Correct dipstick oil level when cold GT 2018

[Fastfwd]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US;
.

I hope that it helps. If there is any chance at all that the oil level is critical to be kept above what I imagine most people would assume to be 'safe' and that saves somebody the hassle of an engine failure then I don't mind whatever liability it might cause me to share my experience if I have an issue. I'm sure Ford will stand behind their product maintained to the user manual's guidelines, but regardless.

One further note - there has been discussion of expansion between hot and cold. I somewhat felt unsure about how much expansion there might be with 10 quarts of oil which is more than any vehicle I can remember owning. It's been rather cold here since I got this car and I kind of felt like it might even be on the 'safe side' to leave a bit of room if the engine were to get warmer than I have been getting it in the winter months.

In retrospect, I would have been much more obsessive over this oil level thing from the start. I looked at some of the what type of oil are people using threads and additives, etc. I didn't fixate on the level possibly being more critical than I thought it might be, but my car is running extremely well and I almost hit 29mpg last night on my drive home from my trip which is better mpg than I have seen with it.

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[v8 enthusiast]

I hope that it helps. If there is any chance at all that the oil level is critical to be kept above what I imagine most people would assume to be 'safe' and that saves somebody the hassle of an engine failure then I don't mind whatever liability it might cause me to share my experience if I have an issue. I'm sure Ford will stand behind their product maintained to the user manual's guidelines, but regardless.

One further note - there has been discussion of expansion between hot and cold. I somewhat felt unsure about how much expansion there might be with 10 quarts of oil which is more than any vehicle I can remember owning. It's been rather cold here since I got this car and I kind of felt like it might even be on the 'safe side' to leave a bit of room if the engine were to get warmer than I have been getting it in the winter months.

In retrospect, I would have been much more obsessive over this oil level thing from the start. I looked at some of the what type of oil are people using threads and additives, etc. I didn't fixate on the level possibly being more critical than I thought it might be, but my car is running extremely well and I almost hit 29mpg last night on my drive home from my trip which is better mpg than I have seen with it.

COMMENTING ON THE OTHER SO-CALLED ISSUE, THE SCARY TICKING: I HAVE HAD NONE WITH MY CAR TILL NOW AND SHE HAS NOW 4K MILES.
I am using the recommended 5w20 oil and I guess I will not change it to 5w30.

 

[VinnAY]

Talk about people that would mess up a wet dream. Jeez.

 

[GT Pony]

Whenever I change oil on every vehicle I've ever owned, I always adjust the oil level to the full mark when the oil is at full operating temperature.

Depending how the oil is drained, and what filter is used, it can slightly change how much oil is required to hit the full mark when the oil is hot. Trust the dipstick.

 

[Fastfwd]

Not trying to beat a dead horse with this, but screenshots from the manual:

"Make sure that the oil level is between
the maximum and minimum marks. If
the oil level is at the minimum mark,
add oil immediately."

"If the oil level is between the
maximum and minimum marks, the oil level
is acceptable. Do not add oil."

"Do not add oil further than the
maximum mark. Oil levels above the
maximum mark may cause engine damage."

I know this seems exceptionally trivial, basic, etc. Since it became a concern for me personally in context of circumstances and this thread was already started maybe it deserves discussion. To me the manual suggests that the biggest concern is to not overfill the engine with oil which was one of my concerns. I'm not reading this to indicate that the upper mark is 'full', but rather 'maximum' and the lower mark is 'minimum' - which implies a range of 'safe' fluid level in between and the manual very specifically states not to top off the oil level if it is between those indicators. Maybe that is specified just so dumbasses won't try to put an entire quart of oil in their engine if it is lower than 'maximum.'

I have a concern that following the instruction of what is the 'safe' level for normal driving possibly left my engine slightly enough starved of oil that it was the source of the odd rattle like sound that I was hearing, but I don't know that. It might be something for others to be wary of in context of the current question of what is causing engine problems.

The manual does have specific instructions for 'Track Use' advising to maintain the level at or near the maximum mark.

"Regularly check the engine oil level during
the event. Maintain the engine oil level at
or near the max mark on the engine oil
dipstick. See
(page 233).
Engine Oil Check"

I haven't taken my car to the 'track', but you might presume these instructions are the best advice for any hard driving or if you tend to drive hard even on occasion. I would personally feel better about it if I had taken the greater care to keep the level at the 'maximum' regardless of intended use. Daily driving or otherwise. I will from now on.

 

[v8 enthusiast]

Not trying to beat a dead horse with this, but screenshots from the manual:

"Make sure that the oil level is between
the maximum and minimum marks. If
the oil level is at the minimum mark,
add oil immediately."

"If the oil level is between the
maximum and minimum marks, the oil level
is acceptable. Do not add oil."

"Do not add oil further than the
maximum mark. Oil levels above the
maximum mark may cause engine damage."

I know this seems exceptionally trivial, basic, etc. Since it became a concern for me personally in context of circumstances and this thread was already started maybe it deserves discussion. To me the manual suggests that the biggest concern is to not overfill the engine with oil which was one of my concerns. I'm not reading this to indicate that the upper mark is 'full', but rather 'maximum' and the lower mark is 'minimum' - which implies a range of 'safe' fluid level in between and the manual very specifically states not to top off the oil level if it is between those indicators. Maybe that is specified just so dumbasses won't try to put an entire quart of oil in their engine if it is lower than 'maximum.'

I have a concern that following the instruction of what is the 'safe' level for normal driving possibly left my engine slightly enough starved of oil that it was the source of the odd rattle like sound that I was hearing, but I don't know that. It might be something for others to be wary of in context of the current question of what is causing engine problems.

The manual does have specific instructions for 'Track Use' advising to maintain the level at or near the maximum mark.

"Regularly check the engine oil level during
the event. Maintain the engine oil level at
or near the max mark on the engine oil
dipstick. See
(page 233).
Engine Oil Check"

I haven't taken my car to the 'track', but you might presume these instructions are the best advice for any hard driving or if you tend to drive hard even on occasion. I would personally feel better about it if I had taken the greater care to keep the level at the 'maximum' regardless of intended use. Daily driving or otherwise. I will from now on.

JASON,
you do have a point. In short, that is what pushed me to start this thread.
As I mentioned before, - "After decades or car ownership, I have always done like this: Pour in the recommended volume of oil and the dispstick
HAS ALWAYS SHOWED FULL MARK (upper mark).
This 2018 Mustang GT is the first car I have that reads "right in the middle" of dipstick.
THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS THREAD."

You see, the book says that when the dipstick shows level between the lower and upper marks, is is ACCEPTABLE,
it does not say IDEAL.
Then it comments on tracking the car...
Once I asked Scotty Kilmer the same question concerning any car and he sad to keep it at the full mark, maximum volume, not exceeding the upper mark, of course.
I see you have been thinking just like me: To be safe, fill it to the upper mark.
Because when using the car in a track THEY do recommend that, for safety reasons, so why not to do so in every ocasion?
I am keeping mine right in the middle, for I fear the risk of too much oil.
But inside of me I do feel like pouring in oil up to the full mark.

 

[NoVaGT]

 

[Cobra Jet]

JASON,
you do have a point. In short, that is what pushed me to start this thread.
As I mentioned before, - "After decades or car ownership, I have always done like this: Pour in the recommended volume of oil and the dispstick
HAS ALWAYS SHOWED FULL MARK (upper mark).
This 2018 Mustang GT is the first car I have that reads "right in the middle" of dipstick.
THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS THREAD."

You see, the book says that when the dipstick shows level between the lower and upper marks, is is ACCEPTABLE,
it does not say IDEAL.
Then it comments on tracking the car...
Once I asked Scotty Kilmer the same question concerning any car and he sad to keep it at the full mark, maximum volume, not exceeding the upper mark, of course.
I see you have been thinking just like me: To be safe, fill it to the upper mark.
Because when using the car in a track THEY do recommend that, for safety reasons, so why not to do so in every ocasion?
I am keeping mine right in the middle, for I fear the risk of too much oil.
But inside of me I do feel like pouring in oil up to the full mark.

They recommend the higher oil level for “track use” because when a vehicle is being driven on a track, *specifically for Road Racing or Auto-X*, not only is the vehicle being hammered on at higher RPM’s for sustained speeds and lengths of time, but when the vehicle is hitting the curves at such speeds, the oil is being sloshed around in the pan and cativation can occur rather quickly. Having an “acceptable” oil level for daily use (ie: between the hash lines) would not be acceptable or safe while driving the car during such a track event.

While keeping a higher oil level would also apply if using the car for drag racing, it’s really not as detrimental if the owner had an “acceptable” oil level because although hitting high RPMs, it’s for a shorter amount of time/length and the car is staying in a straight line as opposed to extreme side to side ‘lean to’ when whipping it around during a Road Racing or Auto-Xing event.

If the car is used daily for normal driving, the oil level at the “acceptable” level is more than safe - otherwise Ford’s Legal Team would not have allowed the print or example to exist in the Owner’s Manual. Any docs put into publication by Ford (or insert any Large Corp here) always goes under legal review before its released to the public or media.

I don’t feel there’s any concern for any daily driven S550 to have an oil level that is between the hash lines.

 

[v8 enthusiast]

They recommend the higher oil level for “track use” because when a vehicle is being driven on a track, *specifically for Road Racing or Auto-X*, not only is the vehicle being hammered on at higher RPM’s for sustained speeds and lengths of time, but when the vehicle is hitting the curves at such speeds, the oil is being sloshed around in the pan and cativation can occur rather quickly. Having an “acceptable” oil level for daily use (ie: between the hash lines) would not be acceptable or safe while driving the car during such a track event.

THAT IS A VERY REASONABLE EXPLANATION, INDEED.
Thank you for your concern.

 

[NoVaGT]

Is there a dry-sump system available for Coyote engines?

 

[TomcatDriver]

I think you guys are overthinking this. The hashed middle section is acceptable, but the top mark is intantly excessive and the bottom mark is instantly unacceptable. So, technically "almost" to the top or bottom is just fine, but one ounce less (or more) and your engine is in danger of exploding. Clearly that's not the case and the engine is tolerant of some range, particularly with a 10 quart capacity. If I were Ford I would build in margin on top of the MIN and MAX marks. That is, I would calibrate my dip-stick (so to speak) such that some ammount (half a quart or more) above or below the MIN/MAX marks are the REAL min and max.

If it was "near" the bottom hole, but still int he hashed region, I would add oil up to "near" the top hole, but I would be just fine anywhere vaguely near the middle. If you are trying to keep track of oil consumption, yea do all that stuff. Check it the same way every time (hot with 15 minutes sitting or stone cold) and compare apples to apples, but don't sweat the difference between oil being at 50% of the hash region or 90%.

 

[Fastfwd]

I think you guys are overthinking this. The hashed middle section is acceptable, but the top mark is intantly excessive and the bottom mark is instantly unacceptable. So, technically "almost" to the top or bottom is just fine, but one ounce less (or more) and your engine is in danger of exploding. Clearly that's not the case and the engine is tolerant of some range, particularly with a 10 quart capacity. If I were Ford I would build in margin on top of the MIN and MAX marks. That is, I would calibrate my dip-stick (so to speak) such that some ammount (half a quart or more) above or below the MIN/MAX marks are the REAL min and max.

If it was "near" the bottom hole, but still int he hashed region, I would add oil up to "near" the top hole, but I would be just fine anywhere vaguely near the middle. If you are trying to keep track of oil consumption, yea do all that stuff. Check it the same way every time (hot with 15 minutes sitting or stone cold) and compare apples to apples, but don't sweat the difference between oil being at 50% of the hash region or 90%.

I felt the same way about it. I just drove it like it came from the factory and with the level where it landed with the 10 quarts added when I changed it. Until I actually added oil when it started to get down to around the bottom hole and I brought it up to the top hash/hole.

I swear there has been a slightly uncomfortable noise that I accepted as 'normal' that has been greatly diminished. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it - almost like a diesel engine possibly idk. I even thought it could be a slight exhaust rattle. I've seen Youtube videos of that on these cars where they tracked down the source of noises. It would happen exactly as I have previously experienced an exhaust rattle - lifting throttle, gear change, etc. I've also felt slightly uncomfortable up closer to the redline too with how it sounded. It still has tendency from around 1,800 RPM - 2,500 RPM to seem like it wants to rattle, but it's toned way down. I was driving around Austin during my trip last week before I topped off the oil and that unidentified noise was really making me wonder what it was. I thought to myself that it had to be a slight exhaust rattle.

I just wish in retrospect that maybe I had taken the precaution to run it as instructed in the 'Track Use' section of the user's manual and possibly that would have alleviated some of that engine noise that has made me slightly uncomfortable. Is this a key to keeping the cylinders from scoring or whatever issue they have been finding? I have literally no idea, but that does add to my concern that I could have done something this simple to have helped prevent that possibility.

I'm at 6,400 miles now. If I had it to do over again from brand new I might have topped it off when I took ownership of the vehicle and monitored it more closely. Added an extra half quart at the oil change, etc. I will probably try to run it from here on out keeping it closer to max if possible and see if that doesn't help tamp down the noise that has bothered me. I'm not saying anyone else should do that, but personally if I knew then what I feel like I know now I might have done it a little differently.

 

[GT Pony]

I'm not reading this to indicate that the upper mark is 'full', but rather 'maximum' and the lower mark is 'minimum' - which implies a range of 'safe' fluid level in between and the manual very specifically states not to top off the oil level if it is between those indicators. Maybe that is specified just so dumbasses won't try to put an entire quart of oil in their engine if it is lower than 'maximum.'

That would be my guess too, that Ford doesn't want people adding a quart until the level is on the add mark so it won't be accidently over filled.

On every vehicle I've ever owned, I'll add oil when the level is 1/2 way down to bring the level back to the fill (max) mark. Just need to know how much to add to get the level back up to full.

If driving normally I doubt having the oil level at the min (add) mark would hurt anything. These Coyotes have 8 or 10 quarts of oil. But it's just been my practice to always keep the level between at least 50% above add to 100% full on the dipstick. And no engine is going to harmed if the level is a hair above the full mark. Engine engineers aren't that stupid.

 

[Jetnoise]

If you're a diy'r and really want to avoid breaking the record on your home B.P. machine
Next service add eight.
Fire it up
Check dip
Add another ...9
Fire it up
Check dip
Make it an even ten... repeat step 2 & 3
To many variables to say your dipstick should look like my dipstick

 

[Bullitt0819]

What got me is you're supposed to check the oil when the engine's hot, after a 15-min draindown period. I guess I've been checking oil all wrong for the last 50 years or so (maybe the 'hot check' is because a lot of people check oil, tire pressure, etc. at service stations). I wanted a baseline on my Bullitt's oil consumption during and after break-in--manual says should be stable at 3K miles--so I filled it to the top-of-the grid when cold, which put it right at the 'MAX' hole when hot. I think I'm OK. FWIW my '08 Bullitt settled at 1qt/6,000 miles until I traded it in at 135K miles.

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