Apologies in advance if this topic has been previously discussed.

Recently bought a '21 NX300 F Sport and changed the oil myself. Also upgraded to the metal oil filter housing canister and bought 2 additional just in case. The manual states 5.2 qts with filter change. Just to err on the side of caution, I put in a little less than 5 qts. When checking the oil level, it appears it is about 1/4 inch above the full mark. I checked this when the engine was cold and sat overnight after driving a couple hundred miles. Is this level okay or do I need to drain a bit?

I've searched alot and I am seeing mixed responses, and some even saying up to 1 quart over the stated capacity would be safe?

 

Apologies in advance if this topic has been previously discussed.

Recently bought a '21 NX300 F Sport and changed the oil myself. Also upgraded to the metal oil filter housing canister and bought 2 additional just in case. The manual states 5.2 qts with filter change. Just to err on the side of caution, I put in a little less than 5 qts. When checking the oil level, it appears it is about 1/4 inch above the full mark. I checked this when the engine was cold and sat overnight after driving a couple hundred miles. Is this level okay or do I need to drain a bit?

I've searched alot and I am seeing mixed responses, and some even saying up to 1 quart over the stated capacity would be safe?

 

Bump. Anyone?

 

The concern with crankcase overfill is that if some part of the crankshaft splashes the oil in the sump, it can become a froth, which is not a good lubricant.
The actual oil capacity of the NX engine, as specified by Lexus, is 6.3 quarts ("dry fill" capacity). The specified refill capacity with filter change is 5.2 quarts. This means Lexus released it is not possible to drain every bit of oil during an oil change, so they have assumed ~1.1 quart does not drain out. This is an estimated value and will depend on several variables, including oil temperature, amount of thick residue suspended in the oil, how level the vehicle is positioned for draining, elapsed time between engine shutdown and oil drain plug removal, and how long you wait before screwing the drain plug back in.

As you can see from above, this is not an exact science, so I think it is reasonable to assume Lexus has allowed for error and there is more than 1/4" of clearance between the oil and crankshaft under normal driving conditions with a "perfect refill". However, there is no easy way to be sure if this assumption is correct without actually measuring the clearance. Fortunately, there is no need to rely on the opinions of others (myself included), or continue to worry about this. It is not a big deal to temporarily back off the oil filter canister a few turns and let some oil leak out into your drain pan. It is not even necessary to jack up the vehicle to do this.

 

I drove my vehicle until it reached operating temps (going off of the oil temp and not the coolant temp) and took about 10 min to set everything up once I parked. The front and driver sides were both jacked up, but my garage sits at an incline, so the offset was minimal. After about 10 minutes for setup, I loosened the fill cap and the drain bolt. Once the drain got down to a minimal stream, I loosen the oil filter housing (I took the entire housing off, rather than draining from the bottom hole) and let her drain for about 45 minutes (2nd oil change I did on this Lexus and I'm still trying to get used to the oil filter housing design). After about 45 minutes, the oil was down to a minimal drip and then started to put everything back together.

The oil change was completed last Tuesday, 03.11.25 and have put about 450 miles so far. No issues, no weird noises, no smoke coming from the exhaust, and no otherwise signs of anything out of the ordinary.

 

Since after a routine oil change, the technician checks the level a few minutes after a brief run in order to fill the oil filter and circulate the oil , and quick check for any leaks.

I’m a big believer in doing the oil dipstick check the same way. Check it on a level surface, a few minutes after shutdown. Oil should be at the full mark.
I believe most manuals also describe the process in similar terms.

An overnight draining of oil from the engine into the oil pan and checking in the morning before startup would absolutely show higher than the full mark.

 

It could possibly indicate that the vehicle was not leveled when you drained your oil and when you tightened the drain plug prematurely. The last drop of oil that's drained out of your engine is the dirtiest drop.

It also depends on the oil drain plug location and if the vehicle was properly jacked-up. For example:

If the drain plug is toward the front of your oil pan, you should jack up the vehicle in the back to drain more oil out.

If the oil drain plug is on one side of the oil pan, then you want to jack up the vehicle on the opposite side. If you jack up the vehicle the same side as the oil drain plug, then you can't drain the oil out as much as if the vehicle is leveled

I'm sure you get the idea. I wouldn't worry about 1//4 of an inch of oil over the full mark.

See my attached link on how to do a proper drain and refill your transmission fluid. The same principles apply to draining the engine oil.

HTH!

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...-pin-13-a.html

 

Level surface?

If its not smoking you should be fine.

 

Thanks for your reply!

The drain hole is on the passenger side and facing the rear. I ended up jacking up the front driver and passenger sides, and my garage sits at an incline so the vehicle was somewhat leveled.

Thanks!

Due to my garage sitting at an incline, it was more leveled than changing in my driveway.

 

As per owners manual, wait just 5 minutes after shutting off, not overnight.

 

Yea, thats not ideal. But again, if you drained the oil, added around the required amount area you are overthinking this. I get it, I do the same and more with oil changes, OCIs, type of oil and filter..the list goes on.

As long as its on the stick, not a meter above it, and it is not smoking or making weird noises you'll be fine.

 

Next go around for the OC, I'm going to put in 4.25 qts and add more if needed.

 

Update: I ended up parking straight into my driveway rather than backing into it. And when checking the oil level this way, the dipstick showed the exact opposite of 1/4 inch below the F mark, which leads me to believe the oil level is right at the F mark. The driveway doesn't seem to have that much of an incline compared to the inside of my garage.

 

lol, parking a normal way and the opposite way and checking the level is smart I also have an inclined driveway and had the same problem. After multiple measurements, 5qt is a sweet spot for me to get F mark. Other than inclined driveway, I warm the engine up until temp is operational, turn the car off and wait 5 mins to measure the level - as per manual.

 

On the next oil change, I'm going to put in 4.75 QT (and add more if needed) to see where this lands on the dipstick.

As far as when to check the oil level, there are different schools of thought on this. Some manufacturers state to check when the engine is cold and has sat overnight, while others state to run it to operating temps, wait a few minutes, and then check. IMO, I think it's best to check after the engine has sat overnight, as this allows most of the oil (if not all) to drain to the oil pan, whereas running the engine has the oil scattered throughout.