Oil dip-stick confusion

F

Fordman487

Member
Hi gang- I need some help- I’ve got a ‘36LB engine with what I believe ( but am not certain) is a truck oil pan. The motor / oil pan are in a heavy duty truck and the oil pan has a removable rear piece to service the clutch if needed. I drained the oil and put in 4 quarts. The 8RT dip stick reads wayyyy over full.

The 8BA dip stick is longer with a lower range and thus would read more over full. What am I missing and what’s the proper dip stick to use?
 
The pans from 35 to 48 are basically the same with the exception of your truck pan. No matter there as the floor of the pan is the same as all the rest until you get to the 8ba series. Fill the (empty) motor with 5 quarts of oil, pick your favorite dipstick and put a punch mark, or hack saw gash where it reads full
 
I should add...8ba pans come in a few different shapes, so your 8ba dipstick would certainly not read correctly on a pre 49 pan. So, again, if you have a stick in good shape that you like, mark as I posted above and move on !
 
I would try to get the correct dipstick. 8BA, 8R, and 8CM dipsticks are all different and read incorrectly when used in different engines (even on the later engines).

If all else fails, what "cas3" suggests is a reasonable alternative.
 
Tubman, While I agree the best would be the correct stick, I have seen many that do not read as they should when you fill an empty motor. If you had the known stick of an original motor, well, I'd like to believe that, but I'm a 59a kinda guy, and I see many sticks out of 59a's that do not jive like they should. I always mark my own on a new build
 
The dipstick should be 16 5/8" from the end of the stick to the washer and the tube should be 8 21/64" long. 35 to 48 engines all used this setup.
 
I've doubted the reading on my stick. I have a 8BA with a modified sump.
What is the correct full level in inches, measured down from the pan rail?
 
Make sure your oil pan doesn’t have a large amount of residue that could make your reading incorrect. Ive seen oil pans with 1” of crud on the bottom, with just the screen imbedded in the black mess .
 
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