Only got back 4 quarts of oil after change

[Samm25]

I changed to synthetic oil at 85k miles, I put in 5.5 quarts as the manual says with a filter change. Just did my second change at 90k miles and I only got 4 quarts of oil back. Anyone get less oil back when they switched to synthetic? Wondering why I got so little back after this oil change.

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[riceandpho]

did you drain the filter too, it takes about 2 days for the filter to fully drain according to the waste recycle websites.

 

[lightfreak]

It’s common for consumption to go up after switching to synthetic. I had an Acura EL years ago that was switched to synthetic at about 100k miles, consumption went up by a quart and gradually went away after a few oil changes. It’s all the crud that’s getting cleaned off the seals and rings and such. Takes time for the conditioners in the oil to work and re-seal. You could try a different brand oil. The 30 in 5w30 is a pretty wide range, look for something on the thicker end of the scale it should help a little.

 

[firebirdguy]

do you have any visible leaks? if not, i doubt its related to the conditioners in the oil needing to "re-seal" anything... gaskets & seals are fully sealed by 85k miles... just changing to synthetic oil doesnt all of a sudden make gaskets lose their seal.

chances are the synthetic oil is thinner than the conventional oil & is just burning off or has some added blow by etc. the manual says up to 1 qt in ~600 miles is considered "normal"... that seems a little excessive to me, ive never lost more than maybe 1/4 qt due to burning/blow by. but every engine is different.

i do agree trying a little thicker oil may help with any burning that may be happening... or consider a high mileage oil that that is thicker in any given weight & helps with burning/blowby etc.

 

[MSRP.]

Same spot/level ground for draining?
If not, oil consumption is definitely signs of something going awry.

 

[Samm25]

No visible leaks or anything. I've looked everywhere and cannot find anything wrong with it. I drained the filter as well and it still only gave me right at around 4 quarts if not just a hair over. Same level ground. Just find it strange.

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[CJFONNER]

When was the last time, prior to this last drain, that you checked your oil level with the dipstick?


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[Samm25]

I check my dipstick usually weekly to ensure everything is good. Hadn't noticed anything alarming until right before I was going to change it, it seemed a little lower than usual but no lights or anything.

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[CJFONNER]

If the dipstick has been reading fairly normal and it’s running fine, I’d say don’t worry about it. Continue to monitor your oil level over time parking in the same, level spot.

One and a half quarts is a lot of oil to disappear quickly. If you’re not seeing spots on the driveway, smoke from your exhaust, or chocolate milk in your radiator - something wasn’t measured correctly or you had some bad dipstick readings. It’s a fairly difficult dipstick to get a good reading, so I typically wipe it off and re-insert several times until I have a nice crisp oil level line.




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[Samm25]

Yeah, I usually do the same. I try to measure it when it’s cold too, instead of when the engine is warm. I had noticed it kind of splattered all over the dipstick the past few times, would wipe it off and then reinsert it many times, still could never get a good clear reading.

Just worries me that this much oil is kind of vanished and no where to be found. I had a previous 195k V8 4Runner that barely used .25 of a quart every oil change.

 

[Bluesky 07]

I can’t say I’ve ever measured my used oil, which goes straight into the drain pan for recycling later. What did you use to measure it?

 

[Samm25]

I usually drain it into the drain pan and then pour the used oil back into the quarts of new oil I put in the engine. That usually gives me a good idea of how many quarts I’m getting back

 

[Lapooa_338]

Depends on how viscous the oil is when it’s drained and how long you let it sit too

 

[snivilous]

Don't sweat it. Best (and most likely) case nothing is wrong, as long as it has oil it's fine. Worst case and something happened, what are you gonna do? Prematurely replace the entire engine because MAYBE there's something wrong? I wouldn't worry for a second. Just check your oil like normal.

 

[RonJR]

I usually drain it into the drain pan and then pour the used oil back into the quarts of new oil I put in the engine. That usually gives me a good idea of how many quarts I’m getting back

Quart bottles of oil don't come from the vendor completely full. They always leave some air space to allow for expansion. If you filled them to a higher level than the vendor did, your measurement would be off. Over 4 or 5 bottles it could easily add up to a good percentage of a quart.

I'm with others; don't obsess over it. Keep your eye on the dipstick and use a more accurate measurement process next time.

The 5 qt jugs are usually marked off in qts and will give you an easier way to make an accurate measurement.

 

[Cloud9]

I only use synth in this truck because I'm keeping it forever like all my trucks. :guitar2:

 

[Bluesky 07]

I only use synth in this truck because I'm keeping it forever like all my trucks. :guitar2:

Here’s a win-win: keep your truck forever and save some money too.

From Blackstone Labs' FAQs:

==
What’s the best oil to use?
Ah, the million dollar question. We are an independent lab, so we don’t make recommendations. It has been our experience that oil is oil, and either petroleum or synthetic-based oil will work well for just about any engine.

Come on, you’re holding out on me. I should use synthetic, right?
Buddy, you should use whatever you want. Synthetic oil won’t guarantee a longer engine life any more than my eating organic food will guarantee I’ll live until I’m 90. We here at Blackstone generally use regular petroleum-based oil because honestly, it works just as well for us.
==

Your truck, your money, your call, but people who make their living analyzing motor oil say your engine doesn’t care what you use.

 

[MSRP.]

With that said, they ARE nerds analyzing USED oil samples, so they're not the type to go past their recommended OCI by more than a few hundred miles at most.
They also aren't accounting for the thousands of soccer moms that probably don't bring it in for an oil change until they suddenly remember months overdue...

 

[Bluesky 07]

With that said, they ARE nerds analyzing USED oil samples, so they're not the type to go past their recommended OCI by more than a few hundred miles at most.
They also aren't accounting for the thousands of soccer moms that probably don't bring it in for an oil change until they suddenly remember months overdue...

Fair enough, my post assumes using an oil that meets the manufacturer's specifications and is changed at reasonable intervals. If both those conditions are met, you can use Supertech dino or Royal Purple full syn and your engine will never know the difference. Again, I'm not saying performance and wear will be identical, just that the variances are insignificant b/c your oil analysis numbers will all be within specs and that's all it takes to keep your truck running fine indefinitely.

I also get the human nature part of it - look, I have to resist the urge to buy Mobil 1 b/c we all feel better using a premium product. If there was evidence to support a significant advantage, I'd gladly pay for full synthetic oil or 93 octane fuel for that matter. But rationally, I know it doesn't make a real difference.

 

[Elan750]

I loose about .5 to 1 quart every time in change the oil. some is in the filter as mentioned, But im not really concerned. It hasnt changes in the 60k that ive owned it. Now at 170k