What exactly is the full mark on the dip stick. The top hole or the top of the hash marks? Tell me what you think or know. Thanks!

 

From the owners manual page 194:


"5. Locate and carefully remove the engine oil level indicator (dipstick).
• 4.0L V6 engine
• 4.6L 3V V8 engine
6. Wipe the indicator clean. Insert the indicator fully, then remove it
again.
• If the oil level is between the MIN—MAX marks, the oil level is
acceptable. DO NOT ADD OIL.
• If the oil level is below the MIN mark, add enough oil to raise the level
within the MIN—MAX range.
Maintenance and Specifications
194"

 

I figured out that much but which is the min and max mark? The holes or the hash marks.

 

I would think the one thats higher is the max and the one lower is the min.

 

The hash marks are the min and max area. If oil is above the top hole you may experience engine problems.

 

hope this helps

 

Thanks a lot! That helps tremendously!

 

adrenalin, that picture is worth a thousand words - sure gets the point across - and would be a good addition to the owners manual. If you take a real close look at the dipstick, you will see a fancy Ford insignia engraved on it. They went to alot of trouble to get that on there. This gets me to thinking ... hmmm ... why don't they add the words MIN and MAX to the engraving on the dipstick ?

 

So basically like I said the top one is max and the bottom is min. That seems logical to me.

 

the hash marks usually indicate a quart's worth of oil... so, if you're half way into the hash marks, you can safely add a half quart. If you're at the bottom hole, you know you'll need a full quart to be full. If you let the oil get down below the bottom hole, you'll still have adequate oil pressure, so your guage won't tell you anything, but you won't have enough oil to properly lubricate you front and rear main seals, amungst other things... this is what causes engines to seek oil at their gaskets and start to drip from the front and rear main seals. That oil keeps the seals from drying and getting damaged by friction... so.. even though you may be in the bottom quarter of the hash marks, I'd still add a half to 3 quarters of a quart to keep your engine at the maximum level.
Be aware, though, that going over can also blow seals because you may have too much oil pressure in different areas of the engine.