It took 8.75 quarts of oil!

Yesterday I checked the oil in my 2013 Tundra 4.6L. It was at the top dot. Truck on flat surface.

This evening I changed the oil. First time I have changed the oil myself in this truck.

When I got the old oil out, of the drain and oil filter, I combined it into a measuring bucket, and it was significantly over 8 quarts. I thought that was odd, because I had recorded 7.9 quarts as the capacity including the oil filter.

I added 7.5 quarts of fresh oil and drove 5 miles. Went in a store for 15 min, came out, it was low, added some more, drove home 5 miles, parked in my flat spot, waited 10 minutes, added more, kept doing this carefully, waiting about 10 minutes each time. Finally got it exactly to the top dot. Then I carefully added up what I had added and it came to 8.75.

I did not make a mistake. I was careful to measure everything I added.

Is this normal?

Thanks!

 

The marks on the dipstick is a range. Maxing it out is likely going to put you over the spec'd amount. In my experience with vehicles so long as the oil is around the midway point between the two dots or top and bottom of the hashmarks, you're generally good to go.

Check your owner manual and it will clarify how your truck is set up and what the process for checking it is. Some vehicles say to check it cold, others slightly warm, others at operating temp. You need to check the book to know what yours needs.

 

It takes 20-30 minutes after shutdown for the oil to drain back to the pan to accurately show the level on the dip stick.

Wait an hour and re-check. You’re probably overfilled.

 

^^ What these guys said. I wouldn’t fret over it. I would drain off a quart, though; overfilled can actually be an issue. The crank and rods splashing through the oil can cause cavitation if the level is too high, which whips the oil in to a froth. The oil pump will struggle to pump the aerated oil, possibly leading to oil starvation.

 

You're way overthinking this man it's an oil change
You just added an extra .5qt + now your at max level on stick your fine
I'll bet you $5 you won't be able to see a difference on the stick 15mins vs overnight after shutdown

 

Change it again in 5k miles

 

It’s like a transmission dipstick. Some room for hot vs cold readings. Add the amount you’re supposed to, use the filter you’re supposed to. You’ll be good. As long as you’re in between the dipstick marks, you are in the appropriate range.

 

Thanks for all of the input.

I waited an hour and it was the same. Right at the top mark, which I think is fine.

I guess I was looking for someone to confirm that their 4.6L uses that much too.

But it's OK.

Thanks!

 

You should be putting in the amount your manual tells you to, not as much as you can.

 

I want to put it up to the top dot so that I can monitor how much oil it is using. Meaning, how many miles are there before it gets to the bottom dot.

 

If you overfill it, you will start saturating seals and will start leaking prematurely. I only worried 1 time when there was no oil on the dipstick. I added half a quart juat to get it to mid range amd left it alone. Checked periodically and it was within the range.

 

Fill to spec only.

 

I'm not overfilling it. I'm putting it at the top dot.

 

Best sell it. Buy a new truck with proper oil levels.

 

Are you currently burning oil? or suspect the truck may be burning oil? My '13 is as 230k miles and does not burn an appreciable amount between oil changes. As long as it doesn't drop below the bottom mark on the dipstick, you are good to go.

 

This.

 

Also this. Probably more likely to have oil level rise from fuel dilution than burn off.

 

do you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

This.

OP needs to be aware that every .5ml over the specified volume removes 50,000 miles from the engine's overall lifespan.

 

This is a saga I too experience: engine takes more oil than manual states. I will allow longer for the oil to settle and see if that affects things next time I take the truck out.

 

I haven't seen anything like this before

The OP has already received the right answers to his questions. On my 2013 Tundra 5.7 L V8 it takes quite a lot of time for the oil to return to the oil pan, so checking the oil level along the way of a long drive is not going to show the right level on the dipstick marks. Once the oil has warmed it also expands or increases in volume, so it can raise slightly above the top mark. But if you just keep on adding more oil than what is recommended in the manual, the excessive amount of oil can damage the seals and even the engine. Some of the posters responding to the OP questions have told that "as long as the oil level is between the low to the top mark, the level is fine", others have told the OP "to check the manual", and so on. All of these responses are correct.

The proper way to check for oil consumption in an engine is by changing the oil and filter and matching the total amount of oil needed for both an oil and filter change as indicated in the manual. What I do is to drive the truck for a few minutes until the engine has reached the normal operating temperatures and oil pressure shown by the gages, then park it on a level surface and leave the engine running until I have removed the skid plate under the engine, then turn the engine off, and proceed with the oil & filter replacement.

The only way for me to check the proper oil level in my truck is this way right after an oil & filter change and engine run and shutdown: I lift the dipstick by a few inches, and sometimes remove the cap of the oil port at the top of the engine, and leave them like that for about 20-30 minutes, and then return to the truck and check the oil level. When I remove the cap of the oil port I make sure to place a clean rag over the opening to prevent anything to fall into the engine. If the oil level is on or near the top mark, then I am done with it and make sure that both the dipstick and oil cap are back in place, but if I need to bring the oil level exactly to the top mark like the OP wants, I could measure and add just enough oil to bring the level to the top mark.

If trying to figure out if the engine is burning or losing oil, I just drive the truck a certain amount of miles, maybe a few hundred miles, and then check the oil level as I mentioned above, on a cold engine. Sometimes I check it after the truck has been parked for a few hours, but always after removing the oil on the dipstick for 5-10 minutes.

And there is something else to consider as follows: is the engine losing oil, or burning oil, or is the oil zipping into the antifreeze? This is at times difficult to figure, unless you can see oil deposits on the ground under the truck, or just oil deposits on the engine block, heads, covers, or oil pan, or filter housing-all which are difficult to see when on the road.

 

sounds like a lot of unnecessary steps and wasted time. you really do all that every time?

 

Let's make a day of an oil change

 

And not one word regarding blinker fluid level.

 

Every vehicle I have ever owned was filled to the top dot on the diptick. I have 5 vehicles, including a Camry with 240,000 miles. I have never had a problem..................ever!

 

I am not sure. This is my first time I'm going to check if it is using oil. That's why I want it at the top dot so that I can run it down to the bottom dot and see how many miles are in between dots.

 

When I waited 10 minutes I got the same reading as when I waited an hour.

 

The top dot is the max level and I am not over the top dot. Acceptable levels are anywhere between the dots. That's what the dots are there for.

 

So funny!