2GR-FE Oil Capacity

[Thirteen]

Hey everyone.

This is going to be a bit of a curly one as my vehicle is actually a Jap Tarago (Estima, however has the 2GR-FE) and there are more 2GR in this section than any other so thought i might ask here.

Anyway, did oil change the other day on the battleship for the first time (freshly imported) and 5L came out of the motor, so i topped it up with Full Synth SN 5w-30 but it literly only took 5L of oil. Now everything ive read (including the japanese estima handbook says) 6.1L with filter change or 5.7L without filter change (god bless google translate)

The dipstick is reading full at 5L. I even found some other paper work that came with old service history and that mentioned SN 0w-30 EDGE 5L. 

I dont get it.... why is 5L coming out, only 5L going in and 5L being put in the engine, yet every other 2GR takes 6.1L, the manual says 6.1L... Car seems to run fine but am i going crazy? Should i just chuck the other 1L in there and forget wat the dipstick says? Perhaps the dipstick is the wrong one, bhut the manual shows the 2GR model Estima has a twist in the end and this one has exactly that, like other 2GR's

 

What you guys think

[trentmeyer23]

Trust the dipstick. Do not overfill. Be aware that you will get false readings from residual oil in the dipstick tube.

The longer you let it sit, the closer to the 6.1L figure you will get. Keep in mind, those are dry fill specs and the engine will always have residual oil in it(to a degree).

[Hiro]

Pay attention to where the drain plug is on the sump too and which way you jack the car up to reach it - if the plug is at the front and you raise the front of the car then there will naturally be some oil sitting in the back of the sump due to the way it is tilted back.

[campbeam]

8 hours ago, trentmeyer23 said:

The longer you let it sit, the closer to the 6.1L figure you will get.

When I do an oil change, initially I remove the oil filter cartridge housing and check the filter cartridge for the amount of oil sludge. Then, I undo the sump plug and let it drain for about 5-10 minutes until there is only an occasional drop. While waiting, you can replace the filter cartridge and cartridge housing. Jacking up the side of the car also helps to drain that bit of oil sitting at the bottom of the sump. My engine usually takes 6 litres then about a week later, I recheck oil level and top up, if required.

[Thirteen]

Hmm ok interesting. The drain plug on these is at the back of the sump. Another luxury with driving a Toyota Star Destroyer is its high enough to fit a oil pan underneath so no jacking up required. 

Ive been checking it every day for the last week as i find it quite puzzling and the dip stick still measures true as it has when i filled it up and sitting at the full dot. I dont know how accurate the markings on the oil bottle, but its basically bang on 5L. To be triple sure, i checked it again first thing this morning. Dipstick straight out of an overnight engine and yep, exactly the same spot. Maybe i just have a freak car that got a smaller sump? Granted it is a late 2006 model so perhaps toyota did something odd in the early models? Either that or its the wrong dipstick, but i hjighly doubt.

 

When i start up the car it fires up very nice and smoothly, none of the typical death rattle just fires up no worries, not a sound at all, nice super smooth. Then at operating temp you get the usual intermitent bit of 2GR Engine chatter from the engine but otherwise everything seems the same. Very odd.

A mate of mine who is a head mechanic at porsche and mercedes (and only drives jap cars namely RX7's and Turbo toyotas) mentioned there could be a bit of oil left over in the VVTI system, i suspect not all of 1L but spose any bit extra is a possiblity.

Edited November 11, 2017 by Thirteen

[Tony Prodigy]

I suspect the sump pan may be different (hence the smaller oil capacity) on his "battleship" with the 2GR-FE and the manual provided may be a generic across the board type with reference to the 6.1lt full capacity. This may not necessarily apply to the Jap Tarago. 

Like Trent said. Trust the dipstick regardless how ridiculous the manual seems.

[campbeam]

Most times, it pays to confirm basic assumptions. In this case, is the engine actually a 3.5L 2GR-FE V6 engine instead of the 3.0L 1MZ-FE V6 or another replacement engine? A different engine would explain the smaller than expected oil capacity.

Something else to consider is whether you have made a mistake in determining the oil capacity. Personally, I have bought different brands of oil on special so the container capacities vary i.e. 4L, 5L and 5.5L. Last oil change was to put in one full 5L container then approximately add another 1 litre.

Recently, I made a mistake in reading the vernier caliper when measuring the thickness of the brake rotors. I was questioning why the new rotors were only approx. 8.5mm instead of the expected 10mm thickness. Took a while to finally realise my mistake.

[Tony Prodigy]

I have no idea what the Jap Tarago is supposed to come with. The O.P seems to think so though..

It did intrigue me though the possibility of it having a 2GR-FE. Does it seem plausible ? 

[campbeam]

3rd Generation built from 2006 on has the 2GR-FE engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Previa

 

[Tony Prodigy]

3 minutes ago, campbeam said:

3rd Generation built from 2006 on has the 2GR-FE engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Previa

So then it does have a 2GR-FE.

Why the oil capacity discrepancy then ?

It must have a smaller sump. No ?

 

 

[campbeam]

Actually, I am waiting for the owner to confirm that it is actually a 2GR-FE engine and their 5 litre oil estimate was correct.

Best to deal with facts, not assumptions or mistaken beliefs. 5 could have been misinterpreted as 6 so that the actual build date is in 2005 not 2006. 

[Tony Prodigy]

Yes indeed. I agree. Fact is better than fiction.

[Thirteen]

It very much is a GSR50. If your savvy withyour toyota codes this will imply fitted with the 2GR-FE. The ACR50 is thr 2.4L. Its a late 06. Bare in mind many jdm models have way higher trims and engine options over local offerings. It is certainly a 2grfe. I even had the joy of putting new plugs in it the other night! 

The car is still running absolutely fine. Its just odd its still only taken 5L. I am very proficient with working on cars so there isnt any misunderstanding or confusion in what im dealing with. Every document ive encounted that deals with thr car including the owners manual suggest the same oil  capacity as local aus 2gr offerings. The sump hasn't been changed its still a factory sump. I bought 6L oil in anticipation of the amount but none the less 5L it is.  

Its really made no difference to the car.  Its just puzzled me to how it is. 

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, Thirteen said:

It very much is a GSR50. If your savvy withyour toyota codes this will imply fitted with the 2GR-FE. The ACR50 is thr 2.4L. Its a late 06. Bare in mind many jdm models have way higher trims and engine options over local offerings. It is certainly a 2grfe. I even had the joy of putting new plugs in it the other night! 

The car is still running absolutely fine. Its just odd its still only taken 5L. I am very proficient with working on cars so there isnt any misunderstanding or confusion in what im dealing with. Every document ive encounted that deals with thr car including the owners manual suggest the same oil  capacity as local aus 2gr offerings. The sump hasn't been changed its still a factory sump. I bought 6L oil in anticipation of the amount but none the less 5L it is.  

Its really made no difference to the car.  Its just puzzled me to how it is. 

Good info.

Like I mentioned before, I think that the 2GR-FE designation to that chassis may have warranted a different style of sump so it can fit.

Some photos would be great so we can compare yours to Aurion. And you're lucky you only have to contend with 5 litres.

Autobarn recently had a sale of the Nulon 5W-30 in the 5 litre for $29.99. (normally $47ish). I bought 6 units. That means I can do 5 oil changes (6lt) for half the price it would normally cost. Happy days !

[trentmeyer23]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Like I mentioned before, I think that the 2GR-FE designation to that chassis may have warranted a different style of sump so it can fit.

I stopped being lazy and actually had a look. The sump is exactly same part number(12102-31050) as every other 2GR-FE.

[Tony Prodigy]

Where do find part numbers from Trent ?

[trentmeyer23]

13 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Where do find part numbers from Trent ?

You won't be able to access what I use. This is pretty decent.

https://www.amayama.com/en/genuine-catalogs/toyota

[Thirteen]

Judging from looking at photos all fwd 2gr look to have the same sump. Which is typical of toyota to build 1 engine and share it across all platforms with minimal changes. Makes sense from a business perspective too. It looks like the is350 with a rwd setup has a different sump. 

Car has 500km on it since oil change and still going nicely.oil level hasnt changed. What went in originally is whats still there at the same amount.

I bought 2x 6L nulin SN full synths 5w-30 in anticipation of 6L oil change so got 100ml left over!!

Edited November 21, 2017 by Thirteen

[Jon Albiez]

I was surprised with the first oil change. Under the filler cap was a bit sludgy when we bought the car so I ran a flush through. I'm used to vehicles that only drop 80-90% of their dry sump capacity. Imagine my surprised when over 6 litres came out (oil and flush). Took the whole 6 litre bottle to come out at the full mark.

I'll be changing the oil a little more frequently until I'm satisfied the sludging has dropped. Service history was great until the last couple of years with extensive highway driving and extended service intervals.

[Thirteen]

Yeah sludge engine was a concern when buying a 2gr car. But that's no fault of thr design thats lack of maintenance. The PCV change is a 1 minute job that costs about $8 and a blocked pcv is a large cause of excess sludge. Otherwise use good oil and change frequently and you'll have no issues

[campbeam]

I thought that I had overfilled the engine by approx. 1 litre when I did an oil change last weekend. At the time, I just removed and drained the oil filter housing but this was only approx. 200ml.

So I checked the dipstick this morning and was a bit surprised at the level on the dipstick being high above the full mark. Later, I dropped the oil and refilled the engine to the correct level,

Ended up being about 2 litres overfilled. Just checked now and the oil container is actually 6 litres not the expected 5 litres.

Fortunately, I have been driving sedately [<2000 rpm] and short distances so no blown oil seals. 

[KAA]

After doing so many oil fills and drops maybe the pan expanded over time and accommodated the extra oil😉😉

Glad you caught it fast mate or all that hard work would have been lost

Keep Well mate

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

As my owners manual states 6.1LT, I could also assume that this is for a dry engine because all the oil/filter changes I've done, I've basically just filled it each time with the full 6LT and the dipstick goes up a little past the uppermost dimple on the stick. One needs to ensure the car is also as level as practically possible too.

[campbeam]

On 11/10/2017 at 10:35 PM, trentmeyer23 said:

Trust the dipstick. Do not overfill. Be aware that you will get false readings from residual oil in the dipstick tube.

The longer you let it sit, the closer to the 6.1L figure you will get. Keep in mind, those are dry fill specs and the engine will always have residual oil in it(to a degree).

I get an accurate reading from the dipstick after the engine has sat overnight. Something that I do most Saturday mornings while doing a quick check under the bonnet. 

[campbeam]

Just come across this YouTube short video by The Car Care Nut that includes how to correctly check the engine oil level. Check it after the engine is warmed up.

[PS I am guilty of checking it after it has sat overnight.]