[hiker]

Hello 2007 Focus owners. Where should the oil level be on the dipstick with exactly 4 1/2 quarts? Jiffy Lube just told me that they added exactly 4 1/2 quarts and the level is just below the MAX circle cutout. Conversely, I recently had a Ford dealership put in exactly 4 1/2 quarts and the dipstick read right around the A on the dipstick where it says MAX. The Max circle cutout is lower on the dipstick than the actual words that say MAX. The cross hatch pattern for acceptable level is between the two circles for MIN and MAX.

So if 2007 Focus has exactly 4 1/2 quarts oil---where will the oil read on the dipstick? Should it actually be above the MAX circle cut out like the dealership says or should it be right at or below the MAX circle cutout like Jiffy Lube says?

Thanks---hiker
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[Elizabeth]

My bet is that exactly 4.5 quarts of oil are at the top of the hatchmarks.
Now one thing is the oil that was drained did not exit the engine 100%.
Some of it stays behind. And the person doing the change may stick the drain plug back in faster than someone else would. So the added dripping could be as much as a few ounces, PLUS what is up in the engine. If the engine was just shut down, and withing thirty seconds the plug pulled, and resealed as soon as the main flow stopped. i would bet a teacup of oil could be left behind. (third pint?)
So it just seems IMO you are overly worried about it or something..

 

[hiker]

Thanks for your help. I see your points. Most of the time, even if I say just put in 4.5 quarts, the ford dealerships put in so much oil that it is past the hatch marks and usually reading on the word MAX itself. It is often past the circle cutout and hatchmarks at Ford dealerships. I have heard that many oil changers just dump in 5 quarts (if using bottles)---they justify this by saying "a little over wont hurt" and "you paid for 5 quarts so we give you 5 quarts".

My next change I will do myself to see where it is on dipstick. I'm not sure who to believe now, Ford, Jiffy Lube, or my own dipstick.

thanks---hiker
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[drostedrummer89]

They are right, 5 quarts won't hurt. Especially if you burn oil, it means you can go a little longer before having to fill it.

Like Elizabeth said, there are alot of variables in the dipstick reading. Engine and ambient temperature, how long you waited to check after turning the car off, if vehicle is level, even which way you put the dipstick in. If you know for a fact that it has 4.5-5 quarts, your good.

Matt
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[Miller88]

There are a million things that could cause that (well, not really).

The place with the higher oil level ...
- May have used a bigger filter
- May not have let it drain out all the way
- May have put a bit more in
- Dipstick might not be in right.

 

[sailor]

Overfilled is as bad as under filled (I can give the details if you are interested).

That said, there is a quart between the full & low marks, so you've got some "wiggle room".

For the sake of speed, MOST oil change places do NOT follow the proper procedure to get it EXACTLY full.... They just put in the specified amount, and as long as they can show a dipstick that looks "full", the customer is happy....

I've worked on a FEW vehicles in my career that CONSISTENTLY showed exactly full when the specified amount was added, and when it was an even number, that made changes on THOSE easy! It's NOT common, and as mentioned - small variations can throw it off easily. VERY few vehicles take EXACTLY the specified amount, so to "get it right" - you need to underfill a little, run it, let it set a minute, THEN top up to the "full" mark.

Take care,

Sailor