Oil change question

[scarpi]

Hi all, I have an 02 Yukon with the 5.3 engine. I take it to my GMC dealer for its oil changes. Yeah I know I'm lazy, but at 62 I don't exactly like to get under my vehicle and the dealer is only about one mile from my house. I take good care of my truck and it looks and runs like new. Here is my question. Sometimes after I get an oil change at the dealer, and the truck sits overnight in my garage, when I check the oil the next day the oil level is about a half inch above the crosshatch area on the dipstick. But if you run it a bit and then shut it off and immediately check the oil, it is in the crosshatch area. Now I'm wondering, is the oil level ok or is it overfilled? The manual states that if it is above the crosshatched area it is too high and could damage the engine. Of course, I've been getting the oil changed at my dealer ever since the truck was new. It has about 44,000 miles on it and it has no leaks and does not burn any oil. I love it! Thanks for any info on this question. Don in Phoenix.

 

[tybardy]

well ideally you want to check your oil first thing in the morning before you turn the motor over at all. The reason for this is because hot oil expands and disperses throughout the transfer case. When it is cool and settled you are getting the most accurate read on how much oil is actually in your motor.

If you are checking your oil in the morning and you are getting a high read it is quite possible you have to much oil, probably 6 full quarts instead of the GM recommended 5.6 quarts. This is a common mishap, but unusual if a GM dealer is changing your oil.

HOWEVER, there is also the very SMALL possibility that dip stick itself is not sitting in jjjuuuuusssstttttt the right place and is giving you a bad read.

 

[scarpi]

Thanks for the reply. I imagine what the dealer does in most cases is to drain the oil, put in the new filter, and then put in six quarts because that is the max amount with a new filter per the owners manual. I don't think they actually take the time to put in the 5.6 you mention. It is like the old saying, "if you want it done right, do it yourself". So I probably have about a half quart too much. This has happened to me with other vehicles where you take your vehicle to the dealer and they overfill the oil. Do you think that a half quart over will cause engine damage? I wish there was a way for me to drain out that half quart without having to have ramps to raise the vehicle. Maybe if I had a real long wrench that I could use to just slightly loosen the bolt on the oil pan, I would be able to drain some out.

 

[HitandRunDriver]

Shit really, six is too much? Just changed mine yesterday

 

[scarpi]

Not according to the owners manual. It states that six is the proper amount with a filter change for the 5.3 liter engine. Like Tybardy states above, check your oil the next morning before starting your truck, then you will get a more accurate idea of the level. It will be cool and most of it will be in the pan instead of up in the engine.

 

[tybardy]

i doubt the 6 quarts is going to do any damage, i think 90% of the tahoes driving the roads has 6 quarts in it.

This is exact thing happened to me when i was changing my oil. I would put 6 quarts in and when i checked it the next morning... too much oil. I finally did a lot of searching around and found that GM recommends just under 6 quarts for these motors.

I suggest just leaving it till your next oil change and then maybe doing one of two things next time, mention the extra oil next time you take it in for a change and hope they put in less OR you can use a high capacity oil filter and that should make up the difference.

 

[scarpi]

Thanks for you reply. The problem with telling the service writers at the dealer that you only want five and a half quarts put in instead of the six, is that for some reason that info still doesn't get followed through on and you usually still get the six. I've seen this happen with other vehicles at another dealer. It's really best if you do it yourself as you do and then you know it is always right. Well, as long as the extra half quart doesn't damage anything, then I guess it's ok.

 

[tybardy]

yes, i recently had a "painful" experience with a GM service writer, i know what you mean.

Do it yourself is always the sure fire way to getting it done yourself. You can try buying a high capacity oil filter for you truck and giving it to the tech who changes the oil, this might solve the problem as well.

Good luck and happy driving.

 

[Modded]

I go 5 quarts when filling up after a change but I think you may have an oil leak?

 

[Fyrcaptain]

FWIW.....

2006 owners manual states:

"In order to get an accurate reading, the oil MUST be WARM and the vehicle must be on level ground" (that's a no brainer)

well ideally you want to check your oil first thing in the morning before you turn the motor over at all. The reason for this is because hot oil expands and disperses throughout the transfer case. When it is cool and settled you are getting the most accurate read on how much oil is actually in your motor.

If you are checking your oil in the morning and you are getting a high read it is quite possible you have to much oil, probably 6 full quarts instead of the GM recommended 5.6 quarts. This is a common mishap, but unusual if a GM dealer is changing your oil.

HOWEVER, there is also the very SMALL possibility that dip stick itself is not sitting in jjjuuuuusssstttttt the right place and is giving you a bad read.