Oil Quantity

Heya guys
Just seafoamed my car a while back. Good stuff!
Before I did that, every oil change, the car took exactly 4 qts to fill. Now though, it takes exactly 5. Do you think that the seafoam just ate a whole quart of sludge? Or is there something else I should be watching for?
Thanks for any input!

Rook

A. What the hell is "seafoam"
2. What size engine do you have. IE How much oil is it SUPPOSED to hold?

:eek7: Quart of sludge???? :lol:

Something that is similar to STP.. you know it cleans stuff.

Stone Temple Pilots?

This might sound stupid, but do you change your filter everytime?

Heya guys
Just seafoamed my car a while back. Good stuff!
Before I did that, every oil change, the car took exactly 4 qts to fill. Now though, it takes exactly 5. Do you think that the seafoam just ate a whole quart of sludge? Or is there something else I should be watching for?
Thanks for any input!

Rook

Just recently used seafoam myself and I'm still using 4 quarts. The oil pan you have is only designed to hold that much, whats making you think you need 5 quarts?

A. What the hell is "seafoam"

Pretty much the best stuff you can use to help clean the internals of your engine. You can get it any any major auto parts store. Some good stuff.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpConsumer.htm

It's a 3.4, yes I change the filter every time, and I'm thinking it needs 5 qts because the dipstick doesn't read full until I put 5 qts in.

I have a 3.4L too. I use 4 quarts including the dinky filter as it says to. The dipstick doesn't read full, but about 1/4 quart low. I have to add to add two quarts between changes, and I am using the 10w40 specified.

my 3.8 uses 5... but last time I forgot to let the car really warm up and only got 3 out and put 4 in... confused em but oh well. Seafoam is something im gonna do soon.

It's a 3.4, yes I change the filter every time, and I'm thinking it needs 5 qts because the dipstick doesn't read full until I put 5 qts in.

Are you giving the engine proper time to cool down before you check the oil level. Because that's the only time you'll ever get an accurate reading. The oil level should be checked while the engine is still cool and hasn't been driven recently, or about 20 minutes after you turn your car off. If the oil is checked immediately after you've been driving, some of the oil will remain in the upper part of the engine resulting in an inaccurate reading of the dipstick. Otherwise I'd say you must have a leak somewhere. Because the 3.4's oil pan is designed to only handle 4 quarts, no more.

I have a 3.4L too. I use 4 quarts including the dinky filter as it says to. The dipstick doesn't read full, but about 1/4 quart low. I have to add to add two quarts between changes, and I am using the 10w40 specified.

Actually, 5W30 is the recommended oil to use. It tells you that on the cap that goes over the oil feed tube.

I agree with blindxeyed, 10w40's to thick for a 3.4, even in the heat of the summer.

Well, my drain plug gasket was cracked, but it didn't look like it was leaking. I replaced it yesterday, but it still took 5 to fill. I wonder where that extra quart is going...

Well, my drain plug gasket was cracked, but it didn't look like it was leaking. I replaced it yesterday, but it still took 5 to fill. I wonder where that extra quart is going...

Probably flooding your crankshaft.. which, isn't exactly a good thing.

You know... This is almost comical. I supposedly have an 8 qt capacity, it only takes 7.25 - 7.5 on an oil change, burns a bit 'o oil, and oil even evaporates or some shit while it's sitting. Once, I changed the oil, put in 7.5, drove it for like 5 miles, parked it for 2 weeks, checked the oil and it wasn't even on the dipstick, and none on the garage floor! (Talk about one of those *WTF!* moments.)

Think I need gaskets, and a trans rebuild, and new front wheels and rims, and...

:lol:, that's some classic stuff right there.

So, do I just put a check in the WTF??? block on this one?

So, do I just put a check in the WTF??? block on this one?

:eek7: do what??

whats up with the Seafoam products? Are they really so great?

whats up with the Seafoam products? Are they really so great?

Every mechanic I've talked to recommends it. Same with the guys that work at Autozone and Advance Discount.

:eek7: do what??
I mean, is this just one of those oddities in life that just ain't really a big deal? The car runs beautifully, so I'm not really concerned (should I be?), but was just curious about it.

I mean, is this just one of those oddities in life that just ain't really a big deal? The car runs beautifully, so I'm not really concerned (should I be?), but was just curious about it.

Well you never got around to answering my last question:

Are you giving the engine proper time to cool down before you check the oil level. Because that's the only time you'll ever get an accurate reading. The oil level should be checked while the engine is still cool and hasn't been driven recently, or about 20 minutes after you turn your car off. If the oil is checked immediately after you've been driving, some of the oil will remain in the upper part of the engine resulting in an inaccurate reading of the dipstick. Otherwise I'd say you must have a leak somewhere. Because the 3.4's oil pan is designed to only handle 4 quarts, no more.


If your checking the oil while the engine is cold, then that would give you an accurate reading. Are you checking the oil level while the engine is still hot, or after it's been sitting for a while?

Well I guess it is still a bit warm, but I'm checking directly after an oil change to make sure I put enough in, so however long it took me to change the oil was how long it was sitting. I'm guessing 10-15 minutes. I just assumed that the new oil was cool enough to give me a good reading.

its the fact that all the oil wasnt in the oil pan yet.not how hot it is.

Well I guess it is still a bit warm, but I'm checking directly after an oil change to make sure I put enough in, so however long it took me to change the oil was how long it was sitting. I'm guessing 10-15 minutes. I just assumed that the new oil was cool enough to give me a good reading.

Hmm, well only thing I can tell ya is that next time you change your oil after you refill it. Let it sit for a good 15-20 mins. Then go check the oil level. The only thing I could think of is that maybe your checking it too soon after you fill it, and all the oil hasn't settled to the bottom. Or, you could possibly have the wrong style dipstick. The person who owned it before you could have lost it and replaced it with one from a V8. I'm pretty sure the V8's have a bigger oil pan, so the dipstick could have a higher "Full" level mark than that of the V6's. I never compared the two, so I could be wrong. All I do know, is that the 3.4's are supposed to get 4 quarts of oil.

So, just be sure to check her weekly to see if you're losing any oil. If it does start to look like it's getting lower, then keep topping it off until you have a chance to get it looked at. Keep us updated on what's been happening.


EDIT: Ignore the second part of this post that I deleted. I misinterpreted what you said 88.

Hmm, well only thing I can tell ya is that next time you change your oil after you refill it. Let it sit for a good 15-20 mins. Then go check the oil level. The only thing I could think of is that maybe your checking it too soon after you fill it, and all the oil hasn't settled to the bottom. Or, you could possibly have the wrong style dipstick. The person who owned it before you could have lost it and replaced it with one from a V8. I'm pretty sure the V8's have a bigger oil pan, so the dipstick could have a higher "Full" level mark than that of the V6's. I never compared the two, so I could be wrong. All I do know, is that the 3.4's are supposed to get 4 quarts of oil.

So, just be sure to check her weekly to see if you're losing any oil. If it does start to look like it's getting lower, then keep topping it off until you have a chance to get it looked at. Keep us updated on what's been happening.




Well... the oil isn't going to settle back down to the oil pan if the engine is still hot from driving it. The oil does circulate through the engine, and it takes a good 15-20 minutes to let it all settle back to the bottom. Sooooo, if you check it too soon after driving it, it will show a lower reading than what it really is.

umm thanks for repeating what i said. lol you said the same thing i said but in detail. yes temp directly corresponds with the oil settling, but i was saying its not less full cause of heat, its less full cause all the oil hasnt settled down into the pan yet. :icon16:

EDIT: umm ignore this whole post, ha good thing i put it at the bottom of my post :)

umm thanks for repeating what i said. lol you said the same thing i said but in detail. yes temp directly corresponds with the oil settling, but i was saying its not less full cause of heat, its less full cause all the oil hasnt settled down into the pan yet. :icon16:

Yeah yeah, I got confused by what you said at first. I thought you were saying that the oil not being in the pan had nothing to do with the temperature. That's why I said that. See the "edit" at the bottom? :p

I'll call it then, 88.. :repost:

lol now i do

You're right, it is 5W/30. Don't know why I wrote that. Brain fart I guess. I even use it in my second gen Z...