Thread: Oil level below the block ??

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Drain the oil. Load 5 quarts into the oilpan. Mark the dipstick. Use the edge of a file to make a line on it.

That assumes it is a 5 qt oil pan. What if it is a 7 qt?

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If you read my original post I explained the pan is an unknown size. It is not stock so I do not know if it is 5 QT or 7 QT. As the V8 is in a Fiero I can not pull the pan unless I pull the engine and cradle and the n remove the engine from the cradle.

I ahve decided it is a five qt. I measured the pan as closely as I could and got someone to send me the dimensions of a stock pan.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Originally Posted by garage monster

If you read my original post I explained the pan is an unknown size. It is not stock so I do not know if it is 5 QT or 7 QT. As the V8 is in a Fiero I can not pull the pan unless I pull the engine and cradle and the n remove the engine from the cradle.

I ahve decided it is a five qt. I measured the pan as closely as I could and got someone to send me the dimensions of a stock pan.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

the dip stick should read the same from 5 to 7 or 8 the stick has nothing to do with volume of pan the stick keeps you from over filling or running low if your using a stock dip stick leve would be the same no matter how many QT it takes to get it to read full

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

the dip stick should read the same from 5 to 7 or 8 the stick has nothing to do with volume of pan the stick keeps you from over filling or running low if your using a stock dip stick leve would be the same no matter how many QT it takes to get it to read full

Pat, I think his problem (stated in the first post) is that he did not have a good dipstick or dipstick tube so he has no known reference point for oil level on the engine, which is new to him. If he bought an aftermarket dipstick & tube (like a LOKAR) he's wanting to be sure it's right. One way, like you point out, would be to get a stock SBC tube & stick, fill it to the "full" mark, and then switch to the aftermarket dipstick/tube unit and mark it to match.