Mazda 5 - How much oil?

[Mazate]

I just did an oil change on my new Mazda 5 and I read the manual to see how much oil it takes and it was no help at all. Does anyone know how much oil to put in it? I put in 4 quarts but with the goofy dipstick I can't tell if it's full or not. Help!!

 

[Heat]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123735097
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123657838

Per the book, 3.9 quarts without a filter change, 4.3 quarts with a filter change.

 

[skyhawk]

I put in 4 quarts but with the goofy dipstick I can't tell if it's full or not. Help!!

I agree. The dipstick does not tell much as to how much oil it has.
For example, if you let it sit overnight then in the morning you pull out the
dipstick, you will see oil mark in the lower position. Then you wipe it and
insert the diptick back in and then out.. now you look at the stick and
you see a smear of oil way past the 'full marker'... It looks like the dipstick
is touching something oily inside when you pull it out giving a goofy reading.

This is one area mazda can try to fix.

 

[monsta]

I agree. The dipstick does not tell much as to how much oil it has.
For example, if you let it sit overnight then in the morning you pull out the
dipstick, you will see oil mark in the lower position. Then you wipe it and
insert the diptick back in and then out.. now you look at the stick and
you see a smear of oil way past the 'full marker'...

(iagree)


If it sets overnight I pull it out and wipe it off and reinsert it to get an "accurate" reading. The reading from sitting overnight is always wrong. It usually takes me 4 tries to get it to show the same level each time.

 

[Heat]

For what it's worth, when I change the oil on my cars I just put in the recommended amount and don't even check the dipstick until I've driven it for a few miles.

The manual says 4.3 quarts so that's what I put in.

 

[Mazate]

It says 4.3 quarts? I couldn't find anywhere in the manual where it said an actual amount of oil. I drive a 2009 if that makes any difference.

 

[CaptainSpalding]

Here's what I was taught:

Oil level is best measured with a cold engine. Warm is okay, but the engine shouldn't be hot. It's not the temperature that makes the difference, but where the oil is in the engine. When the engine is running, the oil pump is pumping the oil up to the cams and wherever else it needs to go. After driving, it takes a while for the oil to drain down into the oil pan. So you want the car to have been sitting for a while with the engine off before pulling out that dipstick. (As an aside, measuring the oil level at the filling station will usually give you a false low reading, as the oil hasn't had sufficient time to make its way to the pan. The attendant at the full service pump sells a lot of oil that way . . .)

The proper way to measure the oil is to pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, replace it completely, pull it out again, and take your reading. Why the initial removal and wipe? The end of the dipstick sits in the oil pan. As the crank turns it is lubricated by splashing in the oil in the pan. This in turn splashes oil onto the dipstick. Without wiping the dipstick off before measuring, you don't know what you've got there.

Cheers!

 

[skyhawk]

Here's what I was taught:
The proper way to measure the oil is to pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, replace it completely, pull it out again, and take your reading. Why the initial removal and wipe? The end of the dipstick sits in the oil pan. As the crank turns it is lubricated by splashing in the oil in the pan. This in turn splashes oil onto the dipstick. Without wiping the dipstick off before measuring, you don't know what you've got there.

Cheers!

In the case of the mazda5, (engine not running) if you wipe off the dipstick and insert it back in, and then pull it out .. you will see oil way above the full mark. Either the oil is overfilled, or somewhere along the dipstick tube a surface has oil that touches the dipstick. giving a confusing 'reading'.

It is supposed to be simple. dipstick should indicate the level of oil.. not
so in the case of the mazda5. It only tells your there is oil in there.

 

[professorhank]

Most cars I've owned, the dipstick is worthless. There'd almost always be smeared oil along it making it difficult to know how much is in there. Personally, I just put in the recommended level during an oil change and not even check the dipstick. Where else is the oil gonna go? And if there's "hidden" oil that didn't drain, is there really any harm in having 4.4 quarts in there? After draining the old oil, measure it to see if your particular engine or driving conditions warrant adding oil during mid-changes. Most Mazda5s are still new enough that our engines shouldn't be burning off that much oil.

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

5.0 bottles in every time, drive off, never had a problem.

That .7 extra, no need to check oil EVERY fill up.

That .7 extra burns off between oil changes anyhow. (sun)

Engines are still just basic machines, don't freak over .05 extra oil, trust me the engine can take it.

really funny, we used to dump 5 quarts in 4 cyl engines back in the 80's and early 90's, now with the engines getting larger and larger, 4 cyl engines are now 2.0, 2.3 2.6,... phhhhhf.. 5 qts is fine. Dont over think it guys.(deadhorse

(guitar)

Peace!(rei)