oil level

Licensed to kill

Licensed to kill

Well-known member
Engine was at ""L" so I added a quart and it only brought it up about 1/4", less than half way to "F". Started the car and let it run a few minutes and shut it off, let it sit and still 1/4" above "L". Stick is gong in all the way. Doesn't seem right. How much oil should it take to go from "L" to "F"?.
 
Hi Killer,
You don’t want to drive it full of oil.
Quarter is just fine, the higher the oil level, the more chance of it leaking out the rear main. And if you must park on a hill, park nose down if possible, for the same reason.
Just my 2 cents.
 
That's a good question. Next time I change my oil, I'm going to check the dipstick after adding each quart to see how much it impacts the level.
 
The dry engine holds 5 quarts. One quart is in the valve gallery and dipper trays in the pan. I drain out 4 quarts, and add 4 quarts per oil change. My dip stick reads F. I understand there are some differences in dip sticks, not sure why. So drain your oil, and add the 4 quarts back in, and verify/mark that on your dip stick. That’s the correct amount of oil. If your throwing, burning, or leaking oil, then your engine has a problem needing correction.
 
I believe there were at least two different length dipsticks....if I’m remembering correctly. Might want to check what you have.
 
They had 3 different oil pans and 2 different dip sticks that I know of so there could be some mis-matching but I can't figure how it could be that different from one to another.
 
As has been said above, drain and then refill with 4qts. Check the level on your dipstick and mark with a file if not the same as factory mark. From there on you'll know where you're at.
 
I have seen the finger hole on Oil dip sticks deformed. That could create an incorrect reading of your oil level.

I would drain and refill. Than see if adjusting the finger opening up or down solves your problem.

Enjoy.
 
One thing about a stock model A---if you over fill the crankcase it will adjust the level itself, and apply rustproofing to itself at the same time in some areas
 
Did an oil change yesterday. Put in two litres and the oil was on the stick, 3 litres and it was at "L" and 4 litres just below "F". Litres being just a little smaller than US quarts, 4 quarts would be pretty much bang on "F". I initially freaked out when I pulled the plug as it looked like nothing was coming out. It ran out REAL slow for such a big drain hole. I let it drain for a few hours then checked with the dip stick after to make sure that it was clean just in case it was reading oil on the dipper tray and not in the pan. No idea why, when filling it went from "L" to pretty much "F" with one litre but when I was topping it up it before only went from "L" to 1/4 of the way to "F"???. Something still seems goofy I just don't know what.
 
I typically always do drain when hot. In this case, that wasn't practical. Still should have drained faster than it did IMO though. Yes I did open the filler and pull the dipstick to let it drain faster but it didn't help. Good suggestions though, thanks. i would have made the same comments if I had read that post.
 
Licensed to kill said:
Did an oil change yesterday. Put in two litres and the oil was on the stick, 3 litres and it was at "L" and 4 litres just below "F". Litres being just a little smaller than US quarts, 4 quarts would be pretty much bang on "F". I initially freaked out when I pulled the plug as it looked like nothing was coming out. It ran out REAL slow for such a big drain hole. I let it drain for a few hours then checked with the dip stick after to make sure that it was clean just in case it was reading oil on the dipper tray and not in the pan. No idea why, when filling it went from "L" to pretty much "F" with one litre but when I was topping it up it before only went from "L" to 1/4 of the way to "F"???. Something still seems goofy I just don't know what.
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Even cold the cold the oil should have come out pretty fast.
Was this the first time you drained the oil?
Have you had the pan off this engine yet to check for sludge build up?
 
49930075518_12bc0f01a1_z.jpg
 
1crosscut said:
Even cold the cold the oil should have come out pretty fast.
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That's jay I thought. I even stuck my finger in the hole to make sure it was clear.
Was this the first time you drained the oil?
Have you had the pan off this engine yet to check for sludge build up?
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When I got the car it was puking oil out the rear so the first thing I did was remove the pan to find out why. Turns out the drain back tube was missing so i replaced it and while I was in there i cleaned the pan (it had about 1/4" of sludge in the bottom) and checked/set the bearing clearances. Had some trouble getting the bearings set the way i wanted. I found the the difference in one shim went from too tight to turn with the crank to 2-3thou?. I might have to go back in and check as I can hear a slight noise at idle so even though I did remove a shim or two from every journal IIRC, I might still have some excessive clearance somewhere. This is the first time I drained the oil since performing the above operations. Used 5 quarts in 300 miles but the plugs are not showing signs of oil fouling and there does not appear to be an abundance of oil all over the bottom of the car. That about of oil would foul the plugs if burned or make quite a mess under the car if leaking i would think.
 
Did you use plastigauge to set the clearances or just by feel?
If by feel you probably need to check them again and use plastigauge to set them.

Since you pulled the pan and cleaned it I'm sort of at a loss as to why the oil didn't drain better.

5 quarts in 300 miles is an alarming amount of oil to be loosing. It's got to be going somewhere.
 
if the drain tube for the rear main was missing I would not be surprised if other things weren't correct (though it could have fallen out). On my old engine the "rebuilder" decided not to use a gasket between the flywheel and block so I always had a puzzling drip coming from there. That amount of oil missing is not right - check the unserside of the car if you have not already.
 
1crosscut said:
Did you use plastigauge to set the clearances or just by feel?
If by feel you probably need to check them again and use plastigauge to set them.

Since you pulled the pan and cleaned it I'm sort of at a loss as to why the oil didn't drain better.

5 quarts in 300 miles is an alarming amount of oil to be loosing. It's got to be going somewhere.
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I used plastigauge. I would get about 2.5 thou with the plastigauge, then remove one shim and it would lock up the crank. Since I'm new to "adjustable" bearings, I have since been wondering if perhaps it was "pinching" on the sides where the cap meets the rod causing it to bind a bit when there was still a bit of clearance on the top/bottom???. I don't know if they wear that way or not, just trying to find a reason for what I experienced. I did remove at least one shim from every journal (rod and main) IIRC so it MUST be better than it was.Yes that oil issues is puzzling but there IS a logical reason, just have to find it.
 
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