Town car engine oil

[Joqular086]

Got it. The link in my first comment is a digital version of your owners manual from Ford’s service website, so you can save that and get to the manual any time. Your engine should hold 5 quarts total, with 4.8ish in the block/pan (4.6 liters x 1.057 = 4.86 quarts) and another 0.2ish in the filter. If someone did just dump 5 quartz in then it would be over full for a bit since the filter would initially be empty.

As for the Kwik change place, they probably didn’t let the oil drain sufficiently and then topped it off using the book amount without actually checking the levels.

Gotcha on the longer time needed 2 drain, and would put oil on both sides of gasket, and a 1/4 quart or so into the filter- just enough so I wasn't taking an oil shower. Started it, back down off the ramps, pulled into the garage (4 qrts already added) let it idle a few minutes, shut it off for 30-40 mins, added Lucas or STP product (1/4 to 1/3) bottle, with the stuff the EPA doesn't want us to use ZDDP . Take it for a 10-15 drive, Park it and check later. Even with just the oil only, no additives, still never took 5 qrts, but close to it. With about 124k miles on it, I use the additives to slow the wear n' tear, specially on the timing chain, and cold start- up wear. So far, so good fingers crossed!

 

[GBM]

For people not exposed to the concept..... over filling the engine can put the engine oil close enough to the rotating crankshaft to cause it to foam. Which oxidizes the oil really fast... like within a few miles... and it loses its lubrication abilities. In racing engines doing a lot more RPM than ours it was common to install 'windage trays' under the crank above the oil to avoid the air currents.

 

[Joqular086]

For people not exposed to the concept..... over filling the engine can put the engine oil close enough to the rotating crankshaft to cause it to foam. Which oxidizes the oil really fast... like within a few miles... and it loses its lubrication abilities. In racing engines doing a lot more RPM than ours it was common to install 'windage trays' under the crank above the oil to avoid the air currents.

Yes! I say zactly right. And for a person that checks oil level at least 2 or 3 X after change, and twice weekly, low oil ain't gonna happen, 'specially when I would reach 3k miles in 4-5 weeks.

 

[Brian J. Patterson]

Just my two cents worth. I owned a (then new) 1994 Ford Thunderbird, and my father had bought the same car in a different color a few months before me. They both had the 4.6L Modular SOHC V8 as used on the Town Car. They both used about 4.8 quarts on a full oil change with filter. In fact, I can't recall seeing or hearing of that engine not using the "oddball" quantity when using the stock capacity oil filter. Police Interceptors have oil coolers, and the DOHC or higher displacement engines are different enough that I wouldn't count them.

So, when doing your own oil change, start with 4 quarts. After idling the engine for a minute or two to make sure the new oil is in the system with no air in the oil passages or oil filter, shut off the engine, check the oil, and fill the last little bit to the full-cold line. Just one of those "mysteries of life" things, I guess.

If you are into playing around and putting a larger oil filter that will still fit on your engine, then go for it. More oil capacity generally means more time before the oil breaks down to the point where it will no longer protect the engine, all other things being equal. Likewise if you have an overpowering urge to retrofit a PI oil cooler to your Town Car, go for it. If your car was delivered in a desert state with the "desert package" on it, you will probably already have an oil cooler and wonder why the rest of us can't get five whole quarts of oil into the engine. But if you want to stick to what Lincoln put in the car, then 4.8 quarts of oil is plenty.