So I just changed my oil for the first time! :D
 

......And I have a problem lol. So I did everything right....I hope, removed the filter drained the oil put everything back together with a new filter and added about 3.8 to 3.9 quarts of oil. Car started up fine and was idling fine as well. However when I check the dip stick the oil marker is just above the bottom notch. Now I read the DIY oil for dummy's and in it the writer said he added 3.7 quarts and it was like one mil below the top notch on the dip stick.....this worries me.

I have an 04 GT?

any idea this is my first time doing this I am not sure if i need to let it run for a while let it sit for a while or what and info at all would be great.

to correctly check level oil needs to be hot and left to settle a few minutes .

Don't let it worry you too much - you have new oil in her and it runs fine .
But just as a check it might be a good idea to take your intake off and make sure you did not end up with oil in the intake - common issue if oil is put in too quickly .

The Dip Stick Never lies. Let the car sit for 5 minutes before checking the oil

o.O how does that happen. I would be to terrified to take my intake off. I don't even think I have the tools to take it off. I didn't even know how to go about changing the oil before today lol. I am going to change the spark plugs next, just as soon as I can muster up the courage to attempt it.

When I was at auto zone getting my filter and oil I got the K&N filter and 4 1 quart bottles of Castrol GTX 5w-20 BTW, I also bought some LUCAS. Its a fuel injector cleaner, the guy offered it to me and with out thinking I said yes....Now can I even use this in a rotary engine?

DId you use a funnel when putting in your oil? If so no worries about oil getting into your intake. You can use the fuel injector cleaner in your car

/\ agreed on both counts

Yes I did, and I just took it out for a spin and let it sit for a few. Oil mark on the dip is till not even half way between the 2 notches. I can always put the rest of the 4th bottle in. What happens if i overfill it?

Just add enough oil to get it almost to the top line. Just because you have some oil left in the 4th bottle does not mean you have to add the rest of the bottle.

If you have the new dipstick, between the top and bottom line is 1.8qts.
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...7-04-1438b.pdf

Just check oil and fill up to top line you just happened to get more oil out than usual.....

I jacked up the opposite side of the car to try and get more oil out. Lets just say it was completely empty bone dry! Would I need to add more then 4 quarts? BTW I dont have that Dip stick there are no dots on mine.

I wouldn't sweat it, VoiD. You did a good job... a helluva lot better job than some jiffy lube place would have done it. Right?

Just top it off to a little below full, and be proud you learned more about your car today.

Enthusiasts don't just change their oil to save some money. An enthusiast uses the oil change to jack up their cars, look around underneath, and see if anything leaking or busted or whatever. If you're going to drive the piss out of your car and corner at .90 G's, you have to trust it and know it's in good shape. It's more of ritual than a chore. Know your shit.

That explains it! There's even a DIY explaining how tipping the car gets more than the usual 3.7 to 3.9 quarts.

FWIW, slight overfilling won't hurt. My dealer usually overfills, sometimes up to the top of the flat on the dipstick. I think that's about half a quart extra. Never had a problem, no oil in the intake.

Ken

Makes me want to mesure the ammount that came out lol. I might do that tomorrow.

yeah you jacked up from the drivers side only...that's what i do and i used about 5qt....that's what i figured u did....it drains out more that way...u usually will use 5 qt that way...oh by the way ti's not bone dry because the whole system holds like 7qt or so including the oil coolers which do not drain unless u dissassemble the piping...

O wow I didnt know that, well I guess if the rest of the 4th bottle does not get me half way I will buy another.

Congratulations lol :).

Same here.. I jacked up 'both' sides, but the side with the drain plug was slightly lower. I know I put in 4 full quarts of oil.

Hmmmm we actually fill the engines to 4.5qts when we test run them, no idea why but thats what we do.

I suspect that you don't hook up oil coolers for a test run, just shunt across the cooler fittings. If that's the case, 4.5 quarts sounds just right.

Ken

yeah sounds right

Last time I changed my oil it took 4.5qts to fill it. I let it drain a long time though. I did not jack up the car though. Since I work at jiffy lube I just do it there instead of jacking it up at home.

To be honest, just check your oil often, as long as your between the high and low don't worry too much.

You should always finish draining with the drivers side up; so congrats to you! I usually end up putting in about 4 qts as well...

make that 1.75 qts. :P



Oh to OP, if you've moved your car before you do your oil change, there will be around .25 to .50 quart of oil in the filter and all over the engine walls and inside the rotors. So if you drain the oil right away, it will be around 3.8 quarts.

if your car has been sitting there for hours, most oil will go back into the pan, so you will have something like 4.3-4.5 quarts of oil out.