oil capacity

[repoman]

i have just purchased a 2002 dolphin with the 8.1 engine.I am also new to this forum, and a first time motor home owner. Iam trying to figure out how much oil is needed when i change it. The book says one amount, other places gives a different amount. I am a little confused at this point. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[repoman]

i have just purchased a 2002 dolphin with the 8.1 engine.I am also new to this forum, and a first time motor home owner. Iam trying to figure out how much oil is needed when i change it. The book says one amount, other places gives a different amount. I am a little confused at this point. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[Gary RVRoamer]

If I remember correctly, mine takes about 6 quarts with a filter change. Also, there are alternate, larger oil filters available for the 8.1 and use of those filters will increase the oil change amount.

The foolproof technique it to drain the oil, swap the filter, put in 5 quarts, then check the dip stick. Based on the dip stick reading, add additional oil as needed. Then start the engine and let it run for a couple minutes. Turn engine off and check the dip stick again, then top off as needed. If you kept track of the total oil used, you will know exactly what your engine and filter combination needs when next you change the oil.

Some 8.1L's use a bit of oil, so it doesn't hurt to have a spare quart on hand in the coach.

[al koffman]

The original oil filter is an ac-delco pf-454. this filter holds 4/10 quart of oil. You should pre-load the filter before installing it, make sure you get the oil full. Then add five quarts of oil and start the engine to get the new oil circulating and then shut down and wait about 5 minutes. The dip stick should be on the add oil mark. If it is not, it is out of calibration, make a mark (scratch) where the oil level is and this is now the add oil mark. Now add the 6th quart and after waiting for it to drain into the pan, check the dipstick and it should be on the full mark, or if it was off at the add oil mark, it would be off the same amount at full. If you choose to use a larger filter, just pre-load it before installing, again be sure it is full and still add the 6 quarts. The workhorse manual says 6.4 quarts with filter change, and that is with the as-delco pf-454 filter

[repoman]

i have another question. How often should i change the oil? One guy at a parts store told me to do it every 3 months if i don't put on the 3000 miles .

[Steve Val]

To answer both of your questions quite simply - what does the owners manual say? That is what should be followed, not someone else's "opinion". After all, they built the thing and should know how to service it.

[Steve&Dora]

How can you find out which larger oil filter to get? I recently changed mine, and was concerned with the size of the filter. I will use the Rv Roamers method to check the accuracy of the dipstick.

[Steve Val]

If you have a NAPA store nearby, check with them. They supply to a lot of RV dealers across the country.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Steve & Dora,
The 8.1L engine filter uses the same size thread size, seal and holes as the GM 454 engine and thus can use the same filters. 454's needed some better oil flow and filtering when used in high performance and marine applications and these larger filters were designed to help out. If you are uncomfortable with the standard GM-approved size, you can use the larger 1 qt or 2 qt filters available for the 454 version of the same engine block.

The NAPA number for the 1 quart filter is #7202. I've forgotten the number for the 2 quart version but any NAPA store can look it up for you. Or cross reference the Wix numbers below.

WIX filter part numbers for the 8.1L are:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> standard filter for 8.1L: 57099
<LI> 1 Qt filter for 454/8.1L: 51060
<LI> 2 Qt filter for 454/8.1L: 51794[/list]
Modern engines run much cleaner than previous engines and there is no reason to believe that the standard filters are not adequate. Certainly GM thinks they are and they have no motivation to skimp on filter sizes - it's the owner who pays for them. However, most gear heads believe "more is better" when it comes to filtering capacity and it's hard to come up with any reason a bigger filter could hurt in any way. On the other hand, if you change the oil regularly per the owner's manual - or even more often - the standard filter should be fine.

That said, I use the 1 quart version myself.

[Steve&Dora]

Thanks Gary, I did go with the filter the book called for. And I do plan on changing the oil when scheduled, but considering I do go out into the desrt, and as such may get a bit more dust then normal I feel better with more filtration.

[Spiderman of Calgary]

REPOMAN -

You need to join the Workhorse forum at http://irv2.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/8626012545. You also need to download and print off the PDF Workhorse Gas Motorhome Chassis Guide from http://www.workhorse.com/rvs/maintGu...ance_Guide.pdf

That Guide plus your owners manual that came with the MH will keep you busy for a bunch of evenings, trust me!

The PDF Guide is replete with typos and even a few outright errors. Workhorse apparently didn't pay a copyeditor to proofread it before they published it. If something doesn't look quite right about the specs or you just want to be sure, get back to the Workhorse forum for a clarification.

Hope this helps!

BTW, what model and length Dolphin?

[repoman]

the dolphin is a lx - model 6356 - 36 foot.

[DriVer]

Could we have a year and who makes your chassis and "which" oil capacity are you specifically asking about? There are several options, hydraulic oil, transmission oil, power steering etc.

[CAD-Man]

I use the larger Oil filter (Wix). With the standard Oil filter the engine uses 6.4 Quarts. With the larger Oil filter it uses 7 Quarts. I use Mobil 1 5W-30. I change oil every 3,000 miles or once a season which ever comes first.