Oil levels

[sparks57]

My manual calls for 13 quarts of oil. I use Rotella, and Rotella is sold by the gallon... so I've always just put 3 gallons in (12 quarts) so that's 1 quart under.



Is that ok? What if I put in 4 gallons? I did that one time and the oil level was still in the safe mark...



So what's better? 12 or 16?

 

[tugboatphil]

CB,



I've been doing 11 quarts with both of mine. I stop short of the third gallon and that has done it for me. Do you have a different oil pan?

 

[bgilbert]

Chris, my non-intercooled engine calls for 11 qts to the high mark on the dipstick, 9 qts to the low mark. 1 qt in the filter. Grand total of 12 qts> 11 to the high mark + 1 for filter. Buy 3 gallons=12 qts for oil change. 4qts=1 gallon. Best to buy 4 gallons, use 3 gallons for oil,filter change, and then have 1 gallon to use to top off, if any oil is used in the next 6 months or 6,000 miles. Bill

 

[RGT]

I put three gallons in the engine and fill the filter from a fourth, that leaves me with 3 qts of makeup oil and 13 qts in the engine, which is what the manual says, and that puts me right to the full mark..... but to answer your question 12 is much better than 16, you will have lots of blow by... . at 16, I think, like dpucket, I get a little more blow-by when exactly full but I don't lose a quart... I suppose the attitude of the truck and terrain driven over will affect that.....

 

[EZGZ]

Mine seems to stablize at about 1 qt low. Everytime I top it off it blows it out in a few hundred miles of highway driving.



I generally cruise just over 2K RPM.



I really don't think you will hurt anything. Just be sure to keep an eye on it.

 

[dpuckett]

On ALL of them I've had (on #6 now), I've filled the filter halfway or a little more (allows me to angle it around the air filter hose, etc), put it on, and emptied the rest of the jug and two more into the engine. After filling the filter via oil pressure, I've always been at the full mark after letting it sit for half an hour. 16 qts is WAAYYY too much. I'd rather run it a hair low than too full, myself.



Daniel