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Does Ford have a dipstick accuracy problem?

FiSTerMr

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#21
I have never filled my car with oil to the full specs according to the manual. I usually only use about 3/4 of the approximately 5L jug. I go with what the dipstick says. You will not drain all the oil out of your engine, there will always be residual oil left in the oil lines, turbo, and all the oily film protecting your engine internals.
Exactly!
That's why people putting in 4.25 quarts are reading high on the dipstick.

The dipstick is a physical measurement, which imo is the most reliable. The spec# in the manual is from a bone dry engine.


2017 w/Recaros - bone stock
 


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#22
Exactly!
That's why people putting in 4.25 quarts are reading high on the dipstick.

The dipstick is a physical measurement, which imo is the most reliable. The spec# in the manual is from a bone dry engine.


2017 w/Recaros - bone stock
Yes I find the most reliable reading you can get is in the morning, or longer the better, when most of the oil has had time to flow back down to the oil pan. When you read the dipstick right after a drive, it'll be way off because the oil is literally everywhere in your engine and turbo.
 


HardBoiledEgg

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#23
Didn't you replace the trans already?:unsure:
It's ok to overthink things, if that's what makes you happy. Just like it's ok to underthink things. Hey, it's your money.
Yup. And the 2nd one is pretty noisy too. Getting close to the 60k mark the last one went lol I'm butting my nails as we speak about that. Thanks for reminding me
 


FiSTerMr

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#24
Yup. And the 2nd one is pretty noisy too. Getting close to the 60k mark the last one went lol I'm butting my nails as we speak about that. Thanks for reminding me
Sorry for reminding you [emoji850]

2017 w/Recaros - bone stock
 


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#25
After draining the oil, just add four quarts, and run the engine for like a minute or two.

Wait 15 minutes after shutting down the engine and then proceed to check the oil level.

My guess is that... even though the capacity in the manual states 4.3 quarts, there's .3 quarts of oil that cannot be drained (perhaps because some is left in the turbocharger?)

I only put four quarts in during each oil change and it sits perfectly level with the full line.
 


FiSTerMr

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#26
After draining the oil, just add four quarts, and run the engine for like a minute or two.

Wait 15 minutes after shutting down the engine and then proceed to check the oil level.

My guess is that... even though the capacity in the manual states 4.3 quarts, there's .3 quarts of oil that cannot be drained (perhaps because some is left in the turbocharger?)

I only put four quarts in during each oil change and it sits perfectly level with the full line.
Same here. Just about 4, sometimes a tad over. Honestly tho, I don't really measure the volume going in, just as long as I get to the FULL line on the dipstick.
 


Clint Beastwood

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#27
Yeah this forum is weird. Most here think we drive some perfect amazing car. And over think way too much. You guys would cry if you saw what I out in my car.

I've ran
Rotella 5-40 diesel
Mostly Liquid Molly 5-40 gas
Ford 5-20
Ford 5-30
Ford 5-50
Ford Diesel 5-30


Everything full Synthetic, and changed at least every 5k sometimes less

My car has 115k and car does not burn a drop of oil or smoke. Been catless since 11k and tuned since 40k roughly.

Before 1k it has six oil changes

Oil is oil. Your engine needs oil in it and that's basically all it cares about. I've been in this industry for years and I've been maintaining our fleet before I could work. Stop thinking so damn hard. Do what makes you sleep at night. Cause oil is like car politics.....everyone has an opinion and the other is always wrong.

And once again I stick to my guns. There is 0 issues with this dipstick. Go try reading the level on a 2.7 F150 or a Nissan with the VG30 or VQ35....then tell me about issues reading the stick. End thread

I mean... everyone obsesses about something. Some people obsess about boobs, or crack rocks, etc. - if people are obsessing about oil it's pretty innocuous.

Also I like the VG30 shout out - sweet motor - I preferred the VQ30 in the 4g maximas to the VQ35 but always had a soft spot for the VG30 :)
 


Clint Beastwood

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#28
After draining the oil, just add four quarts, and run the engine for like a minute or two.

Wait 15 minutes after shutting down the engine and then proceed to check the oil level.

My guess is that... even though the capacity in the manual states 4.3 quarts, there's .3 quarts of oil that cannot be drained (perhaps because some is left in the turbocharger?)

I only put four quarts in during each oil change and it sits perfectly level with the full line.
Hm. At some point I may use my oil vacuum thing to suck the engine dry and measure it lol
 


green_henry

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#29
Hm. At some point I may use my oil vacuum thing to suck the engine dry and measure it lol
I have a "fluid extractor" from Harbor Freight. It does a great job of extracting most of the oil, but I still have to drain a little bit afterwards (and, of course, even after draining it dry, removing the filter always seems to make a mess [:(]).
 


TyphoonFiST

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#35
There are Two dipsticks though that can be used...one is definitely easier to read than the other. I'm sure another member will chime in with Part#s ..I have them somewhere.
 


PunkST

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#36
^ ford may have updated the part when they went to the stupid design.
 


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#37
is there an aftermarket dipstick that is easier to read?
I use the trick with a clean paper towel. Pull the dipstick first and clean it, dip it again and on a clean piece of paper towel lightly wrap the "pill" and you should easily see where the oil level is, on the paper towel.
 


Clint Beastwood

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#38
There are Two dipsticks though that can be used...one is definitely easier to read than the other. I'm sure another member will chime in with Part#s ..I have them somewhere.
lol yeah - I know I have the newer one. From looking at pics of the two it looks like they went from "terrible" and upgraded to "bad" lol.
 


jmrtsus

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#39
The Ford FL 400S is about an inch longer so maybe it will take 1/2 to 3/4 an inch of a quart more oil. 4 quarts and a little from my filler open qt that does about 6 oil changes. Whether it is my son or my favorite shop I bring 4 qts of oil and a 400S filter and add a little oil when I get home. The slightly larger filter does not change the oil level that I can see. I do believe the slightly larger filter provides more filter area and a tiny bit more cooling. I am more anal about my oil choice than overfilling. I believe overfilling this small engine by a quart could cause a loss of power from sloshing the extra oil around in the pan. To each his own!
 


haste

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#40
There are three different dipsticks for this car as far as I know. My '15 that was built in aug. '14 has the wire braided stick with a barely readable gauge on the end of it. my '17 that was built in nov. '17 has a similar design but it is different, still hard to read. a friend of mine has a '15 that was built in april of '15 with the metal blade style dipstick, very easy to read.
 




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