OIL: 6 or 7 quarts ?????

[ttown]

Well change your oil evey 3 thousands mile and don't worry about when you need to add oil. Proof? This has been talked about this many times on stangnet for years do what you want.

My son's best friend has an 01 that's 5qts and I have an 02 and 03 and it's always been that way since it's been changed. They change pan sizes because running low seems to be a big motor issue with 5 qts.

Do a search and some research I don't feel like trying to prove anything to anybody since many are here just to argue.

Or don't follow your owners manual and see how the outcome is.........boy wonder why so many with SC's have trouble with oil in their intake? Hope it works out guys, I did try to help.

 

[STUD]

oil capacity

Well change your oil evey 3 thousands mile and don't worry about when you need to add oil. Proof? This has been talked about this many times on stangnet for years do what you want.

My son's best friend has an 01 that's 5qts and I have an 02 and 03 and it's always been that way since it's been changed. They change pan sizes because running low seems to be a big motor issue with 5 qts.

Do a search and some research I don't feel like trying to prove anything to anybody since many are here just to argue.

Or don't follow your owners manual and see how the outcome is.........boy wonder why so many with SC's have trouble with oil in their intake? Hope it works out guys, I did try to help.

My 99 cobra takes 6 quarts, and the 99 cobra manual says 6. My oil is almost at full with 6 quarts. Don't put 6.5 or 7 quarts in, you will most certainly damage your motor. Plus, your not supposes to add oil until it's at or below the min mark.
I don't understand the issue here, just put in what the manual says, no more, and no less. Some of these bozo's are putting in oil up to 7 quarts, not only will you lose hp, but you'll eventually damage the seals from to much pressure. The GT's take 5 quarts according to tha 99 maintenance guide. Just follow the guidelines and you'll be fine.

Can't wait till the 2006's come out.

 

[Uncle Meat]

Plus, your not supposes to add oil until it's at or below the min mark.

Really? Well when I put exactly 6 Qts in my car the level shown on the dipstick is right at the minimum fill line. So now what do you suggest? According to your statement above, I need to add more because it's AT or below the minimum level indicator.

So I guess what many of you are trying to say is the dipstick on the '03 Cobra is DEFECTIVE and has been since 2001!

Hmmm.... Believe the owners manual, or believe the dip stick... I'll take the dip stick over the manual in this instance.

U.M.

 

[doogz]

The '96 has this problem too. I usually want to put 6qts in but never feel like buying that extra .5 qt, so I don't. The problem with the 96 is that if the car is parked on an incline or uneven surface, it triggers the low oil idiot light on the dash. I remember the first time it came on I was freaking out, I thought I bought a well abused car!

On the 96's, 6qts reads low on the dipstick and triggers the low oil light to incorrectly illuminate on the dash when parked on uneven surfaces.

 

[djtech]

6 qrts ain't enough

I put 6.5 in mine. This doesn't bring my dipstick to the max line, it is still below it. When Ford changed my oil (while under warranty which is now long gone) they would put in only enough to fill it to the min line. Twice I brought this to the service managers attention and was told this is where it should be.

I attribute this low oil as a contributer to my rod bearing failure @ 18K! 6.5 quarts of Amsoil for me when I fill 'her now! Can this cause engine damage? Possible but I doubt it. I'll take a 15HP loss if my motor lasts longer.

Side note... I bought a oil cap filter to replace the stock one. When I put in 6.5 quarts and drive the car hard (I should just say drive the car lol, I always accelerate fast) oil spills out this breather element. I've removed it for now. I still want the PCV breather replacements but think I might have the same problem.

So my piece of mind .5 quarts is pointless? I'm starting to think so but I don't want to risk it. Maybe I'll try 6.25 next time

I don't want another rod bearing failure since I'd be paying the bill! She's got 50,000 miles on her already.

 

[STUD]

djtech, sorry to hear about your rod bearing failure. Just curious, how many quarts low were you when this happened, and what kind of oil were you using. 6 quarts in my car is just a tad below the fill line. Putting in 6.25 quarts is fine, just don't go anymore than this. The manual says 6 quarts, but 6.25 is fine, you won't lose hp or overburden the seals, just don't go higher. One time, about 4 months after I bought my car, I checked the oil, and it was almost 2 quarts low. I never checked the oil because I wrongly assumed it didn't burn any. My honda doesn't burn a drop between oil changes, so I figured the cobra wouldn't either. These cars burn oil, why, I don't know, but I check mine every 2 weeks. I go through about 1 1/2 quarts every 3k.

Keep it between the min and max marks at all times and you'll be fine. I'm lucky I didn't spin a bearing or throw a rod when my oil was 2 quarts low. Maybe that's because I was using synthetic oil. Synthetic oil has a tendency to drip into tiny little cracks and provide better protection. It also doesn't get as hot and decreases friction. I was using MOBIL 1 back then, I now use REDLINE SYNTHETIC 5w-30. There this unbelievable testimony about a guy who was using REDLINE. His race car had no oil pressure and it was a 100 degrees out. I think this was about 3/4's through the race. Ended up finishing with no engine damage. Go to their website, they have tons of testimonials like this.

Late

 

[djtech]

djtech, sorry to hear about your rod bearing failure. Just curious, how many quarts low were you when this happened, and what kind of oil were you using. 6 quarts in my car is just a tad below the fill line. Putting in 6.25 quarts is fine, just don't go anymore than this. The manual says 6 quarts, but 6.25 is fine, you won't lose hp or overburden the seals, just don't go higher. One time, about 4 months after I bought my car, I checked the oil, and it was almost 2 quarts low. I never checked the oil because I wrongly assumed it didn't burn any. My honda doesn't burn a drop between oil changes, so I figured the cobra wouldn't either. These cars burn oil, why, I don't know, but I check mine every 2 weeks. I go through about 1 1/2 quarts every 3k.

Keep it between the min and max marks at all times and you'll be fine. I'm lucky I didn't spin a bearing or throw a rod when my oil was 2 quarts low. Maybe that's because I was using synthetic oil. Synthetic oil has a tendency to drip into tiny little cracks and provide better protection. It also doesn't get as hot and decreases friction. I was using MOBIL 1 back then, I now use REDLINE SYNTHETIC 5w-30. There this unbelievable testimony about a guy who was using REDLINE. His race car had no oil pressure and it was a 100 degrees out. I think this was about 3/4's through the race. Ended up finishing with no engine damage. Go to their website, they have tons of testimonials like this.

Late

I was so surprised when the rod bearing went. What a horrible noise coming out of my baby

This was a couple years ago now, at that time I had Ford come with a flatbed to get the car because the noise was pretty scary. I was so surprised when I heard I would be getting a complete replacement motor. At first I was upset because it was a refurb. Comon my car had 18K and they're not replacing it with a new one, WTF!! I've gotten over it since then. The new motor runs GREAT. They even gave me a 1 yr 12k warranty on the motor that I didn't end up needing.

To answer your questions, I don't really know what oil they were using in the car as it was Ford that was changing the oil while I was under warranty. I assume they used Mobile 1 and 6 quarts but it really seems like they were using 5. Why would they put 5 in I don't know, the GT's took 6 too right?

I check my oil (in my car and truck) every time I get gas, just to be safe. My car doesn't seem to consume any noticeable amount of oil, the truck uses a little but she's got 110k.

I heard good things about Redline and Royal Purple (I think it's called that). I did quite a bit of research of the synthetic brands before I committed to Amsoil. Amsoil has actually done industry standard testing to prove the validity of their claims of superiority over the other brands. I'm not saying that testimonials are unbelievable I'm just a very skeptical person

 

[TheDamned]

Hey, do what you want, but these motors have very little tolerance for overfilling... Why tempt fate? It's a bad idea to put more oil in a motor than what the people who designed and built the thing says is right.

I already put alot more then the normal, I remember, and nothing happened. it didnt exploded.

 

[Jetracer1000]

WOW!! It seems pretty much split. On one hand people say fill till stick says full, while others say forget the stick and put in what your told. Well as for me my next oil change will be 6.25-6.5 qts. Even though I'm changing it on a routine basis I don't like the idea I can't see if and when I might need oil. Besides I don't think 7 qts is going to kill me for the next few thousand miles. Well at least I hope not. And as for oils Mobil 1 Syn. is the only thing I've put in my cars for the last 6yrs and have had no problems at all.

 

[Jetracer1000]

One more dumb Question/Observation, with an increased amount of oil (7qts instead of 6qts) would it be safe to say there would be an increase in oil pressure. Hence wouldn't my oil pressure gauge show this incease? It is dead center just like it was when I got it from the dealership. I know I'm not a rocket scientist, but it was just a observation.

 

[Uncle Meat]

One more dumb Question/Observation, with an increased amount of oil (7qts instead of 6qts) would it be safe to say there would be an increase in oil pressure. Hence wouldn't my oil pressure gauge show this incease? It is dead center just like it was when I got it from the dealership. I know I'm not a rocket scientist, but it was just a observation.

I'm sorry to break the bad news to you Jetracer1000...but those gauges are nothing more than glorified idiot lights. The oil pressure gauge only shows that you HAVE pressure, not how much. A change of +/-10 psi would not make the needle deflect in either direction. Same thing for the temp gauge. Once the car is warmed up the engine temp can and does vary as the fans cycle on and off, but you never see that on the gauge. Hell, the damn fuel gauge isn't even accurate! If I fill up when the gauge reads half a tank I can put 10 or more gallons in the car. Last time I checked these cars came with 15 gallon tanks didn't they? The boost gauge appears to be the most accurate of the bunch though. You can even order a vinyl overlay that adds markings to your stock gauge so it will reflect 15lbs.

U.M.

 

[CobraCruiser]

Ford puts 6.5 quarts in my '03. I get free changes from Ford, but I bring in my own full synthetic instead of using their synthetic blend.

My '99 always took between 6.5 and 7 quarts. I never had an oil related problem. It didn't burn oil or use any between changes. The shop I used to go to mentioned that their is a slight difference between oil metered from a tank and from bottles, amounting to the few tenths of a quart differences you see mentioned.

Also, doesn't the Cobra pan have a windage tray to prevent aereation? I think that I also read in MMFF that they also have a crank scraper. I may be wrong on the scraper, but not on the windage tray.

 

[Mr Plow]

I heard somewhere that there was a recall of some sort that the dipsticks were punched wrong - correct me if I'm wrong

 

[32V_SVT]

I have to add my 2 cents here... I also put in 7 quarts when changing my oil...It just barely creeps to the max line, and I'm using Mobile1... I think as long as your not going beyond that you should be fine...

 

[seidler]

Changed the oil and filter on my 04 today. Installed 6qts of Redline 5w20 and after sitting for a hour after I finished driving it and the oil is at the full line.

 

[Vic_Ferrari]

guys guys guys!
There is a TSB on this!

#1 it takes a while for all of the oil to trickle down.
#2 the TSB states that the dipsticks are "stamped" incorrectly from the factory.

The car holds (according to the TSB in alldatapro) 6 quarts +/- 1/4 quart.
Anything more than 6 1/4 quarts is an overfill.
A case of oil should be good for two changes.

 

[Vic_Ferrari]

marketing

Hell, the damn fuel gauge isn't even accurate! If I fill up when the gauge reads half a tank I can put 10 or more gallons in the car. Last time I checked these cars came with 15 gallon tanks didn't they?
U.M.

That's called "Auto Manufacturer Psychology"
Notice it stays on full for quite some time?

"Dude, I get great mileage....it's on full for two days after I fill it"

Somebody said something along the lines of "...the genius of America is great marketing matched with peoples stupidity"

How true......

That thing got a Hemi in it? You're about find out!

The new Saab 9-3 commercial says "eating BMW's for lunch"
Then in small print it goes on to say about how it whooped the BMW 525i.
LOL
The fastest SAAB waxed the slowest BMW? No way!
Lets compare an M5.....ok lets be fair.....
Compare a 540i and see what happens.
You can make anything better than anything else with marketing.

How many people out there still think a HP number is what makes a car faster?
Everytime I meet someone new, they look at my car and say "390 Horsepower, 390 Horsepower".
They have no clue what this means....it's just something that been rubbed into their heads.

Speaking of heads.....these prescriptions the doc gave me are whacky..I've been sick as a dog for over a week now and starting to get cabin fever.
Tried to go out tonight.....after sneezing 97458723642345243 times I came back home.

 

[Cobracide]

6 qts. and a filter always got me dead f*kn center.

 

[Uncle Meat]

There is a TSB on this!

Vic, can you please post the Ford TSB or SSM # for this problem please.

Thanks

U.M.

 

[Uncle Meat]

Please delete this duplicate post Mr. Moderator... The website must have had an siezure or something!

U.M.