Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance How much engine oil?

Doing an oil change today and I remember on the old forums reading that many ppl are adding more oil then what was called for.. How much did you add and why the extra oil?

Going with 5W-30 Castrol-Syntec and a K&N filter.

This will be the first time I change the oil in a car myself. Any pointers for a 98 V6 mystique are much appreciated.

Cheers,
jca

When i change mine i put 6 quarts in. IIRC thats what everyone else does as well.

Ok thanks kevin!
Why is everyone over filling though?

And can anyone else confirm this number and reasoning?

If its obvious i'm sorry but again i havent done an oil change before.

Thanks again.
jca

Bad design in the oil pickup. At strong right turns, the oil pan is dry, not a good idea. I run 6.5 qts, since I autoX. No problems so far, 108k miles.

6 quarts is what I use. Some people use more (up to 6.5).

Good choice on filter. Poor choice on oil. You'd be better off buying regular Motorcraft oil. Do you know that Castrol Syntec is derived from non-synthetic base stock (and calling it "synthetic" is basically a marketing ploy)?

Make sure you drain the oil hot. Take a 5 minute drive before getting down to work. It doesn't have to be completely at operating temp, but it should warm (and not be overnight cold).

Removing the filter is going to get oil everywhere. Let as much as you can drain out of it when it first starts dripping, before trying to spin it all the way off. Less chance of dumping a bunch of hot oil from the filter all over your arms when you pull it. The oil that drips onto the exhaust manifold will burn off and smell at first after you are done - don't worry about it. Also, be careful with your hands as the manifold will probably still be hot, and you have to reach around it to get to the filter. The filter is the worst part of this job, and I curse the engine designer every time I do mine.

When installing the new filter, apply fresh oil to the gasket. Spin the filter on (it's a little tricky to get started) until the gasket makes contact with its mating surface. Then turn the filter 3/4 to 1 full turn only. Too tight and you can wreck the gasket.

Before you put the car back on the ground, and after all the oil is in (don't forget to replace the drain plug!) and the filter is back on, start the car and check underneath for drips. Let it run for a few minutes to be sure. You still might have a little dripping from the filter mess, but you want to make sure the motor isn't pissing oil from something accidentally left loose. No sense is putting the car down and then discovering it has to go back up again.

Well its just better to be safe then sorry. Also some people have had problems with oil lose when takeing a Hard right turn resulting in oil starvation. When this happens the engine locks up do to lack of oil. Hope this helps.

When you changeing you oil make sure the engine isnt to hot because the oil filter is in a bad spot and you can burn yourself on the exhaust downpipe.

Edit-Just realized Pa 3L svt beat me to it while i was double checking my post.

Originally posted by I-Dom-In-8:

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Well its just better to be safe then sorry. Also some people have had problems with oil lose when takeing a Hard right turn resulting in oil starvation. When this happens the engine locks up do to lack of oil. Hope this helps.

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I remember reading on the old forums (I really miss those!!) that at higher rpms, the oil pan is completely empty if you only fill it with the recommended quantity. That's also a good reason...

I did not know this. Scary.

In Canada it is 5.2 liters. That 0.2 of a bottle was always a PITA. So now I can use 6 liters and use the whole bottle.

Can you ever do any damage by overfilling with two much oil?

The v6 engine takes 5.8 quarts of oil in total. Most of us don't measure out the lame ".8" of a quart and just add six. I personally use 6.5 in my Mystique and have had no problems so far.

2000 Stique - V6 - 5 Speed
Mods- Exhaust

If the oil pan is overfilled to excess the oil in the pan can come into contact with the rotating crankshaft. This can casue oil frothing which is bad. The slight overfill of about 1/2 quart doesn't pose a threat of frothing.