DO NOT READ IF EASILY TRIGGERED BY 2.7 OIL LEVEL QUESTIONS... Incorrect Dipstick Readings...

[buzzcutt2]

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[breaddrink]

I, for one, humbly do understand putting in a set amount. With modern engines, there's so much tolerance that just putting in the set amount plus any residual oil isn't gonna make a difference in the short or long term. So putting in a set amount means I just buy 6qts of oil and dump it all in and don't spend any extra time measuring and checking, waiting for it to settle to check again, and so on. Just dump in and go. It's not that deep. If it were a transmission, though, then I'd spend the extra time on measuring and checking and whatnot.
Granted, I'm talking about doing it myself, for the record. Shops can do what they want. Which is why I do it myself lol. But when I dump in 6qts, my dipstick - with the black H on top, which to my understanding is the correct one for the 2.7 in my 2022 wildtrak 4dr - reads exactly in the middle.

No man, you be you of course.

I suppose because you're doing it yourself, because you're happy with it and you've quantified it and got the process down, there is no problem. It's the original posters problem that points out the issue with it when done by someone else.

It really is a shame Ford messed up on that run of wrong dip sticks, because it seems to have caused a generation of owners who don't trust the only gauge they have, and as you can read, that 6 quart no matter what gets people to different places with the residual for the usual list of retention reasons.

 

[wjtinfwb]

Because it was built by humans and the oil level Mark is sometimes in the wrong place or the tube is deeper in your engine. Put 6 quarts in it, run it check it mark it and use that as your reference every time.
I don’t know about Broncos, but it’s a common issue on CAT and Cummins engines installed in motorhomes for the marks on the stick to be off.

That's my approach as well. 6 qts. to start and adjust from there. Generally that's all it needs. On two occasions where I let it drain longer (over an hour) and it had been sitting for a week without being started, I had to add another half-quart due toi all the oil draining into the sump from th engine after the extended period of being doirmant. Mine uses no oil between 5k oil changes so I get it right then leave it alone.

 

[Headsong]

Mine still takes 7 every time.......................

 

[breaddrink]

I've read all the oil discussions and am not looking for a debate on how much oil to pour into my 2.7, just some opinions or real world explanation from Ford.

I change my own oil (24' Badlands SAS 2.7), and each time, the oil reads way over the full hole mark on the dipstick (see image). Always 6 qts., always change the filter, always open the oil filter housing to allow oil to drain back, always warm the engine, but allow 25 or more minutes for the oil to drain back to the pan. I check my oil often, and the dipstick reading is always the same. Dipstick part # is the current part.

I know other people are having this issue, and the general consensus is to just keep the oil level to the same place on the dipstick as it was after the initial check (drive the bronco and check oil the next day for me). Has anyone who has the dealership change their oil gotten an explanation from them? Has anyone seen any explanation from Ford? I'm okay with keeping the oil level higher on the dipstick than the "hash marks", but it seems like there must be some explanation of why this is happening.

There's another slightly unusual possibility I forgot to mention.

A stick reading, at least on my bronco, smears oil all up the stick. The only way I've figured to get a reading in this state is to just keep dipping, pulling and wiping until that top part of the stick finally clears and I can get a true reading on the lower. It can take a fair few to clear wherever that extra is coming from.

Specifically what's causing this is hard to say, and... While we pull the stick, and wipe it before returning it for it's first reading on all vehicles for the same reason, my bronco seems to be kind of unusually bad with this, and continues to return smeared readings for a good many pulls.

The stick in your picture looks very wet, quite high up.

Is it possible it is the right level and it's smearing up, over and over? Or maybe it still isn't the right amount, but you're also dealing with this?

 

[MileHighBadlands]

Does your dipstick have the black H on the top of it? Because I also put in 6qts into my 2.7L Wildtrak, and I have the black H on my dipstick, and it ends up exactly in the middle every time I change my oil.

Yes, I do have the black H. The dipstick reading was slightly lower before the oil change, and I only drained about 5 qts. I don't THINK I have it overfilled.

 

[Nibroc99]

In today's world of electronics, we're lucky to have a dipstick on ANYTHING. Not sure if anyone has noticed, but there's no transmission dipstick on the autos.

In fact, the last truck I have seen a transmission dipstick on, was my '22 Ram CTD. And even IT wasn't supposed to have one - there was a recall on them that the factory trans dipstick could 'pop up' and let trans fluid get into the engine bay, and Ram's first choice for repair was to remove the dipstick and put a 'cap' on the tube. Their second choice, if the customer requested it, was to put a locking dipstick on. I had the locking dipstick.

And things have been headed this way for a LONG time. My mom has a 2003 Grand Am that has no transmission dipstick. The I THINK 2025 Rams with the Hurricane motor (and the Jeeps that motor was introduced on) doesn't even have an engine oil dipstick.

You mean this dipstick in the automatic transmission? It's in a weird spot but it's absolutely a dipstick and it is user-accessible.
https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/...V6_Turbo/transmission_fluid/check_fluid_level

 

[Nibroc99]

Mine still takes 7 every time.......................

We're supposed to be using 6 now, aren't we? Thought Ford corrected it from 7 to 6.

 

[MileHighBadlands]

One last thing on this. I stopped by a dealership today to pick up some wipers. There was a tech and a service writer sitting there so I asked them why my dipstick reading is higher than the max fill marker. The service writer said that Ford recommends waiting 3 to 5 minutes after turning off the engine to check the oil. Using this method, my oil is where it should be (mid has marks). I still don't think this is the correct answer to my dilemma, but I guess it's something.

 

[MilesTeg]

There's another slightly unusual possibility I forgot to mention.

A stick reading, at least on my bronco, smears oil all up the stick. The only way I've figured to get a reading in this state is to just keep dipping, pulling and wiping until that top part of the stick finally clears and I can get a true reading on the lower. It can take a fair few to clear wherever that extra is coming from.

It's much worse with brand new oil for whatever reason. To get a clear reading with new oil, I just leave the dipstick out for 10-15 minutes, then one dip, pause, and pull to get a read.

I assume it's something about the dipstick tube having oil drug up it when you pull the stick then dripping onto the stick when you put it back in. Both my Ecoboosts do this, though not with any of the other engines I have had.

 

[MilesTeg]

One last thing on this. I stopped by a dealership today to pick up some wipers. There was a tech and a service writer sitting there so I asked them why my dipstick reading is higher than the max fill marker. The service writer said that Ford recommends waiting 3 to 5 minutes after turning off the engine to check the oil. Using this method, my oil is where it should be (mid has marks). I still don't think this is the correct answer to my dilemma, but I guess it's something.

It gets worse, because warmed up oil will be significantly more volume than cold oil. I always check my oil hot and make sure it's no higher than MAX. This usually puts it looking about 1/3-1/4 of a quart (depending on vehicle) below max when cold.

 

[breaddrink]

It's much worse with brand new oil for whatever reason. To get a clear reading with new oil, I just leave the dipstick out for 10-15 minutes, then one dip, pause, and pull to get a read.

I assume it's something about the dipstick tube having oil drug up it when you pull the stick then dripping onto the stick when you put it back in. Both my Ecoboosts do this, though not with any of the other engines I have had.

Cool to have it verified by someone. Thanks.

 

[box986]

We're supposed to be using 6 now, aren't we? Thought Ford corrected it from 7 to 6.

I let it drain overnight & use 7qts.

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