7 qt pan??doing oil change
- Thread starter dwhiskie
- Start date
89MustangGX
I have nothing productive to add!
Stang8URMPRT
Active Member
LOL... "7 quart oil pan, how much oil???"
And people say 5?!?!?!? WTF... This is where post count comes into play. If it's a 7 quart oil pan, the pan takes 7 quarts, and the oil filter will take about 1/2 a quart. So just put 7 1/2 in the motor, and you're good. If in doubt, just go by the damn dip stick. I know people are like "Don't trust the dipstick", but they're engineered to be right. Ford recommends their dip sticks to read right in the middle of the "full" and "add" lines, which is 5 quarts for a 5.0 with the STOCK oil pan. This also doesn't take into account if you have an oil filter relocate kit or an oil cooler, inwhich both require more oil to be added.
Nick
And people say 5?!?!?!? WTF... This is where post count comes into play. If it's a 7 quart oil pan, the pan takes 7 quarts, and the oil filter will take about 1/2 a quart. So just put 7 1/2 in the motor, and you're good. If in doubt, just go by the damn dip stick. I know people are like "Don't trust the dipstick", but they're engineered to be right. Ford recommends their dip sticks to read right in the middle of the "full" and "add" lines, which is 5 quarts for a 5.0 with the STOCK oil pan. This also doesn't take into account if you have an oil filter relocate kit or an oil cooler, inwhich both require more oil to be added.
Nick
Michael Yount
Mustang Master
The reason that most folks (in the know) use a 7 qt. pan is NOT so they can use 7 qts. in the motor. It's to move the oil COMPLETELY away from the crankshaft to reduce windage losses at high rpm. That's why many people put 5 qts. in a 7 qt. pan. Other than perhaps extending your oil change interval, unless you're road racing the car, there's probably little benefit to actually running the additional oil in the car. And even for the road racing application - if the pan is baffled properly, the additional oil isn't necessary.
Nevertheless, once you've decided how much you want to run, fill it with that amount of oil. Run it til it's good and hot. Let it drain back completely (cool down). Then pull the dipstick and use a small file to mark your dipstick so you know where to fill it to the next time. Contrary to the other post, the accuracy of Ford's dipsticks/tube placement is all over the board. You can find as much as a quart variation on where 5 qts. hits the stick -- all with factory stock dipsticks/tubes. So much for Quality being Job 1. By the way, the issue of dipstick accuracy is often compounded as many 7 qt. pans require an entirely different placement of the stick/tube anyway.
Lastly - you only add more oil for an oil cooler IF the oil in the cooler drains back into the pan completely when the engine is shut down. VERY few of them do. Mine is mounted low in the front (so the heat off the oil doesn't go right back into the radiator coolant); You can't get the oil out of it unless you disconnect the oil lines running to it - which I don't do. So on mine (and many others) the presence of an oil cooler doesn't alter how much oil gets added during the change at all. It simply increases the amount of oil I can't get out of the system during a change.
Nevertheless, once you've decided how much you want to run, fill it with that amount of oil. Run it til it's good and hot. Let it drain back completely (cool down). Then pull the dipstick and use a small file to mark your dipstick so you know where to fill it to the next time. Contrary to the other post, the accuracy of Ford's dipsticks/tube placement is all over the board. You can find as much as a quart variation on where 5 qts. hits the stick -- all with factory stock dipsticks/tubes. So much for Quality being Job 1. By the way, the issue of dipstick accuracy is often compounded as many 7 qt. pans require an entirely different placement of the stick/tube anyway.
Lastly - you only add more oil for an oil cooler IF the oil in the cooler drains back into the pan completely when the engine is shut down. VERY few of them do. Mine is mounted low in the front (so the heat off the oil doesn't go right back into the radiator coolant); You can't get the oil out of it unless you disconnect the oil lines running to it - which I don't do. So on mine (and many others) the presence of an oil cooler doesn't alter how much oil gets added during the change at all. It simply increases the amount of oil I can't get out of the system during a change.
04sleeper
Founding Member
I agree.Michael Yount said:
My car looked like it had about 3/4 of a quart too much on the dipstck (about 1/2" over the full mark), but it was exactly 5 quarts with the oil fliter.
I scribed a mark like Michael said.
I did the same also on my old car with a Canton 7 quart pan.
89MustangGX
I have nothing productive to add!
Stang8URMPRT
Active Member
Ford recommends 5 quarts in a 5.0, and 6.0 quarts in a 4.6 and 5.4... V10... I have never, ever EVER seen one be off as long as the dip stick is not bend or modified any way. Another mistake you might be making is not letting all the oil out of the pan before you put the drain plug back in, this when adding 5 quarts, you can be well over the full mark. Every time I had 5 quarts to my 5.0, it reads in the middle, where it should be. Every time I've ever done an oil change on any Ford car with an unmodified dip stick, it has ALWAYS read correctly. Now you guys can take hear say from the internet, or can take the advise from someone that does it every day. Which do you choose?
quiksilver9531
Founding Member
Stang8URMPRT
Active Member
You're GHEY! 
Michael Yount
Mustang Master
Stang8 - you've obviously confused talking about it via internet with others of us that might have worked on a car or two over the years. You don't have to do it for a living to understand something about it.
Notwithstanding your experience -- putting 5 qts. in a 5.0L, circulating it til warm, and letting it cool completely before checking the level can result in oil showing up on the stick anywhere from the bottom of the 'fill' range, to 1/2 a qt. or so above the fill range (that's how mine shows). Put another way - if I fill mine to the top of the fill range (with proper circulation/cool down/drain back) - it only takes about 4.5 qts. I remarked my dipstick at the 5.0 qt. level - about 1/2 qt. ABOVE the factory full mark. And there are similar stories in the forums regularly. The sticks simply aren't that consistent engine to engine.
I'll add - you're a rarity in the business if you're actually changing the oil, cranking the car and letting it warm completely, and then letting it cool/drain back completely before checking the level on the dipstick. Most, especially in the churn and burn oil change shops, simply set the auto pump for the capacity of the car they're working on, pump it in, do a quick dipstick check to be sure that something hit the dipstick, and then move the car on out the door to make room for the next one. The fact is, if you're adding the oil (cold), starting the car to circulate it through the system/filter for a minute or so and then waiting a few minutes before checking the dipstick - you're not getting a true dipstick reading either because it hasn't all drained back. You above all should know if you want a really accurate reading you need to take the car up to operating temperature, and then let it cool and drain back completely to get an accurate dipstick reading. And we know since you're being paid by the job (book), you're not gonna take that long on a simple oil change.
Notwithstanding your experience -- putting 5 qts. in a 5.0L, circulating it til warm, and letting it cool completely before checking the level can result in oil showing up on the stick anywhere from the bottom of the 'fill' range, to 1/2 a qt. or so above the fill range (that's how mine shows). Put another way - if I fill mine to the top of the fill range (with proper circulation/cool down/drain back) - it only takes about 4.5 qts. I remarked my dipstick at the 5.0 qt. level - about 1/2 qt. ABOVE the factory full mark. And there are similar stories in the forums regularly. The sticks simply aren't that consistent engine to engine.
I'll add - you're a rarity in the business if you're actually changing the oil, cranking the car and letting it warm completely, and then letting it cool/drain back completely before checking the level on the dipstick. Most, especially in the churn and burn oil change shops, simply set the auto pump for the capacity of the car they're working on, pump it in, do a quick dipstick check to be sure that something hit the dipstick, and then move the car on out the door to make room for the next one. The fact is, if you're adding the oil (cold), starting the car to circulate it through the system/filter for a minute or so and then waiting a few minutes before checking the dipstick - you're not getting a true dipstick reading either because it hasn't all drained back. You above all should know if you want a really accurate reading you need to take the car up to operating temperature, and then let it cool and drain back completely to get an accurate dipstick reading. And we know since you're being paid by the job (book), you're not gonna take that long on a simple oil change.
bluevenom867
I will have images of molesting stuffed animals in
Michael,what about if you have a high volume pump,and the cooling benifit of more oil?
You suggest 5 qts even in a racing motor that has a windag tray and baffeling?
You suggest 5 qts even in a racing motor that has a windag tray and baffeling?
Stang8URMPRT
Active Member
I really don't care what you think man. I do it everyday, all day... If you think you know everything, then continue to type long responces for no reason. I don't read them 
