Engine oil capacity

[Dave MacArthur]

Hey Gordon, grab another Cold One, we're just getting started. Just wait 'till the first person brings up whether or not you can get away with a little less oil if you are using synthetic! You ain't seen nothing yet!



Dave.

 

[Gordon Maney]

In the 1970's, I was a dealership mechanic in both an Olds-Cadillac and an International Harvester truck dealership. In both places, our view was that the mfr specified capacity was the rule, and damn the dipstick, as there were cars that, more often than you could guess, had the wrong dipstick.



That perspective is what I taught as a vocational automotive instructor for 14 years after that.



I just find it confusing when the literature says the oil capacity is XX quarts, and then tells me how much the filter holds, without qualifying whether the filter's oil is inclued in their system capacity.



As an aside, I think that oil (drip?) bottle on the front is a real piece of Mickey Mouse engineering. It must satisfy some EPA requirement. It is a messy pig... and yes, I think I will be putting a hose on, as many here apparently have done... .



Thanks to all who have participated in this exchange.

 

[redneckdr]

breather hose

as a matter of fact, i worked on mine again this afternoon. i now have mine dumping into the driver's side frame rail just in front of the fuel tank... ... . and yes, it's "downhill" all the way. i put a crankcase breather filter in the line, also. i'm gonna miss the Rosmella the next time i change oil

 

[Tom G]

12 Total

O. K. lets see.



3/4 to 1 quart in the filter

11 quarts in the crankcase



12 quarts total which is perfect for the 3 gallons of Rotella T I buy from Wal-Mart.

 

[Dave MacArthur]

I have always used 11. That comes to exactly the full mark on my dipstick. After 5,000+ miles between oil changes the level has always been exactly the same place (full mark). I now have ~65K miles on the truck. To those of you using 12 quarts I have a question. Does the level stay the same for the entire time between changes or does it drop? I am curious if you are getting blow by and the level is dropping.



Thanks,



Dave.

 

[roadranger]

It's 12 qts for me-- 11 only brings it up halfway between full and add.



Let's see... 11 qts for the engine block, and 1 qt in the filter... . YEP, that's 12 qts. ! Oo.



Edit-

At the first 3000 mile change, it needed one quart. Since then been changing at 7500 miles and it drops 1/8th inch below the full mark by next due change.

 

[redeye]

There must have been a change in engine oil capacity between your year and mine. Page 192 of the 2002 owner's manual says



" Fill the engine with the correct grade of new oil. The engine capacity is 10 quarts (9. 46 liters) in the crankcase and 1 quart (. 95 liter) in the lubricating oil filter. "



I know the truck is made in Mexico... but the manual is in plain english. :-{}

 

[tragicwagon]

Well here's one for ya,on the first oil change I filled the filter and it took 10qts all total to reach the full mark, drove it a couple days and checked it again, still full. I used the 10qt method for 4 changes,then decided to try 11qts like the owners manual states and forget what the dipstick read,well I put in the 10th qt it read full,put in the 11th qt and it still read full,it didnt change the dipstick level. So I now use 11qts, I buy 3gal at a time,so after 11 changes I get a freebe. ALWAYS FILL THE FILTER!!!

 

[Idaho CTD]

Crankcase vent hose

I too am truly dissapointed with the pill bottle design. My '99 had a hoses that hung just below the block and got things a little messy but this thing is ridiculous. So a couple of days ago I went to the hose supply store and got just over 7 feet of hose (for two trucks) and ran the hose over the crossmember and zip tyed the end of the hose to the bracket where the lower control arm attaches. Four feet of hose/ truck would have been a little better so the end of the hose could stick below the bracket a little more. So far just a little oil on the bracket after a trip to denver and back.

 

[MCummings]

I went by a quck lube shop to have my oil changed in a hurry and as I watched the wrench monkey put the Chevron DELO 400 in my Cummins, I said,, Go ahead and just put 10 qts this time,, I'm gonna be back in about 1,000 miles to change the oil again, and he said,, Oh,, I'll just put 12qts, but 13 qts is what I put in all the Dodge Cummins that come in hear. I said,, but 12qts is FULL. and he said, Oh, but one more quart is good for more lubrication and cooling. I was like,, SUUURRRRE,, just give me 10qts and let me be gone. He gave me 12 anyway, and I left,, feeling a little smarter, and informed than that guy about my Cummins. (Thanks to TDR)



My $. 02



Merrick Cummings Jr

 

[Steve M]

I've used 3 gallons in my '95, '98 and my '01. 5 since new. I've never heard of the first failure from having 3/8" higher oil level in the pan.

 

[redneckdr]

oil capacity

p 236 "specifications", 2001 owner's manual

Oil capacity

Upper safe mark 10 qt.

Lower safe mark 8 qt.

Capacity of oil filter 1 qt.

 

[monkfarm]

redneck is absolutely right about the dipstick not being always right. A Cummins dealer in fact told me that with my big truck.

 

[bombero]

The oil dip stick is not correct. It wasnt on my 92 . I put in what the spec calls for and the dip stick is just a check. Also I think i read a post that someome is using a Fram filter. Cumming had a warning about htose cheap filters. They were comming apart and plugging some oil passages. Use what you want but I wouldnt.

 

[TPCDrafting]

I knew a girl in college that could stretch the dipstick. She could take the chrome off a bumper too... . J/K 11 qts with one in the filter. Had been using fram, but will switch now!!!

 

[KKeen]

Has no one else had a dipstick replaced under a recall. Shortly after my purchase I was notified of a recall on the dipstick. I took it in and the tech. showed me the two sticks side by side and the full mark was a half inch different. My truck takes ten quarts with the amsoil filter, and it is just below the full mark. left to drain over night.

 

[rcolety]

Cummins did my last oil change. During the process I was called from the waiting room and a somber service manger said that my stick was not accurate. They put in 11 qts and gave me the gallon container with a qt in it. Said the extra qt would cause foaming and not to trust the full mark. Suggested having the dealer replace the stick.

 

[rashwor]

10 qts does it on the stick...

10 quarts does it on my stick, including the one in the filter for a total of 10 quarts. I remember last year on TDR, there was a thread that discussed having the wrong dipstick. I contacted Cummins and they verified that the part number of my dipstick is correct. Unless Cummins got it wrong, I am assuming I am ok.



FYI... the '92 takes an even 12 qts, but the pan is bigger too!



Just my $0. 02