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I was wondering if anyone has used an oil extractor to change their oil in lieu of draining oil?
I changed my oil over the weekend using my oil extractor and I sucked out a ton of oil. Really thick, nasty black stuff. I added in the recommended 4.8Qt of oil and it barely reached the bottom of the dip stick.
My other question pertains to how accurate the LS430 oil dipstick is? Coming over from an older WRX and GTI, there was a general consensus that the dipsticks for the older subarus were not that accurate. If the LS430 is spot on, I would need to to add another 1.2Qt of oil to reach the top. That seems a bit much to me.
On my dipstick, there is an obvious dark brown at the tip of the stick where the oil is, and a very very light brown, almost clear coating of oil going in between the dots. I don't know if this is just splash or if that is my true oil level. I am tempted to add another quart and see what it looks like. If it is too much, I can always extract a quart out.
The Oil Level Gage Guide (dipstick tube) cover nearly the entire length of the dipstick, leaving only the last 2-3 inches exposed to the oil in the lower oil pan, in a near vertical orientation. It should give a very accurate level reading, as long as the vehicle is parked on level ground with the engine OFF.
Shown below is the oil capacity chart. If you drain and replace the oil filter, you will need to put back 5.4 quarts. If you leave the old oil filter alone, you'll need 4.8 quarts. Using the oil extractor pump, you may leave some old oil behind so you will actually need a little less than what is shown on the chart.
You mentioned that 6 quarts (4.8 + 1.2 quarts) of new oil would be needed to bring the level up to the high mark on the dipstick. If that's the case, I suspect you may have a wrong dipstick (perhaps from a different car). Can you post the length measurement of your dipstick?
Would someone measure their LS430 dipstick and post measurements from the top of the dipstick (where the dipstick tube's neck would be) to the high-mark, and a separate measurement from the top to the low-mark?
Last edited by rkw77080; Aug 11, 2015 at 01:59 PM.
Here are the measurements of my 2004 dipstick:
The high-mark is at 26-5/8" measured from the tip of the dipstick tube, the low-mark is at about 28". I'm not sure if a dipstick for 2001-2003 LS430 has different measurements.
Last edited by rkw77080; Aug 12, 2015 at 07:18 AM.
Checking the oil just after shutting the engine off can lead to high / inaccurate oil level reading. I typically wait overnight and check oil level in the morning to get an exact reading on the dipstick.
I am checking it on level ground. From what I was told (story changes per vehicle forum), an extractor can get just as much oil out as draining if not more. Plus, I use one because it took my GTI like 2-3 dozen screws to get the cover off in order to get to the drain plug.
The manual said 4.8 Qts. I swore that is what it said with the oil filter, but I will double check. I don't know if the dipstick is OEM. I assume it is? I'll measure that tomorrow.
And yes, I did measure it after pouring it in before turning the engine on. I also let it idle for about 2 minutes to get the system pressurized after changing the oil. I will check the oil again this morning.
Not sure if it matters, but my LS430 is a 2001 model year base trim.
I doubt if the extractor can get more old oil out than draining. For sure, that last bit of oil in the suction hose will drain back into the oil pan at the end of the extraction process, granted it will only be a small amount.
In your original post, you described the old oil as "Really thick, nasty black stuff." When was the last time you changed the oil, and which type of oil did you use? Suggest to change oil once more in a week or so to get rid of any residual "black stuff". Be sure to use SAE 5W−30 oil.
Last edited by rkw77080; Aug 11, 2015 at 07:28 PM.
I should mention what I mean by running the engine after the change to circulate the oil into the filter. Of course checking the oil after the car has been running for a long while will not give you an accurate reading. Although, I don't see you level drop but a little while oil is still draining back to the pan.
I rechecked my 2001 manual today. It says 4.3 w/o filter and 4.8 Qts with one.
Measurement wise, it was pretty similar to what was posted. The Full dot was at ~ 26.5 in and the Low dot was at ~ 27 and 13/16th in.
Driving it around for a day going easy on it and checked the oil before it was completely warmed up, it seems to be full. Total oil that I added was probably around 5.5 Qts.
The really thick stuff that I extracted was oil from the previous oil change. The person I bought it from did the oil change previously. Was obviously a car flipper but didn't have much success flipping it so I jumped on it when they listed it again. I am pretty sure they used dino oil as I never seen full synthetic oil that thick at warm temps. I negotiated a heavy deal on it and have been doing work on the car myself. It makes me wonder if they really knew how much the car was worth. Mechanically, the car is golden. Car got keyed, mirrors didn't work, struts bad, passenger rear door interior trim has hole in it, etc. Pretty much fixed all issues except the interior door and some fluids. Previous owner before them was old and had it serviced at Lexus, so I have records of that.
I was always under the impression that 2001-2003 model LS430's were identical. After Fatnslow pointed out the difference in oil capacity, I was surprised to find that they are indeed different - just take a look at these pages from the owner's manuals.
Yes, my 2001 takes about 1/2 qt. less oil than my 2006's. I discovered that after my first DIY oil change when i acquired my first '06 nearly 2 years ago. Good point.
fwiw, on my '05, after a good 45 minute drain of every last drop, it takes 5.75 qts to fill it to the top mark on the dip stick. I've done rather lengthy drains on all my cars over the years and often take more than the owner's manual recc to get it to the top. wouldn't worry about it.
Changing oil using oil extractor
