I recently bought an xj12c. The maintenance manual and drivers manual both show 23 pints of oil. the dip stick showed to the top of the hash marks before draining. I only got about 15 pints from the engine plus what was in the filter. When I filled the engine with 23 pints, the level was way up the dip stick. Do I have the wrong dip stick or is the book wrong on the quantity? Thanks, harry

Submitted by NE48-24099 on Sat, 09/08/2012 - 12:57

George, I looked at my Canadian booklet, and it has US, Imperial, and Metric.
Any idea when US, Liberia, Burma (the 3 remaining holdouts) will ever convert?
Since I grew up with imperial, I still think and measure that way. My adult children don't know what I am talking about.

Submitted by NE48-24099 on Fri, 09/07/2012 - 19:49

My money says the dipstick is wrong. Compare the dipstick with a proper one.
Better yet measure from the shoulder to the 'full mark' and from the shoulder to the tip.
Let me know the measurements and I will measure mine.
BTW, we are not mixing up Imperial and US measurements are we?

Submitted by stevejag@sbcgl… on Fri, 09/07/2012 - 13:28

The more I think about this, the more it eats at me. Somethings not right here. If your oil level was at the "correct" spot on the dipstick, and you drained out 15 pints, that's 7.5 quarts. Forget the filter, it's not in play here, that's not enough oil in the sump. It should take just under 12 quarts to fill that up to the level, or, conversely, you should have gotten just under 12 quarts out. The V12 isn't like a push-rod motor that can plug up the heads and have oil not drain back into the sump.

Either the dipstick is incorrect or the sump has been modified. I just can't see any other way to account for such a large discrepancy. Whatever the case, I'd want to get to the bottom of it.

Cheers,

Submitted by SE98-32482CJ on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 19:37

Harry the dip stick should be marked. I am looking at the handbook for your car and it shows 22 pints (US) inc filter but that does not account for the other. The filter will hold 2 pints or so so we are down to a difference of 4 pints Check that the dipstick is correct (part number or model should be stamped on it. BTW the handbook I am looking at is Pub. A.199/1 dated 1975. I guess there could be a bit of build up in the oil sump but a full quart is hard to believe.