Oil Level

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halg

Oil Level

Post by halg »

There is a quantity of oil that stays in the cam boxes when running, the drains are above the lowest point. Over time that oil returns to the pan after the engine is stopped. My question is, do you fill per the dipstick before or after filling the cam boxes?
Hal
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manoa matt
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Re: Oil Level

Post by manoa matt »

Hal, Since the drain downs are above the lowest point, that oil never drains out of the cam boxes. The amount of oil that stays in the cam boxes is not much compared to the 3/4 of a quart that stays in the oil filter. I usually buy 5 quarts for an oil change. Fill the oil filter first, takes a while as oil soaks in and needs to be topped off several times before its full. Then dump the rest in the filler hole, wait a few minutes for it to drain down, then check the level again. Start it up for a few minutes, turn it off, let it sit for a few minutes and check the level again.

EDITED: Sorry that might have been confusing. I don't actually put in the full 5 quarts, but I know its more than 4 and less than 5. I just make sure that after the above procedure the dip stick says "full"
Last edited by manoa matt on Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ventura ace

Re: Oil Level

Post by ventura ace »

Matt,
Hal,
The spec for my early 1438 cc engine is 4.0 quarts for the sump and filter. My workshop manual for the later engines calls out 4.25 quarts. 5 quarts may be overfilling just a bit.

I always found that 4 quarts brought it up to the 'Full' mark on the dipstick on my early engines, so that's what I used. For my 1.8L engine, I put a tad more. Since you've modified your engine somewhat, does this mean that you have a different volume to fill?? If that's the case, I believe I'd go by the marks on the dipstick, assuming that it installs to the correct level compared to the position of the rotating parts of the engine. I believe the correct check would be after the engine has run a while, then shut off and give time for the oil to drain down (5 - 10 minutes). Check on level ground, of course.

Alvon
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