Oil overfills are pretty common with this engine, I've seen the same threads in the ISF/RCF forum. The book calls for 10 qts but that's too much because when I change my oil, I stop and check it after 9 qts and it's right on. I believe the manual states to check the oil 10 minutes after shutting off the engine, not with a cold one.

 

decided to check the manual.

so you DO warm up the car, but then let it sit 5 minutes for the oil to drip down as you said, but apparently not a COLD engine.

 

^RTFM pays off again...

 

That procedure makes no sense why warm up the engine just to wait for the oil to drain back into the pan. What does Lexus think, after a few hours of sitting the oil flows back up into the engine?

 

it makes total sense... Oil level will be slightly higher when warm then cold, although slight it can be seen - especially with a volume of 10Qts.

 

Looking at the coefficient of engine oil expansion, it would seem the difference between hot/cool will be very minimal, albeit just noticeable. In the grand scheme I would suspect given the max/min fill tolerance if you measured just under full cold you wouldn't be far off when hot. Best bet is to try both measurements and judge for yourself and in fact that what's 'I'll do later today and advise.

 

I have read this statement, and respect other people's opinions, but the direction provided is way too vague, as is alot of other info in the manual. I had also noted previously that the measured level was essentially the same whether the level was checked after a waiting period, when the engine was warmed up and when the level is checked with a cold engine. When all of the oil has drained back into the oil pan, in my opinion, this will provide a more accurate depiction of the volume of fluid relative to waiting 5 minutes after shutting off an engine.

 

Exactly. I really hope pencil pushers wrote that owners manual and not Lexus engineers.

 

Presented to the service department today. Swapped out the conventional and replaced with Mobil 1.
Service rep at the beginning, still had difficulty understanding that the 5W30 was in regard to a viscosity requirement (not whether the oil needs to be conventional or synthetic), and that the manual only states that the oil must meet or exceed the required specifications that Lexus stipulates. He also thought that the requirement was to utilize 9.1 litres until I showed him the manual that states to use 8.6 litres. In addition,I showed him the pic of the overfilled crank case and asked them to not add as much oil this time,
The dealership was very nice about it, but unfortunately, they slightly overfilled it again (eyeroll). If I did not think it would void my warranty, I would start to do my own oil changes at this point.

.

 

Glad you got it sorted and you have Mobil1 and a new filter, did they even apologize for the error and inconvenience?

 

Moderator edit: sickpuppy exit this thread. There is absolutely no place for that sort of rude personal commentary on our community.

 

The service rep never actually said sorry, but I feel he was a little more enlightened after our conversation. He said that it was refreshing how much I appreciated and wanted to take care of my car, because most people they see are not like this.
The dealership never charged me for the new oil change and filter, which I guess was their way of saying sorry. Initially, he said he wanted me to sign a paper authorizing them to use synthetic oil in my car but never followed through on this.

 

suncruzin, i checked my lc dipstick today several times, and first of all, i have to commend you on getting a photo of the dipstick, i could NOT get one in focus.
also, like you, i now have synthetic oil in the car that is so transparent that it was hard to even see where the oil came up to on the dipstick, but as far as i can tell, like yours, it was beyond the 2nd hole so overfilled i guess?

 

This is all good stuff, especially the nc, nice!

 

Lotta fluffy stuff here.

FSM says this:




If you don't understand what this means, you probably should leave this to the shop. They do understand it.

For reference, the first time I can find this procedure in any Lexus service manual is in the 2001 LS430 manual. Prior to that it was far more vague, and basically said pull the dipstick and ensure the oil is between the marks.


This admonition to ensure you do not overfill the oil is not to be taken lightly. When the oil level is too high the crankshaft counterweights whip the top of the oil and make it foam up. If you want to see a plain bearing die quickly, feed it foamy oil. Air is the kiss of death to bearings.

To this end, I have been told by more than one race engine builder to run the oil at the low end of the stick for best performance. The first guy to tell me this was a factory Honda race bike builder who told me they got 5 more hp from their 600cc engine (which is pretty significant for the stock class) by running the oil 0.5 quarts low. I've heard similar things over the years from other guys who built strong engines. Not saying this is a great strategy for your street car, and I don't do this on my street cars, but there is power to be made simply by changing your oil level.