V10 6.8L Engine Oil Capacity

[salukee]

I have a 2020 Greyhawk 27U on a 2019 E450 Ford chassis, with the Triton V10 6.8 L engine. Manual says use 6 quarts of oil when also changing filter. Most internet searches say to use 7 quarts. (My manual also includes specs for the 6.2 L and it says to use 7 quarts.)

There are some search results that say the dip stick may not be calibrated correctly.

Should I just add 6.5 quarts and hope for the best? After doing so I could then mark the dip stick and use that as the appropriate reference level?

[JFlightRisk]

I'd put in the 6 quarts, run it for several minutes to get the filter completely full, then shut it off and wait 1/2 hour for it to drain. With it on a level surface of course. Check the dipstick, and if it shows low, add 1/2 quart at a time until it reads to the full mark.

Not apples to apples, but my last Tundra took 1/2 quart more than the 8 quarts the manual said to reach full.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

I'd put in the 6 quarts, run it for several minutes to get the filter completely full, then shut it off and wait 1/2 hour for it to drain. With it on a level surface of course. Check the dipstick, and if it shows low, add 1/2 quart at a time until it reads to the full mark.

Not apples to apples, but my last Tundra took 1/2 quart more than the 8 quarts the manual said to reach full.

Ok, I have to ask the question, and it is "tongue in cheek" what if the dipstick was the wrong one put in at the factory? Were you overfilling by a half quart with each change?

[JFlightRisk]

I don't think so. I think it just has to do with the actual oil capacity of the filter. I've had a few vehicles that needed a bit more than printed in the manuals. There will always be some oil that stays in the top end of the block in valleys and cervices. Our previous dealer has overfilled the DWs car by 1/2 quart a couple of times without any ill effects.

[pconroy]

I always put in six. Just six.




There's a school of thought, perhaps antiquated, that went "better to be a quart under than a quart over."

[craigav]

I use exactly 6.5 qts and that amount brings the oil level to the top line on the dipstick. I have read that certain year models were different though. ~CA

[Docsouce]

I had my oil and filter changed at a Ford truck dealer while they were doing some warranty work on the electrical system. When I picked the RV a 2020 26xd on a 2019 E450 super duty chassis with a Triton v10 6.8l engine, I noticed they charged me for 7 quarts of oil not 6 qtr. When I asked the service mgr. about the extra qt. He said 7 qts. Is the correct amount. Now my 2014 E350 super duty Triton V10 that was used on my 22ft Freedom Elite class C took 6qts with filter change to bring the level to just below the full on the dip stick.
I checked fordservicecontent.com.and that shows the oil capacity ( with filter) as 7 quarts for a 6.8l 30 valve Triton V10. The bottom of the page shows this info from a 2016 owners manual.
Now the odd thing is that my 2019 owners manual shows the capacity with filter change as 6 qts which when I added after changing the oil and filter, and running for 15 minutes shutting down on a level surface showed 1 quart low. Maybe I'm reading something wrong but I now use 7 quarts..

[TWP723]

Motorcraft® SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Blend Motor Oil (US); Motorcraft® SAE 5W-30 Super Premium Motor Oil (Canada)
XO-5W30-QSP (US); CXO-5W30-LSP12 (Canada) WSS-M2C946-A 5.7L (6.0 qts.) includes oil filter change

[Dave W]

Two valve V10s = 6 quarts, 3 valve (in pickups) are 7. The Ford owner's manual is your guide. If you don't have a manual, eBay often has them. If the dealer put 7 quarts in, wont be a problem either but if it does concern you, just pull the filter and replace it with a new one - they are pretty inexpensive. Using a dipstick as a guide - too many are just wrong and are only a best guess as to how much is in the pan.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by CAG

Ok, I have to ask the question, and it is "tongue in cheek" what if the dipstick was the wrong one put in at the factory? Were you overfilling by a half quart with each change?

In 2001 I bought a Class A built on a Workhorse chassis. During our first long trip, I stopped for fuel and noticed my Honda Toad was covered in transmission fluid. I pulled the transmission dipstick and it was dry! Added more fluid to bring it up to the full mark, drove another 200 miles, stopped for fuel and again the Honda was dripping trans fluid and the dipstick was dry.

Turned around and went home, the MH went to the shop. Turns out at the Workhorse factory they installed a dipstick for a diesel engine, not the gas engine that was installed. Problem fixed.

[muckinfuss]

Originally Posted by pconroy

I always put in six. Just six.




There's a school of thought, perhaps antiquated, that went "better to be a quart under than a quart over."

Spot on. I was taught back in my E class roadrace and autocross days to do exactly that with the Chevy 5.7 TPI engine.

Engine Masters did a dyno test on their show recently where they varied the amount of oil over and under the 'spec' number and voila....the one quart low fill actually produced more power across the entire power band above 2800 rpm. Like 20HP and almost as much torque uplift. Has to do with windage. Windage is the the effect of the crankshaft churning up the oil and filling it with air..sort of like making whipped cream. Makes the flow check itself somehow. Check out the show if you have Roku, Motortrend TV or even it may be on a U-tube by now.

[craigav]

I don't know that I agree completely that being a quart low is better than being a quart over. IMO, neither being a quart below the low mark on the dipstick, or being a quart over the high mark would be something I would be comfortable with (perhaps being on the low mark is what most people consider as being a quart low and anything other than the high mark means the engine is low on oil?). On mine, if I use exactly 6 quarts the dipstick will show the oil level almost exactly between the low and high marks, which I suppose would be most optimal.

Not that it is an issue on my V10, but I have had some engines that used a little oil with time and for those I would always fill to the full line and add a quart when it was on the low line and try to always be somewhere between low and high. On my V10, it doesn't use any oil so right in the middle would be fine (6 qts), also I suspect once the oil is hot it expands a little and if so, that would bring it closer to full (not that I know this to be true). ~CA

BTW, on a piece of equipment I own, (I believe my Bobcat) on the dipstick is a warning that says something along the lines of this, "Never add any oil if the oil level is between the high and low mark." So, apparently they don't recommend adding oil until it is below the low level mark. I have not seen that warning though on any other engines. ~CA