Why is it that when I change my oil in my 2000 SC Lariat 5.4 the waste oil only fills up a 5 qt oil bottle??? I made sure that the level shown on the dipstick is at least in the middle of the "safe" range and I drain the oil when it is fairly hot. I also drain the oil filter in a catch pan before I fill up the waste oil container. I know the capacity is 6qts in the engine, and this has always made me wonder??? Is it possible that I have the wrong dipstick or the dipstick may be calibrated wrong??? When I fill the crankcase with fresh oil ( 6 qts.)and after I start the motor for a leak check, the dipstick usually reads just about in the middle of the "safe" range. Where is the extra quart of motor oil going, or staying, when I drain the engine??? Thanks in advance....

 

A lot of oil gets stuck in the oil filter, so that might account for some of it. Also, your waste oil bottle may not have accurate measurements on it, or it deforms to a larger shape when you fill it with hot oil.... maybe... I wouldn't worry about it though. Dipsticks are a crude way of measuring an exact ammount of oil anyway. Everybody you talk to says that their engines take different ammounts of oil. .... As long as you've got some slinging around in there, you'll be ok.