a small fraction of the oil being caught up in it that there was (I have a catch can that keeps the intake clean from PCV sludge too). My brother in law, to his credit (and I do bust his balls constantly) did change his oil regularly, but was told that LS engines don't like synthetic oil (I call BS on that one) so he's always used dino oil. Even still, tons of sludge.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom