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how many quarts of oil ?

80K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  BLCKFLSH 
#1 ·
Excuse me if there is a better way to research this..

but for my 2003 4 cyl, how many quarts of oil is recommended ?

Thanks!
 
#4 ·
Actually there is a better way: user manual
 
#7 ·
I agree, it's better to be a hair under than a hair over. When the oil is over it tends to get bubbly which isn't good. We run the Spec Racers at the low mark all the time.
Bull. Many here put five quarts even in their 7th gen four bangers. Some dipsticks still read low with 4.5 quarts so they go with an even 5 to reach the top mark on the stick. Mine showed full with 4.5 quarts which is what it is supposed to take.
The danger of overfilling is from the frothing described by BullShifter. In general, it takes a lot of things to go wrong to get into that kind of mess, but I figure why take the chance? When I fill I check the dipstick and how much I put in. I don't believe I get everything out, so there is probably some residual somewhere in the engine. If I added 4.5 and the stick still showed low, I'd suspect the stick, or something else, but not how much I added (unless I spilled some.)

Good to know people routinely fill with more than the manual and have no problems. I can say I've had no oil-related engine problems doing it the way I mentioned in about 1.35 million miles on family chariots.

I just had a sobering thought: I wonder whether a heated discussion on proper engine oil fill levels is what prompted BMW engineers to dispense with the dipstick a few years back. In case anyone with clout is listening, that's a dumb idea, Honda.
 
#8 ·
I just had a sobering thought: I wonder whether a heated discussion on proper engine oil fill levels is what prompted BMW engineers to dispense with the dipstick a few years back. In case anyone with clout is listening, that's a dumb idea, Honda.
No kidding. We have one coming in tomorrow without a dipstick for an oil change. :dunno:
 
#10 ·
1/2 quart over is no big deal, many here do it on a regular basis. I DO agree that overfilling the crankcase is not the best thing but it is not as serious as some suggest. Some suggest that it will absolutely trash the engine which is total crap. Do I recommend overfilling? No, not at all but there are too many instances over the years I've been here where folks put in 5 quarts and there were never any problems. What I have a problem with is saying that a teaspoon over is detrimental..........that is total crap. All one needs to do is look back into the archives where MANY went with five quarts of oil in their 7th gen four bangers to see that it did not kill the engines.

What you folks must understand (and I mentioned this before) is that some of the dipsticks showed full with a 4.5 quart oil change and some showed the engine was low on oil. Many have not been here long enough to have seen those old posts. In short: Bring it up to the the full "dot" on your dipstick regardless if it's 4.5 or 5 quarts.
The thought that a tiny bit over what is called for will cause devastation is absurd. I speak from experience of the many years I have been here and I do not recommend overfilling unless the dipstick shows you are short after a regular oil & filter change (assuming you have waited long enough for the oil to hit bottom).............bring it up to the top dot and go on with your life.
 
#11 ·
I keep the oil level at, or just below the top line. I don't go over the line, just to get rid of the oil. Maybe going over is not going to hurt a thing, or maybe it will cause problems later on (leaks, oil pressure, ????). I prefer to let the people who go over find that out, and I'll stay out of this test.
 
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