Oil Level On Dipstick....

[Bob-A]

Just how high is to high of a level on the oil pan dipstick? I installed a
full flow "A-ford-able" oil filter set up on my '29. I added the full 5 quarts
thinking that is what it would take with the new filter. Well, the oil level is
at approx. 1/2" or better above the 'F' on the stick now. Do I really need to lower it right at the 'F' ? Thanks for any words of wisdom.

Bob-A

[Drive Shaft Dave]

I like to keep mine between add and full.

[Tom Wesenberg]

It might lower itself.
I keep mine the same as Dave.

[glenn in camino]

I've been running above the fill mark on my 5 running Model As for years with no problems.

[1928Pickuppain]

I don't think it matters at all as long as your not blowing smoke I always fill mine to that point becouse it leaks out so fast

[James Rogers]

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If your engine doesn't leak, filling it over the full mark will scare you to death the first time you park on a hill, hot, with the nose uphill. I always keep all new engines and my personal engine half way between F and L.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by James Rogers

If your engine doesn't leak, filling it over the full mark will scare you to death the first time you park on a hill, hot, with the nose uphill. I always keep all new engines and my personal engine half way between F and L.

That is where mines seems to settle out, anything over half to full will usually ends up on the garage floor.

dusty

[eagle]

I keep mine above full, leaves a couple small drops on the floor no matter where I have the level.

[Peter J]

Me too. Leaked like a sieve until it settled between F and L. (Model B).

[midgetracer]

Above the full mark results in more leaking and it is a waste of oil. I find that if I leave any of mine at between the full and add marks, they don't leak. Overfilling will really leak if you park with the front end high.

[Aok]

The 5 quarts is what it holds but there always is some oil still in the engine so you will most likely need less then 5 I use about 4 to get a to or a little below full. The filter should absorb some oil but if it stays above Full I would remove some to bring it down. The way I look at it is putting in more oil then is needed has to put additional pressure on seals and things and that cannot be a good for a engine.

[Bob-A]

Thanks guys for your input. I guess I will lower the level some. Unscrew the oil pan drain plug, 'oh so slowly without removing it completely and try and not make to big of a mess, yeah right.

Bob-A

[CarlG]

If your filter is at 90 degrees to the valve cover, a lot of the oil will drain back into the engine when it is off and give you a "false" full reading (when the engine is not running.)

[bogdonj]

between F and L mark on!

[Bob-A]

CarlG,

You know I have wondered about that!?! I'll have to try this before I
drain any oil: check level cold, check level running (probably won't be vary accurate), and check the level as soon as she stops running.

Bob-A

[Purdy Swoft]

If its not leaking, I can't see where it will hurt. You could just drive it and see what happens. I've never ran a filter on any of mine. I guess that it could be giving a false high reading because half of the oil is draining out of the filter and back into the valve chamber when the engine is not running.

I remember back in the ninties there was a guy that wrote a little artical each month in the restorer magazine. The guy suggested that it would be good to run up to seven quarts of oil in the model A . He went on to say how it would help keep the oil cooler and prevent oil starvation at the oil pump on sharp turns. If I had thought about it a little, I would have known better, but I went ahead and tried it. It didn't hurt anything. The only thing was that it left a trail of oil and I got lots of comments. It was an embarrisment And I was ashamed of myself for doing it. The guy was most likely talking about engines with full pressure and a rear main seal. With only a rear oil slinger you will be likely to get some leaks, especially if parked with the front end up hill as others have said. If you have a rear seal you should be ok.

[nasty581ford]

Hi, I just got a 1930 Model "A" I took on trade a couple weeks ago, (it is for sale) After timing the engine, dressing and adjusting the points, and cleaning the plugs, I got it running great, it doesn't smoke, doesn't have any blowby, but I checked the oil, and it was showing two quarts low, I put a quart in it, and pulled the stick, it is just a tad above the "low" mark. I drove it around the neighborhood, and when I came back, I opened the hood, and it had pushed oil out of the dipstick hole in the side of the block, the guy I got it from had been driving it on short trips, and it didn't blow any oil out (he was driving it with the low reading on the dipstick though) There is no cap on the dipstick, I have been trying to find pics of a dipstick to see if there is suppose to be a cap on the dipstick? Maybe the cap is missing ? Thanks Keith

[duffer]

I did the same thing as you and had to pull the plug and drain out about 2 cups. Oil all over my hand but none on the floor . i had lots of rags and a big pan. I keep my level half way now.

Originally Posted by Bob-A

Thanks guys for your input. I guess I will lower the level some. Unscrew the oil pan drain plug, 'oh so slowly without removing it completely and try and not make to big of a mess, yeah right.

Bob-A

[1931 flamingo]

Just for haha's I would pull the filter and see if any oil getting into it.
Paul in CT

[Tom Wesenberg]

The dipstick has no cap on it. Make sure the oil tube breather cap isn't pushed down too far and blocking the vents. Sometimes Mr. Gorilla pushes the cap on hard enough to bend the tabs and block off the air vents.

Running the oil half way between the F and L works fine for me.

[marc hildebrant]

Another vote for oil level half way between F and L. Rear oil leak stopped and car runs fine.

Marc

[MikeK]

For what it's worth, here are some filter volumes:
Standard FL-1A 3 5/8"D x 5"H 0.88 quarts of oil.
Smaller that will fit the same mount:
Fram PH7328, 3 5/8"D x 3 1/4"H 0.6 quart
Fram PH3614, 3"D x 3 3/8"H 0.4 quart
Fram PH3600, 3"D x 5"H 0.6 quart

[Duffy1]

Run the engine for a while to ensure there is oil in the filter and then check the level . I have the same set up you have and I put in 5 quarts . The oil will drain out of the filter over night and if you you check the level in the morning it will be over full . You can lower the level 1/2 quart by replacing the filter. No need to take out the drain plug.

[billybronco1]

Can someone send a picture of what the oil dip stick looks like on a 1931 Coupe, mine does not look or fit right

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by billybronco1

Can someone send a picture of what the oil dip stick looks like on a 1931 Coupe, mine does not look or fit right

Go to the "SEARCH" box at the top right of this page, and type in "DIPSTICK" and I'd think a picture would appear in one of the threads. It would have a round loop handle with both parts of the loop fitting into the block hole, but only the long half round part reaching the oil.

Earlier dipsticks had a long loop handle.

[billybronco1]

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I could not find a picture here but found a pic online, I guess its right because this is what I came up with, seemed a bit loose and sloppy

[Big hammer]

The dip stick is made from a D shaped metal. At the handle end
the two D's make a circle this needs to fit the hole in the block
pushed down tight. A newbie's A was blowing oil out of this hole
I asked him if I could fix this oil leak No more oil leak :-)

[Tierod_Bill]

Big hammer: "Pushed down tight..." does that mean to the loop? (30-31 motor)

[Big hammer]

Tight to where the stick doesn't turn or come out by itself If not
tight you could spread the to metal pieces near the loop/handle
with a screwdriver while holding the (step area? ) closed

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW, just sharing past experiences:

Fortunes were made every year years ago with engine oil level tricks before self-serve gas stations because after car drivers would pull up to a filling station, the attendant would pull out the dip stick, & because the entire interior of the engine had a heavy coat of oil, the attendant would show the guy that his engine's dip stick indicated a quart low below the "F" mark -- it worked with many, & quarts of oil were sold all day long like this.

Many rookies in the military flunked their first Military Inspector General (IG) motor pool inspections because of adding oil to a warm military engines whereby when they cooled, they registered above the full "F" mark. Engines were always inspected prior to start up & the oil level was expected to register full, at the "F" mark, when the engines were cold.

All it took was one (1) single ferocious butt reaming after flunking a military IG inspection for any military guy with any rank to remember "Military Oil Level 101" for the rest of his entire life; i.e., oil level should be at the "F" level when the engine is cold.

Hope this helps to remember the reason for "F" mark on the dip stick. LOL

[DougVieyra]

Some here say "A bit high is Good" , and they give good reasons for doing so. Others (the majority it seems) say "Midway between 'F' and 'L', and they give good reasons for doing it that way.

In the spirit of compromise, I say (and have been doing for 50 years) "Lets split the difference and fill oil up to the 'F' (Full) mark. I generally have a 'default' position of following Henry Ford's advice and recommendation.

That being said (also with 50 years of Model A driving experience), it troubles me not when I find the oil stick's level 'a bit high', or 'a bit low'.
I never add or detract from anything close to the 'F' mark on the Dip Stick.

- Doug Vieyra,
Crottichity Old Cramudgeon Hoarder

[GMCPASO]

Does anyone know the distance in inches from the top/exterior surface of engine block dipstick hole to the oil level in the pan when it is at the correct level with the five qts recommended level without filter and cold? With this dimension, you could check your dipstick for accuracy and calibrate it for your comfort of your comfort of your mind. Maybe someone could measure it out with a depth gauge or long straw down the hole? Something to do if your really looking for something to do on your car. Or else, just?keep it between F and L. Wasn't that Fords suggestion to keep it above L and below F.

[Mitch//pa]

The proper level is at the F....see the owners manual

[Jacksonlll]

If overfilled too much, it will blow out of the dip stick hole and make a big mess. As long as that is not happening, let it go.

[GMCPASO]

The key to exact amount in the crankcase is the distance from the stop/shoulder on the oil indicator stick, dipstick, that stops entry into the engine block, and the actual oil level in the pan. I believe this to be 6 5/8 inches for the F mark and 7 3/4 inches for the L mark. This should be the correct calibration for the oil indicator to indicate the F and L . There appears to be about 5 pts that remain in the lifter gallery and the dipper tray, the reason to add only 4 quarts when refilling. If any oil remains in a filter, that would have to be added to the 4 quarts added for filling.

[James Rogers]

Why not just forget the 4-5 quart issue and fill the engine to the correct level on the stick. After all, the stick and filler tube are side by side and oil can generally (always) be poured as needed.

[Mitch//pa]

When doing a oil change here at the shop MOST moderns take from 5.0 to 6.5 quarts. No matter what the books say on capacity with and without a filter change we always put 5 in start it briefely to fill the filter then recheck and add as necessary to bring it to the full reading on the stick...figuring out what a filter holds etc is just a waste of time...
Any oil left in the motor galleys etc will be there all the time when shut off... to much thinking going on about a simple thing
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface

What James said above

[1931 flamingo]

" to much thinking going on"

Seems to be a lot of that lately..........................................JM O
Paul in CT

[GMCPASO]

Check out Ford Service Bulletin for Aug. 1932, page 50 and see what the issue was with Ford to its dealers about V8 and four cylinder oil indicators "dipsticks",

http://www.scribd.com/doc/85649333/1...rvice-Bulletin