The recommended Ford 4.6 oil capacity is 6 quarts. For more information about your oil capacity, please check your owner’s manual. This manual has everything you need to know about your vehicle.
As you might know, oil changes are super important since they keep the engine in great shape. If you’re running low it, your vehicle will run into several problems.
If you’re not sure how to change the oil on your vehicle, we got you covered. Below, we’ll explore how to check and change the oil on your own.
Contents
How Often You Should Check Your Oil
The simple answer is once a month. This should be plenty of time to find out if your oil is at the recommended level.
This also comes in handy since you never really know how often you might spring a leak.
There are also other variables to take into account when checking your engine oil level.
For example, your location can significantly change your oil level—especially in the summer months.
Why? Because your engine oil gets hotter during summer, meaning the system will burn off your oil faster than it usually does.
How Often Should I Change the Oil on the Ford 4.6?
Always change your engine oil and oil filter after 5,000 miles. Engine oil change must be consistent if you genuinely want to get the most out of your vehicle.
If you fail to keep the Ford 4.6 engine oil capacity at the recommended level, then expect to pay a lot of money on costly repairs.
Changing oil is relatively simple, and we believe that every car owner should spend some time learning how to do this job.
If you don’t have enough time to change your oil, expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $75.
Should I Replace the Oil Filter Every Oil Change?
Always replace the oil filter after every oil change. Drivers can get by without changing the oil filter.
However, if they don’t replace the old filter, it won’t screen out all the contaminants from the new oil.
This is quite troublesome and can often lead to many different problems, which nobody wants to deal with.
7 Signs You Need to Change Your Oil
If you’re not sure if your car is overdue for an oil change, then here are some common symptoms to watch out for:
Engine Noise
Typically, we would say that engines get louder as they age. This is due to the bearings wearing over time. This shouldn’t raise any flags as it is a natural process.
However, if you know that your engine being this noisy is not normal, then perhaps you need an oil change.
When your engine oil becomes thin, the engine will get louder. So, every time that you drive your truck, the engine will start making weird noises.
Check Engine Light Comes On
The check engine light can come on for many reasons. For example, you could have a problem with your engine.
But if you know that your engine is still in great shape, check your dipstick since you might need an oil change.
Ticking Sound
If you’re starting up the engine, and get this weird noise as soon as the engine kicks in and then goes away, then it means that your oil pressure is too low on startup, meaning that the engine oil is low.
To fix the problem, change your oil.
Bad Headgasket
If you’ve recently noticed that your Ford 4.6 v8 oil capacity is too low, perhaps the problem has something to do with your head gasket.
When the head gasket stops working, it’ll cause oil to spill away. Unfortunately, this is not a simple fix. You’ll have to get in touch with a professional to fix the problem.
Car Stalls
Your vehicle is designed to shut off if you’re getting low oil pressure. So, if your car stalls while driving, it might be time for an oil change.
If you’re in a similar situation, please consider changing the oil as soon as possible. Engine stalling is no laughing matter, and it will damage the engine if you let it go by.
Engine is Overheating
Overheating is one of those things nobody wants to experience while driving. But, unfortunately, this can happen if you’re running low on oil.
If you ever run into a similar situation, please pull over and let it cool down. Then, when the engine is cooling down, please check the dipstick.
If the oil level is below the recommended range, you will have to top it off before going to a mechanic.
Burning Smell
Burning smells can never mean anything good. Luckily, this can be fixed by changing your oil.
But why is that? When vehicles don’t have enough oil, they will create lots of heat, which the engine cannot handle.
This won’t set your car on fire, but the burning smell can be pretty unpleasant.
How to Check Your Dipstick On a Ford 4.6
Not sure if your Ford F150 4.6 oil capacity is below the recommended level? Then here’s how you can quickly check your dipstick:
1. Find the Dipstick
First, pop the hood of your truck and then find the dipstick. Usually, it is noted by a yellow color.
But before you pull out the dipstick, please make sure that the engine is not running. So, shut off the vehicle and then remove the dipstick.
2. Clean the Dipstick
Pull out the dipstick and then clean it off. Next, put it back in and make sure to push it all the way down. Finally, leave the dipstick inside for a couple of minutes.
3. Check the Oil Level
Once again, remove the dipstick from the dipstick tube. See the little marks on the dipstick? Well, they will help us determine the level of our oil.
Your dipstick has a max level, and add level mark. Within this range, there’s always a safe region. So your oil should always be in the safe zone.
But if your level is below this range, it means that you have to add more oil to get it back on the safe zone.
But wait, adding more oil won’t make your life better. You should never add more oil than needed since it can damage your engine.
4. Double Check the Dipstick
To double-check your oil level, clean off the excess oil on the dipstick, put it back in, and then pull it out.
This way, we’ll know for sure that the oil is at the recommended level.
For more information about this simple job, refer to this video:
How to Change Oil & Oil Filter On a Ford 4.6
Keeping the Ford 4.6 l oil capacity at the recommended level helps lubricate the mechanical parts inside your engine to keep your vehicle in great shape. That said, here’s how to change the oil on a Ford 4.6:
1. What You Will Need
Here’s everything you need to change your oil:
- Funnel — to change the oil, please get a funnel
- Drain pan — get a bucket to drain the old oil
- Oil filter wrench — you might need an oil filter wrench to remove the old filter
- Gloves — it would help to wear gloves when changing the old oil
- Rag — get a rag to clean some of the mess you will make when changing the oil
2. Remove the Dipstick
First, pop the hood of your truck and then remove the dipstick. Next, clean off the dipstick and put it somewhere you can find it later on.
3. Get Underneath
Crawl underneath your truck and find the oil filter, which is located behind the bumper.
Once you’ve found the oil filter, please place your drain pan underneath since oil will come out the moment you take it off.
4. Remove the Oil Filter
To remove the old oil filter, use your oil filter wrench.
That said, grab your wrench, grab onto the oil filter and then loosen it up. After that, try to get your hand in there to remove it manually.
When pulling it out, please make sure that the seal is not stuck inside.
5. Clean it Off
After removing the oil filter from the vehicle, clean off the area where the oil filter was removed.
6. Install the New Filter
See the tiny holes on your new oil filter? Apply a little bit of oil to fill them up, and then use your fingers to lubricate the seal.
After that, grab the new replacement and install it.
7. Drain the Old Oil
Once again, get underneath the truck and find the oil pan, located right behind the front axle.
See the little plug on the oil pan? Place a bucket underneath the plug and then remove it.
Oil will now come out of the oil pan. This can take a while, so hang in there as all the oil inside is being released.
Once all the oil has been released, replace the plug. Be careful, though. You do not want to overtighten it.
8. Add More Oil
Pop the hood of your truck, find the oil fill cap and remove it. Now grab a funnel and stick it in there to add more oil.
That said, pour in all your oil to fill it up. Next, replace the oil fill cap and dipstick.
9. Check the Oil Level
Start up the engine and let it run for a few minutes. Now shut off the vehicle and pull out the dipstick.
Next, clean the dipstick and put it back in. Leave it inside for a few minutes.
After that, pull it out and check the oil levels. If the oil level is at the recommended level, it means you’ve successfully changed your oil.
Got stuck somewhere? Then here is this awesome YouTube for this job:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below we’ll go over common questions about the Ford 4.6 oil capacity:
Can I use 5w30 instead of 5w20?
No, you cannot use 5w30 instead of 5w20. The Ford 4.6 is not designed to run 5w30.
Sure, you might be able to get away with it, but it’s not worth the money and time you’ll spend fixing whatever issue you run into.
So, go back to the store, return it, and use the correct oil.
What kind of oil does a 2010 f150 4.6 take?
The F150 4.6 takes about 6 quarts of oil, while the viscosity should be 5W20.
The viscosity is the most important thing when choosing the right oil since it determines how the oil flows over a specified temperature.
Why is my car losing oil but no leak?
If you’re losing oil, but can’t find where it’s coming from, then there’s a good chance that you have an internal oil leak.
How much should an oil change cost?
Typically, you should expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $75. But this can always change depending on your area.
Conclusion
As we noted before, the recommended Ford 4.6 oil capacity is 6 quarts.
But if you still got any questions about your oil capacity, don’t forget to refer to your owner’s manual.
Once you know the oil capacity of your engine, you’ll get the most out of it since you can prevent issues before they get any worse.
We’ve seen many owners run into problems that could’ve been prevented from the start if they had changed their oil.
So, as long as you regularly change and check your oil, you will be OK.