The lube shop has been trying to feed me facts about my Ecotec 2.2, and I am not sure if they are full of it.

I will ask you guys:

On the dipstick where the notches are, isn't it supposed to have all notches filled and no more?

There is a little arrow then it says MAX.
Above that word "MAX" I see oil where the casting mark of a dot is.
It is a small circle above the word in other words that is part of the casting.

Having oil past the word MAX is supposedly OK, I don't think so.
The guy says he has the specs and how much oil to add and it always goes past the notches everytime.

This time it is higher than normal. In fact I am livid and don't want to ever go back as I just checked this 2000 miles after the change, so I have gone 2k miles with too much oil.

I hate Lube Shops, they try to give the people there a lube job along with the car IMO.

What say you?

ecotec, i usually put in 4.5 qts. i think thats what the book says.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, April 30, 2008 6:44 PM

Actually i believe you can overfill it by 1 litre without any problems, but it is NOT RECCOMENDED Although it is NOT good to be over full.

The list at work says that 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 take roughly 4.25 litres to fill.


(99 - Sunfire - Red - 2200)(95 - Cavalier z24 - Purple - 2.3 quad four)

How much over was it? Anything less than an inch above the max line isn't too bad. I always change my own oil, also have an ecotec, and putting in the 5 quarts my manual specifies brings the level a little (i.e. half an inch) above max.

I don't believe measure wise it is more than an 1/8 of an inch from the word MAX on the dipstick.
The lubeshop guy said he put how much the required amount is, but I usually have it a hair below the word MAX, this time it is to that little casting dot above the word MAX.

I have been getting for a long time some oil leakage from the oil filter tower.
This has been whether or not it is to level or a hair above.

Is there some sort of gasket on the tower?

I personally not changed my oil filter.

I have tracked the leak to this exact point, it is not coming from the head.
I doused the engine with engine cleaner, rinsed it down, dried it and drove it around.
The whole engine is bone dry except the weeping coming off the cap for the oil filter tower.

Is the oil filter a cartridge filter, accessed from the top of the engine bay? I can't remember if the eco is or not. Have a look at the cap and make sure it is tightened down all the way, the cap will have an o-ring at the bottom of the thread, it should be tightened past that and be flat with its mating surface.




(99 - Sunfire - Red - 2200)(95 - Cavalier z24 - Purple - 2.3 quad four)

1/8 of an inch over the "max" mark is nothing to worry about. That little a difference could be caused by anything, a hicup in the lube shop measuring equipment, reading the dipstick while parked on a slope/angle, etc. I cannot restate it enough that this is not something you should worry about.

The oil filter cap thing, though, may justifiably worry you. There is a rubber o-ring on the plactic cap, which can wear out, tear, and otherwise leak. Some oil filters come with a replacement, but a lube-shop would not replace that thing, or even inspect it. It could also be, depending on when you checked this problem, that the "leaked" oil was actually just some drips left from the previous oil change, as the old filter tends to drip when you pull it out.

Also check that the cap is on straight and correctly tightened down, not cross threaded or anything. If you run your finger around the bottom of the cap there should be a gap between the filter cap and the surface it sits on.




(99 - Sunfire - Red - 2200)(95 - Cavalier z24 - Purple - 2.3 quad four)

The eco takes 5qts of oil. When i do my oil I just add the correct amount (5qts) and i dont worry about it.

Thank you guys,
I will check the gasket ASAP and wont worry about the hair over MAX on the dipstick.
I do wonder why they don't just make a dipstick that reflects a correct level though.

L61-5 qts
LD9-4.5 qts
LD9 with 2.3 oil pump-7 qts

I always put 5 qts in my 98 and dont worry about.

IMO, I don't care what the book says on ANY vehicle. The dipstick has the last word. If it says you put in too much, you put in too much. Take it out.

What if the dipstick is wrong?????? Used to be a big problem on the Nissans I had to work on. Amazing how 2qts in a 350z would put it above the full mark. The book is the correct amount and not what the dipstick says. The dipstick is only there to give you an idea as to how the level is.

aint it 5.8 qts of oil?

i remember a recall something about the owners manual said the wrong level.


I put 6qts in my 02 ls sport.

ya, i will have to check the oil here tommorow. i know i am little above the full side.


i remember one time when i first started to change the oil i heard 4 qts, put in 4 qts, too low, 5 qts, still not at the full mark, then little over 5 1/2 qts put me where i had to be on the dip stick and coresponded with the 5.8qt deal i heard about.

My sisters 04 Sunflower takes 5 qts and my moms SS S/C takes 6 qts.

35.
01-00-90-002: Achieving Correct Oil Level and Crankcase Capacity Revision; 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, Oldsmobile Alero, Pontiac Grand Am, Sunfire with 2.2L Ecotec Engine (VIN F, RPO L61). GENERAL INFORMATION 2-02


that is what i was talking about. manual says 5.5qt, really has to be 5.8qt

I'm sorry but I have to laugh at this thread. Knowing GM's and Ford's like I do, I wouldn't be surprised if we all pulled up to Jiffy Lube and compared dipsticks we wouldn't find two that are the same. Just to test that theory, about an hour ago I pulled the dipsticks on two Cat 3126's we have in our fleet. The dipsticks were the same. Then I went and pulled the dips on two identical 2006 F250's. The full marks differed by 1/2".

On an oil change I routinely put in exactly 5 quarts to the mark just below the full mark on the stick on my Eco. I always change the filter with every oil change. The only time I ever put in exactly the same amount as the book says was on my '85 Camaro. I had built the motor using an aftermarket oil pan and a nice Locar dipstick that you need to adjust depending on the application. After I installed the motor in the car, I added exactly 5.8 quarts and ran the motor. I then adjusted the dipstick to show exactly full and from then on, the car always took just short of 6 quarts of oil.

I still stand behind my statement that IMO the dipstick always has the last word...

I put 1/2 a quart through after changing the filter but before replacing the drain plug, to push old oil and prime the filter. Then I close the cap and put th remaining 4.5 quarts. It puts it on MAX precisely. I have the ECOTEC, and yes it is a canister housing a removable filter instead of a screw on filter assembly.


------------------------------------
We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...