Originally Posted by
onehundred80
I run the driver side wheels onto 2 x 4s and use a topsider. I get the car warmish and siphon out what I can. I leave it overnight and siphon once more. The filter is out of course. I then add 8 litres and run the end then run the engine for five minutes or so. The level of the dip stick is very slightly (1/16”) above FULL, nothing to worry about. We must remember that some oil remains trapped and some still lies on the flat surfaces.
If you do not drain it all you can expect the level to be high if you add what they say.
Just remember the filter holds a fair amount of oil that will drain back raising the level some as will the oil under the valve covers etc. As long as the overfill warning does not come up you should be OK. But you should keep below that and go by the dip stick. In all honesty it hardly matters if a pint of old oil is still in there, unless it looks like tar.
I change my oil and filter at 2,000 miles or so, doing as it says in the handbook is stretching it.
Thanks for the advice, sounds like a good plan.
But with the tools and location I have, I decided on my next oil change to still use the front ramps, but since my driveway is at a slight angle, it will actually push the oil back and to the right closest to the drain bolt. This will pool the oil where I can easily siphon it out with my siphon pump.
It should only take a couple of minutes more and will likely drain more oil than leaving it level, since the drain bolt is raised higher than the drain pan bottom, having it level will mean any oil below the bolt hole won't drain. But pooling it to the back, it will be easier to get to with my siphon pump.
As you said though, that extra oil doesn't really matter, especially with an engine with 8.45 quart capacity. Even more so since I only average 2,500 miles a year on the car, and do an annual oil change. I just really like getting most of the oil out, leaving 17% of it there does irritate the OCD in me.