Oil quantity issues

[BrizzoDaIzzo]

V-6 2019 Silverado calls for 6qts of oil.   
 

During an oil change, I drained all the  oil out and changed filter. Truck is sitting on level ground, and all oil was drained until the last drop came out.

I pre-filled the new filter to the top with oil, which left me with 5 3/4 ish quarts of oil.  I put the rest in the truck. I started my truck and let it run for a good five minutes or so. Shut it off, and let it sit for about an hour. I came back out and checked the dipstick
my dipstick only shows half way.  
 

I even really stuck the dipstick down in the oil and “spun“ it a few times to make sure it picked up all over. Same thing.

 

then I started thinking that Oil was not “sticking“ to parts of this dipstick. As you can see from the picture above;  there’s oil on the very top of it, but nothing in the middle section. So I tested my theory and went and stuck the dipstick in an old bottle used oil. It stuck all over it with no problems.
 

 

i’m guessing it would probably take another half a quart or so to at least to get it up to the full mark. What the hell is the deal ?

 

when Chevrolet specifies 6 quarts of oil for this engine, they clearly state that this is “with filter“.  

 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by BrizzoDaIzzo

[reeseb]

It looks to me like you are in the right range for 'full' (you are between the min and max marks) and that the oil on the upper part came from the inside the dipstick tube when you plunged it down. Add a little more if it makes you feel better, but I think you are good.

Edited December 18, 2021 by reeseb

[BrizzoDaIzzo]

Thanks for this. I guess I just figured 6 quarts would make it “full “

[M1ck3y]

I'm not sure about the v6, but manual for l86 says to read oil level when (Cold) the vehicle has sat over night, or I believe minimum 2hrs? 

 

And if your using 0w20, I've found you can't change the angle of the dipstick at all! In... Straight out, minimal movement. But your dipstick does look like it's hold's oil better than mine.

Edited December 18, 2021 by M1ck3y

[BlaineBug]

Put in 1 more quart and see how you fare.  More oil never hurt so as long as you are in the correct zone.

I assume the V6 oil pan is less deep than the 5.3 pan?  Hopefully your dipstick hasn't been replaced with the incorrect part number, either.

Edited December 18, 2021 by BlaineBug

[Supreme Pizza]

I would just run it like it is, or fill it to the top of the hash-mark. Anything in that range is safe. I would not operate the engine outside of the hash-marks though. As you probably already know, the bottom of the hash-marks to the top of the hash-marks is usually 1 quart. As far as the volume of oil is concerned, its usually an approximate, not an exact. Like, you cant  really use your oil pan as a measuring cup. Some rigs take a little more than stated, some a little less. Stuff that can effect it are things like different oil pan designs, different oil filters, oil coolers that may or may not be on your model truck, etc.

[NorthskyblueT1]

2 hours ago, Supreme Pizza said:

I would just run it like it is, or fill it to the top of the hash-mark. Anything in that range is safe. I would not operate the engine outside of the hash-marks though. As you probably already know, the bottom of the hash-marks to the top of the hash-marks is usually 1 quart. As far as the volume of oil is concerned, its usually an approximate, not an exact. Like, you cant  really use your oil pan as a measuring cup. Some rigs take a little more than stated, some a little less. Stuff that can effect it are things like different oil pan designs, different oil filters, oil coolers that may or may not be on your model truck, etc.

 

^^^This. Don't add another full quart. You might have capacity for ~ a third of a quart, maybe, if you want to top it off. But within the hash marks you are fulfilling the obligations of the warranty and the owner's manual with regards to oil fill level. Do not overfill--the manual is explicit about that.

Edited December 19, 2021 by NorthskyblueT1

[Supreme Pizza]

This is a little off topic, sorta - but I know a guy down the road that bought a brand new vehicle. He wanted to do his first oil change himself, to save money. He went under the vehicle, drained the oil, changed the filter, and then added the "specified" amount of oil to the engine. Turns out he didn't drain the oil. He accidentally drained the manual transmission fluid. Then when he added the motor oil to the engine, he did not check the dipstick - so he was driving the vehicle with no transmission oil at all, and was 6 quarts over full on the engine. Needless to say, he did not save any money doing it himself. It required a new transmission, and significant engine repairs to get his basically brand new vehicle back on the road again. I assume that he voided the warranty as well, somewhere in that "money saving" process.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Supreme Pizza

[M1ck3y]

5 minutes ago, Supreme Pizza said:

This is a little off topic, sorta - but I know a guy down the road that bought a brand new vehicle. He wanted to do his first oil change himself, to save money. He went under the vehicle, drained the oil, changed the filter, and then added the "specified" amount of oil to the engine. Turns out he didn't drain the oil. He accidentally drained the manual transmission fluid. Then when he added the motor oil to the engine, he did not check the dipstick - so he was driving the vehicle with no transmission oil at all, and was 6 quarts over full on the engine. Needless to say, he did not save any money doing it himself. It required a new transmission, and significant engine repairs to get his basically brand new vehicle back on the road again. I assume that he voided the warranty as well, somewhere in that "money saving" process.

 

Guy down the road, right...

 

[Supreme Pizza]

I know another person that had some oil change issues. She had a VW Jetta, and tried to change the oil herself to save money. She dropped the oil, changed the filter, and filled the engine with oil. She made sure to get the correct oil, and filter, and put everything where it needed to go. On the last step, she filled the engine with oil. Completely full of oil, up to the fill cap. After she started driving the car, she said that the car was violently shaking and that dash warning lights were coming on. She decided to drive it to the mechanic, but didn't make it. She blow the oil seals out of the motor, but just kept driving. The motor lost all of the oil, and locked up as she was driving down the road. A large pry bar would not turn the motor over, so that was that. She sold the car for $250 (just over scrap value, basically). She did not save money changing the oil herself.

[Supreme Pizza]

7 minutes ago, M1ck3y said:

 

Guy down the road, right...

 

 

Haha. Ya, people often say "my buddy" did it, when they were the ones that screwed up - but no, I have never made an oil related mistake.... Well, aside from spilling used oil all over a brand new cement slab that my dad's boss just poured the day before. I was 13 years old, changing the oil on my 5hp go cart, and I goofed. It was that light colored cement, the kind that they drag a push broom across while its still wet (for traction). I rolled the go cart forward, excited to drive it with the new oil - and the go-kart tire knocked the used oil container over. The black oil spilled all over the pristine brand new cement. To this day, there is a big black patch on that cement. Oops. Somehow, I did not get in trouble for it at all. I went to my dad and admitted that I had messed on the oil change and that I spilled oil. He smiled, and said let me guess, you forgot to put the drain plug in, before adding the new oil? This made me think that maybe he had spilled oil sometime in his life too. Maybe that's what kept me out of trouble.

[Z45]

It takes 6 qts, you put in 6 qts.  Why do you want to add more?  That's nuts.   Reminds me of someone I know that claimed the same problem, it showed a 1/2 qt low (he said) after he did the oil change so he topped it off. Next day he checks the oil and its showing overfull by a small amount.  I know this because he kept bugging me about it because I more or less convinced him to buy the vehicle after he asked my opinion.  Since then he is nit-picking finding faults with the vehicle that are not really faults, he is just compulsive and is checking the oil more times in a week than I do in 5 yrs.   Some oil is always going to cling to interior engine parts (ever more so with synthetics) so of the 6 qts some its not all draining back and you are over thinking it.  Sorry if that offends buy but it had to said.  Put in 6 qts and drive it. 

 

 

[NorthskyblueT1]

3 minutes ago, elcamino said:

It takes 6 qts, you put in 6 qts.  Why do you want to add more?  That's nuts.   Reminds me of someone I know that claimed the same problem, it showed a 1/2 qt low (he said) after he did the oil change so he topped it off. Next day he checks the oil and its showing overfull by a small amount.  I know this because he kept bugging me about it because I more or less convinced him to buy the vehicle after he asked my opinion.  Since then he is nit-picking finding faults with the vehicle that are not really faults, he is just compulsive and is checking the oil more times in a week than I do in 5 yrs.   Some oil is always going to cling to interior engine parts (ever more so with synthetics) so of the 6 qts some its not all draining back and you are over thinking it.  Sorry if that offends buy but it had to said.  Put in 6 qts and drive it. 

 

 

 

The only thing I'd add is, it's still important to check the dipstick.

 

For my bigger truck, I am used to buying 1 gallon jugs. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally grabbed the 1.25 gallon variety (5 quarts instead of 4, the jugs really aren't much bigger visually). Poured them in, thinking they were gallon jugs and went about my routine---until I checked the dipstick. OOPS!

 

OH, and I think all us DIYers have a story about spilling used oil

[M1ck3y]

1 hour ago, Supreme Pizza said:

 

Haha. Ya, people often say "my buddy" did it, when they were the ones that screwed up - but no, I have never made an oil related mistake.... Well, aside from spilling used oil all over a brand new cement slab that my dad's boss just poured the day before. I was 13 years old, changing the oil on my 5hp go cart, and I goofed. It was that light colored cement, the kind that they drag a push broom across while its still wet (for traction). I rolled the go cart forward, excited to drive it with the new oil - and the go-kart tire knocked the used oil container over. The black oil spilled all over the pristine brand new cement. To this day, there is a big black patch on that cement. Oops. Somehow, I did not get in trouble for it at all. I went to my dad and admitted that I had messed on the oil change and that I spilled oil. He smiled, and said let me guess, you forgot to put the drain plug in, before adding the new oil? This made me think that maybe he had spilled oil sometime in his life too. Maybe that's what kept me out of trouble.

 

Yeah I was just kidding. Thanks for sharing your stories. Suddenly I don't feel quite so bad about the oil related mistakes I've made 

[Supreme Pizza]

I pre-fill my oil filter. Then, when I add oil to my 5.3, I drop in 4 quarts, and then I start checking the dipstick for every 1/2 quart after that. I honestly could not tell you exactly how much oil it takes to fill the motor to the proper level. somewhere around.... 6 quarts I assume? Once it gets up to the 1/4 quart below the full mark, I start the engine for 5 seconds, and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I check the oil level, and add enough to get it back up to the 1/4 below the full mark. Then I run it for a few minutes and shut it down and let it sit for and hour. Then I top it off to the "full" mark. Then after driving it for a day, I check the oil level again (just in case there were leaks on the oil filter gasket or something). Then I check the oil level at every fuel fill. I also check the oil any time I'm doing other stuff, such as topping off the windshield washer fluid. I keep a rag, a funnel and 3 quarts of spare oil under the hood (along with a gallon of wash fluid, and a gallon of 50/50 coolant). I use the rag a lot, but not the oil , coolant or funnel. I also keep two tool boxes, jumper cables, engine scanners, brake fluid, a repair manual, tire chains, tire plug kit, tire pump, ratchet straps, gasket sealer, a torque wrench, spare hoses and belts, and a full on wilderness survival backpack in the rig with a GPS beacon and a set of playing cards. I am probably too attentive to my oil levels, oil change frequency, and oil pressure readings, but oh well. I enjoy it all, and it keeps connecting rods from poking holes in my engine block, so what can ya do.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Supreme Pizza