Oil Level Question

[Tungsten]

I know there must already be a link, but I cannot find it.

Had my oil changed. They put in 9 Quarts with the filter change. When I check the oil level, after the engine is completely warm, on level ground, within 1 minute of shutting it off, it shows an inch over the hashmarks. Does anyone know for sure if it is a problem for a dry sump to be over the hash marks? The dealer says it is fine. Trying to decide if I should "suck" some of the oil out or just leave it like it is.
Thanks
Don

 

[dbtgt]

When I changed mine I put in exactly 9.5 quarts (which is what the shop manual calls for) and after a 35 mile drive, the oil was right at the top of the full mark. Sounds like someone at the dealer lost count. I would check again and if over full, I'd suck some out IMHO.

 

[Tungsten]

Thanks

DBTGT,
Thanks for the info. I have heard that there is no damage done by over filling a dry sump like this one, but I just don't know.
Don

 

[Neilda]

Too much oil is bad for most engines (it doesn't compress) - however I'm not sure if the GT will vent excess somehow.

It would not be too difficult to syphon off excess oil - tube into the tank, take out a pint?

It sounds like you're measuring the oil absolutely correctly Don, therefore, on balance, taking the level down a fraction is not going to do any harm at all.

 

[fjpikul]

Use a turkey baster.

 

[Tungsten]

Oil Levels

Thanks for the advice. This is an interesting problem for anyone else that faces it. When you turn off the engine the oil in the tank retreats quickly below the screen at the bottom, so you cannot get the oil out through the cap on the tank. When you run the engine and take off the cap, oil goes everywhere......so I bought myself one of those vacuum pumps that slides into the dipstick hole and it worked like a charm.

I am to old to be this dumb!

Don

 

[AMB]

Oil Level

In a DRY SUMP SYSTEM, as long as the oil level is lower than the Vent Line, in the oil tank, it is "OK"!! The OIL is in the OIL TANK, NOT in the ENGINE !!!

AMB

 

[Neilda]

It's in the engine when the engine is running though isn't it? I would have thought that the net result is the same - i.e. too much oil in the engine.

It would seem logical that you can't overfill a dry sump - however Ford have put a max line on the dip stick for a reason I guess....

 

[Craig]

With a dry sump system there are two oil pumps, both driven by the engine. The pressure pump works just like in a wet sump engine except it take it's suction from the bottom of the oil tank in the engine compartment. It is a positive displacement pump, which mean it delivers a set volume of oil at a given RPM. So, the faster the engine turns to pump the more volume of oil thaTt is pumped to the bearing, etc. The higher volume will result in higher oil pressure as the engine speed increases, up to the relief valve setting. The relief valve is probably set to open about 75-85 PSI. When it is cold, the pressure will be at the relief valve setting at a very low RPM, even idle, depending on temp.

The second pump is a scavenging pump. It is also engine driven and sucks (scavenges) the oil from the bottom of the crankcase. It is also a positive displacement pump and is usually sized to be about 2-2.5 times the size of the pressure pump. This ensures that oil will not collect excesively in the engine. The scavening pump it always trying to pull out more oil than the pressure pump can supply. The scavening pump will suck a lot of air as well as oil. This is normal. The scavenged oil is pumped into the storage tank such that it swirls around the inside of the tank as it fills the tank. This helps to drive the air out of the oil so that the pressure pump supplies deareated oil to the engine.

Excess oil fills up the tank, and will not change the amount of oil residing in the engine while running.

Craig

 

[nota4re]

Craig,

Can you please try to be more thorough in future explanations... :biggrin

 

[Bart Carter]

I have a dry sump setup on my track car. I add oil to the tank, run some laps at full speed, and check the breather tank. If no oil has gone into the breather tank, I repeat until I see some oil in the breather tank. Then I mark where full is.

It would be the same with the GT. Oil will come out of the breather until a proper level is reached. You really can't harm the engine with too much oil, but it could get real messy. :biggrin

 

[Neilda]

Craig, that's very helpful - I wasn't aware of the technology of a dry sump system. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

 

[Gierkink]

I know there must already be a link, but I cannot find it.

Had my oil changed. They put in 9 Quarts with the filter change. When I check the oil level, after the engine is completely warm, on level ground, within 1 minute of shutting it off, it shows an inch over the hashmarks. Does anyone know for sure if it is a problem for a dry sump to be over the hash marks? The dealer says it is fine. Trying to decide if I should "suck" some of the oil out or just leave it like it is.
Thanks
Don

Don,

I've had the exact same issue and I've been told by Roush here in the UK that it's fine. They told me to check the engine when it's cold or has sat for a while when warm (not just a minute). My car reads at the MAX mark when it's cold. It's worth noting that these cars don't seem to burn oil. None. I've put 5K on mine after my first oil change with some pretty hard driving and I'm still showing no oil usage. Roush have also told me that the cars don't burn oil.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over this as it sounds like your car is fine.

I would disregard Neil's comments. I've seen him drive. He's an animal and he needs more oil than the rest of us!

Cheers,


Rob

 

[Nardo GT]

Oil

I checked my oil cold at 1,000 miles and it was at the bottom of the hash marks. However, after driving the car or letting it run.....when I would check it then it was full. Just the opposite of regular cars that are usually more full cold after running all down in the pan.. I just assumed a dry sump was different, but definitely shows lower cold for some reason. Does Ford want you to check it cold or hot? Also, I have 1500 miles now and my dealer says that it did not come with "break-in" oil so go ahead and drive to 5K miles.......I'm thinking 4k or so.......Why are all these owner's changing at 1000 miles? It has the Ford Synthetic 5-50 oil so should be good to go. I believe in changing oil, but times have changed especially with synthetic. Not wanting to over do,,,,,,just maintain appropriately.,. I have owned all kinds of cars and so far no problems. I have never chaned oil at 1000 miles in these later model vehicles. I generally use synthetic in all my drivers and change at 4-5k.....depending on how hard I drive that car. My picup gets regular oil(non-synthetic) every 4K miles and it has 168,000 miles and runs great...no leaks either. Just imo.

 

[fjpikul]

Prowler, I think if you re-read most of our posts, most of us changed the oil at 1K becasue it was FREE. The dealerships did it for us as a special offer. I don't know of anyone that turned that down.

 

[Nardo GT]

Thanks fipikul.

The original selling dealer on my car is 150 miles away. Is this a Ford promotion or is it just at the dealer's discretion? I would love to get mine changed for free of course, but don't want to drive 300 miles(round-trip) to do so. I will ask the local Ford dealer about the issue but would appreciate any input you guys have. I wasn't told of any such offer. Thanks again......Chris

 

[fjpikul]

Best as I remember, some guys cut a deal when they bought, others just had the dealer make the offer. Mine sent me a letter but I had to do it by the end of June. I was "forced" to get 1K on the odo by the end of June. I think it was up to the individual dealer to make the offer. My dealer is only 40 miles and it's a nice drive, so I love going there.

 

[dbtgt]

I think it is a Ford dealer "recommended courtesy" thing. I got a free first oil change on my F-250 (Powerstroke) which BTW isn't a $19.95 oil change either. Probably not required by Ford, but "highly recommended".

 

[Neilda]

Thanks Rob :biggrin I've seen you squeeze out trailing GT's with your last minute, high speed moves... :lol

Prowler, the handbook says change the oil at 5,000 miles, however there's no harm - indeed it's quite possibly advantageous - to change the oil after the first 1,000 miles.

The handbook also says check the oil level when the engine is hot - within a minute of shutting the engine off. In a normal engine (i.e. not dry sump) I would always measure cold so that every drop of oil has drained to the sump and you're measuring the total oil.