I recently bought a 2021 Nissan Frontier SV Midnight Edition. And I have about 1700 miles on it. I went to go check my oil and I noticed the oil is over the full line. Is this something I should be worried about.There is no crazy rough driving or any weird noises.
![332991]( "332991")
Too much oil for brand new frontier.
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ShippNasty
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Have you heard anything back from Nissan regarding this? I changed mine last week and only put 5 quarts in and now its reading where the dipstick curves inward.
I'm just going to chalk it up to some of the oil not being able to drain out. I believe the manual when it says that the capacity is 5.25 quarts and I believe that the dipstick reads correctly. Someone mentioned they think there's a dipstick issue, I don't believe that.
But when you drain it, only about 4.9 quarts or so comes out. so if you fill it back up with a full 5 quart jug, you're filling more than you put in.
Next oil change, I'm going to fill about 4.5 quarts and see where it reads on the dipstick.
The good news in all this is, I'm at about 5,500 miles after changing the oil at 1200. Oil level reads exactly the same over that whole time.
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Ok, Its starting to worry me. Because I did just the 5 quarts this time thinking ok.. 5quarts and 1/4 might have been to much. But you said your chalking it up as all of the oil isnt coming out. Could you explain that to me? I dont know much about vehicles, just enough to change plugs oil and filters etc. When I changed the oil. I left a pan under my truck for about 20mins. When I went back under it was just very slowly dripping and I put the bolt back.
I then took the oil filter off and some of the oil was coming out of that and I let that drain and stay off for about 10mins under the pan once I removed the filter. I put the new filter back on and then put only 5 quarts in and then checked the dipstick and it was right at the "H" mark and I called it good thinking I got it right this time. Wife and I just left for a 500mile trip and when I got to my destination I checked it again and its at this mark again where I marked with a pen
if your saying its not getting all out why is it showing at that mark again? where else would it be? When I changed the oil the truck sat overnight and I didnt start the engine. But if you also said your stayed at the same level, did it stay at the same level as in my picture?
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The motor holds some oil the spec might be say 6 quarts after assembly 5.25 with oil and filter, 5 quarts with oil only. As far a reading differently at different times the only time I have seen that is with a dry sump. I had a motorcycle with and in crank case dry sump that had a sight glass and if you didn't follow the procedure of running it and letting it sit you would end up with oil in the crankcase and less in the tank and it would look low so you would add oil and then later there would be too much via the sight glass. But that doesn't really seem to apply other than maybe there is a spot in this motor that hangs onto oil....sometimes. I didn't even check with there is there an oil cooler, that might explain some of it?
Mine reads a little lower than that, maybe right between the H and the curved part. And it's read that much right after changing it until now, 4000 miles later. Hasn't changed.
Not all of the oil drains back into the pan when you shut off the engine, otherwise the engine components would all be metal on metal grinding during a cold start.
I would use the capacity listed in the owners manual as a starting point, but the final amount used shall be determined based off of what the dipstick shows. Start with less and add till the dipstick reads where you want it to be. I never wait a full 10 minutes or longer to check my oil level because I have better things to do with my time. I wait about 2 minutes and check it. Normally I add till its a little under the full mark knowing it will rise a little later. When it check it on a cold morning it's always higher than when I did the oil change, but I expect that to be the case. A little under or over the full mark isn't going cause any problems.
I assume when you change the oil you might have the engine running for only a minute or two before shutting it off to check the oil. At this point the engine is still cold and the oil is thicker than if the engine just got shut off after driving down the road for many miles. Thicker oil takes longer to drain back to the pan after the engine is shut off, and therefore could give a lower dipstick reading at the time of changing the oil if you don't wait long enough.
Are you certain when you are checking the levels over time that the conditions are identical? Are you parked on the same level surface each time? Are you waiting the same amount of time after the engine is shut off before checking? Is the engine/oil at the same temperature when checking each time?
If you want to keep monitoring this, maybe only check it in the morning after its been sitting all night. That would take out a few of the variables that might influence the level if you check it right after its been running. I suspect you will find that the oils level is staying the same and not rising.
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My view is that a dipstick is not a precision instrument. No dipstick is. Being a 1/4 litre low on oil will not kill your engine unless its a lawn mower 
Being a 1/10 of a litre too high will not kill your engine.
Be familiar with your capacity with and without the filter.
If your oil looks good, smells good, feels good when you rub between index finger and thumb and is a bit over H, F or Max [whatever the designation for full is on your dipstick] don't panic but seek out a trusted second opinion if you need reassurance. If its below the low mark, add a bit at a time with the goal of getting to the mid point.
Being a 1/10 of a litre too high will not kill your engine.Be familiar with your capacity with and without the filter.
If your oil looks good, smells good, feels good when you rub between index finger and thumb and is a bit over H, F or Max [whatever the designation for full is on your dipstick] don't panic but seek out a trusted second opinion if you need reassurance. If its below the low mark, add a bit at a time with the goal of getting to the mid point.
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I looked up the owner's manual for a 2021 Frontier off the Nissan USA website and spotted these all important words:
The following are approximate capacities. The actual refill capacities may be a little different. When refilling, follow the procedure described in the “Do-it-yourself ” section to determine the proper refill capacity
Capacities are: 5.25 USQ [5 litres] with filter, 5 USQ [4.7 litre] w/o filter.
If I were changing the oil myself in that truck, I'd go a 1/2 quart or 1/2 litre under, and then top up as needed with the goal of being between the spots on the dipstick.
Nissan is telling us to follow the procedure carefully, allowing full drain yadda yadda, and then trust the dipstick rather than be a slave to specified capacity. Because the capacities are approximate and actual may be a little different.
The following are approximate capacities. The actual refill capacities may be a little different. When refilling, follow the procedure described in the “Do-it-yourself ” section to determine the proper refill capacity
Capacities are: 5.25 USQ [5 litres] with filter, 5 USQ [4.7 litre] w/o filter.
If I were changing the oil myself in that truck, I'd go a 1/2 quart or 1/2 litre under, and then top up as needed with the goal of being between the spots on the dipstick.
Nissan is telling us to follow the procedure carefully, allowing full drain yadda yadda, and then trust the dipstick rather than be a slave to specified capacity. Because the capacities are approximate and actual may be a little different.
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I'm going to reply to my own post - while a dipstick is not a precision instrument, I will add that per Nissan it should be relied on more than approximate capacity. Think of capacity as how much new oil do I need on hand, rather than how much oil MUST go in.My view is that a dipstick is not a precision instrument. No dipstick is. Being a 1/4 litre low on oil will not kill your engine unless its a lawn mower
Be familiar with your capacity with and without the filter.
If your oil looks good, smells good, feels good when you rub between index finger and thumb and is a bit over H, F or Max [whatever the designation for full is on your dipstick] don't panic but seek out a trusted second opinion if you need reassurance. If its below the low mark, add a bit at a time with the goal of getting to the mid point.
Nissan's DIY oil change procedure set out in the owner's manual is pretty well thought out - even giving the torque figure for tightening the drain plug.
Makes me want to change my own oil. But I have a great mechanic who I trust and he never overfills.
All the TV show guys on Motortrend channel have done full shows on dyno runs with varying oil levels and windage trays. They all consistently make about 1% more hp running 1 quart low due to oil windage losses. I would just run with one 5 qt jug for 5000 miles and see what your level stays at for the duration. Surely wouldn't hurt anything to try.
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Doing that you would be technically 0.25 quart low based on the approximate capacity. I'll bet if you did that it would read on the high side of safe on the dipstick and the engine would be very happy.
If someone was really obsessed about not overfilling [if I did my own and had the time for painstaking follow up I would be] I'd say 4.75 USQ, or 1/2 quart below approximate capacity, then be prepared to add, if necessary, 1/4 to 1/2 quart over the next couple days after checking the level per the procedure set out by Nissan.
For someone who wasn't sure they had the time to follow up but wants to change their own oil, I'd just do what bajasam mentioned. A nice even 5 USQ, follow Nissan's procedure to the letter and call it a day, but check your oil once a week as you should anyway.
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Just did by first oil change at 5020 miles, not really able to exactly measure how much came out but it’s about 5 quarts. I used 0/20 Walmart synthetic in a 5 quart jug and a new made in Japan Mahle factory filter. I put all 5 quarts in and it just covers the second hole so it’s 5 quarts. BTW the factory filter is quite small. I did a black stone oil analysis of the old factory oil, which I will post when I get it back. It will give a good baseline of the make up and when to change the stock oil, the manual says 7500 but a lot of people like to change the factory oil right away because of contaminants from the manufacturing process. The 3.8 motor is made in the USA and the info I’ve seen indicates the contamination should be acceptable. Watch the fortnine motorcycle oil video if your interested. Basically if you buy a Chinese or Italian motorcycle you should change the oil several times just to clear the manufacturing contaminants.
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I bought one brand new that was reading at the curve after sitting for an hour. It'd a 2023. I drained about 6-7 ounces and it's right at the H now. Maybe these dipsticks aren't precise, or they overfill at the factory
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Wouldn't an oil pressure light come on if it were way overfilled?
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So the 3.8 calls for the same 5.25 qts as the 4.0. Took me 10 years changing oil on these motors to realize I don’t need the hassle of finding the extra .25qt. Now put 5qt jug in, middle of dipstick, after 5k miles still in middle.
Better a little low than the ops little overfilled.
Better a little low than the ops little overfilled.
how much over filled will it be to the point that the crank is sloshing hte oil? that is the worry with over filled. you don't want the crank splashing the oil all over and causing air at the pump pick up.
you need to look at the dimensions of how wide the oil pan is and think if you pour .25 of a quart out into that area, how much of a layer does it make? its probably only going to be 1/16-1/8" thick layer. that is not going to mess you up being that low or high. you could probably actually be a quart to much and not get crank slap in the oil but i don't know enough to tell you on this engine. i know we did that on our inline 6 in our autocross bmws because oil would climb the wall in long turns
you need to look at the dimensions of how wide the oil pan is and think if you pour .25 of a quart out into that area, how much of a layer does it make? its probably only going to be 1/16-1/8" thick layer. that is not going to mess you up being that low or high. you could probably actually be a quart to much and not get crank slap in the oil but i don't know enough to tell you on this engine. i know we did that on our inline 6 in our autocross bmws because oil would climb the wall in long turns
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