Oil dipstick full mark

[65barracudaLA]

I know this question has been asked and answered many times, but I will ask one more time specifically: What is the distance between the block and the full mark on a stock passenger car small block oil dipstick? I know I could fill the engine with 5 quarts of oil and then mark it, but that's not what I'm asking - in part because I just changed the oil not too long ago. I'm simply looking for a different answer. I have seen measurements of the Mopar Performance chrome dipstick, but I think that's what I have currently and I don't trust that one either.

So Does anyone have a confirmed stock dipstick and tube from a passenger car and take a photo like this?

The dipstick pictured below is a cheapie stick from Amazon and it's way off (more than an inch) from when I filled it with 5 quarts and still 5/8 off from the Mopar Performance one.

Thank you!

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Different years and models have different lengths A/C nonA/C. How long is the tube from the nipple that seats on the block to the top.

 

[Newbomb Turk]

Put the correct amount of oil in the pan and remark the dipstick

 

[65barracudaLA]

I apologize for being a pain in the butt, but I'm looking for a specific answer. I want to know how many inches the oil level is supposed to be from where the tube enters the block. Chrysler must have had a value for that. Even if you change the filter, there's probably still some oil in the system that doesn't drain out?! I'm asking is if someone has an original, stock dipstick and tube from a passenger car with a small block to tell me the length from block to full mark. The length of the tube itself does not matter for this question.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

I know what you want and I have several. I'll check tonight when I get back. I'll take a picture with a ruler and have it on file.

 

[Dana67Dart]

67 Dart

273 2bbl

No AC

Fully stock

Rebuilt once

One family car still has the OEM red paint on the dip stick.

From the upper part of the crushed ridge on the tube to the end ~7 3/4"

Entire dip stick

Close up of total length of the stick measuring surface

Fyi...

Friday i did an oil change, I added 5 qt of oil.

I drove it 75 miles sunday and just now cold the level is just over full.

Maybe I did not get it fully empty, the front of the car was up on ramps. But I let the car drain till no more drips from oil filter or drain plug .

 

[65barracudaLA]

67 Dart

273 2bbl

No AC

Fully stock

Rebuilt once

One family car still has the OEM red paint on the dip stick.

From the upper part of the crushed ridge on the tube to the end ~7 3/4"

View attachment 1716243473

View attachment 1716243461

Entire dip stick
View attachment 1716243460

Close up of total length of the stick measuring surface
View attachment 1716243456View attachment 1716243457


Fyi...

Friday i did an oil change, I added 5 qt of oil.

I drove it 75 miles sunday and just now cold the level is just over full.

Maybe I did not get it fully empty, the front of the car was up on ramps. But I let the car drain till no more drips from oil filter or drain plug .

Thank you!!!

Accordingly the answer to my question is that the full mark is about 8-7/8" below the block. Which means the Amazon dipstick is with 8-7/16" the closest to that and I potentially have way too much oil in my engine. I will double check next time I change oil and filter.

 

[Dana67Dart]

1 qt is about 7/16" on the dip stick.

the closest to that and I potentially have way too much oil in my engine

By my calculations you MIGHT have around a qt too much.

Personally, i would dump the oil and the filter. Refill with 5qt and remark the stick.

too little oil bad, too much oil bad.

too much oil can foam up.

 

[MoparLeo]

Look in the Factory Service Manual for how much to put in. There is no answer in how many inches between block etc.....Is this your first oil change ? Strange question...
Chrome dipsticks are universal, no specific application. You must calibrate it to your engine.
Does your dipstick tell you what engine size/year it is for ?? I think not.

 

[RustyRatRod]

The question as you asked has no answer, as there are several different dipstick lengths, dipstick tube lengths and oil pans, so what someone comes up with here, will probably not be correct for you. Your best bet is to do an oil change as suggested, add the proper amount of oil for whatever application you have (we still don't know, because you've not bothered to tell us) and make a mark on the dipstick for full. You want specific answers, yet give very non specific information. Whatever you're working on is probably decades old, has likely had parts and maybe even whole engines swapped and so it may not even a matched bag of parts so to speak, yet you come here wanting specifics and give us nothing. Maybe you could start over and tell us what we're working on here? Maybe get specific if you want specific answers.

 

[65barracudaLA]

The question as you asked has no answer, as there are several different dipstick lengths, dipstick tube lengths and oil pans, so what someone comes up with here, will probably not be correct for you. Your best bet is to do an oil change as suggested, add the proper amount of oil for whatever application you have (we still don't know, because you've not bothered to tell us) and make a mark on the dipstick for full. You want specific answers, yet give very non specific information. Whatever you're working on is probably decades old, has likely had parts and maybe even whole engines swapped and so it may not even a matched bag of parts so to speak, yet you come here wanting specifics and give us nothing. Maybe you could start over and tell us what we're working on here? Maybe get specific if you want specific answers.

The engine is a '69 318 block with unknown, but likely stock internals, 163 (smog?) heads, Edelbrock Performer intake and carb, early 90 degree oil filter adapter, stock A-body oil pan (294) in a '65 Barracuda. Came out of a '68 Dart, so wasn't the original engine in that car either. Previous owner didn't know much about the engine and took it out to put a 383 in the Dart. Chrome oil dipstick that I found to be identical to a Mopar Performance dipstick. The original dipstick is long gone. I have had all kinds of issues with this engine and changed the oil plenty of times. The level after filling it with 5 quarts on level ground has varied for whatever reason.

So if all small block require 5 quarts of oil, then at least with the same 294 pan you should have the same oil level in the pan? That's why I was wondering how far the dipstick goes into the block to the full mark.

 

[RustyRatRod]

The engine is a '69 318 block with unknown, but likely stock internals, 163 (smog?) heads, Edelbrock Performer intake and carb, early 90 degree oil filter adapter, stock A-body oil pan (294) in a '65 Barracuda. Came out of a '68 Dart, so wasn't the original engine in that car either. Previous owner didn't know much about the engine and took it out to put a 383 in the Dart. Chrome oil dipstick that I found to be identical to a Mopar Performance dipstick. The original dipstick is long gone. I have had all kinds of issues with this engine and changed the oil plenty of times. The level after filling it with 5 quarts on level ground has varied for whatever reason.

So if all small block require 5 quarts of oil, then at least with the same 294 pan you should have the same oil level in the pan? That's why I was wondering how far the dipstick goes into the block to the full mark.

"Most" all small blocks do fill with 4 quarts in the pan, plus the filter. Trucks take an extra quart and are usually full at 6 quarts, including filter. What you're not grasping is, not all A body pans are shaped the same. Even though all the passenger car pans are 4 quart pans, the shape affects WHERE the top of the oil level is in the pan, get it? Since we now have the pan information, what I would suggest is treating the engine as if it's a 65 273 in a 65 Barracuda when doing an oil change and you will have the right amount. You would have the right amount regardless at 5 quarts including the filter, but where full reads on the dipstick could have been different for a wide range of applications considering the oil pan shape. Understand now?

 

[mygasser]

I have had all kinds of issues with this engine and changed the oil plenty of times. The level after filling it with 5 quarts on level ground has varied for whatever reason.

if you're always on level ground, the filter is the same and as you say it has the same 5 quarts of oil then it's not possible to get different readings. unless of course it wasn't fully drained each time as that's the only possible variable.
i mean, if you had 6 new buckets all the same and put a gallon of oil in each the level would be the same in each. any other outcome is not possible.
neil.

 

[65barracudaLA]

For the record, I've daily driven my Barracuda for 15 years, but I replaced the slant 6 that was in it with a 318 about two years ago and had a lot of problems with it. It's my first small block and I'm still learning. From what I gathered the 273, 318 and 340 oil pans from '64-'72 are essentially the same shape. Not sure about 360s. The early ones didn't have any stampings, the '67-'69 ones are stamped 394 and the '70-'72 are stamped 294 and those don't have the nipples. I'd guess that 90% of people, if they check their oil at all, depend on their factory dipstick. So there's got to be a reason why Chrysler marked their dipsticks where they did and that should be consistent at least with a 318 and a 294 pan.

When I filled 5 quarts with a new filter and marked my stick, it actually ended up being 1-1/2" above what @Dana67Dart measured. That is a significant difference and I'm trying to figure out why. At some point I suspected a coolant leak from the intake which could explain the higher fill level, but there was no milkshake. I was also wondering if there was gas leaking into the crankcase, but also didn't find evidence of that.

 

[RustyRatRod]

For the record, I've daily driven my Barracuda for 15 years, but I replaced the slant 6 that was in it with a 318 about two years ago and had a lot of problems with it. It's my first small block and I'm still learning. From what I gathered the 273, 318 and 340 oil pans from '64-'72 are essentially the same shape. Not sure about 360s. The early ones didn't have any stampings, the '67-'69 ones are stamped 394 and the '70-'72 are stamped 294 and those don't have the nipples. I'd guess that 90% of people, if they check their oil at all, depend on their factory dipstick. So there's got to be a reason why Chrysler marked their dipsticks where they did and that should be consistent at least with a 318 and a 294 pan.

When I filled 5 quarts with a new filter and marked my stick, it actually ended up being 1-1/2" above what @Dana67Dart measured. That is a significant difference and I'm trying to figure out why. At some point I suspected a coolant leak from the intake which could explain the higher fill level, but there was no milkshake. I was also wondering if there was gas leaking into the crankcase, but also didn't find evidence of that.

You've gathered incorrectly. This is why one dipstick and tube does not fit all. For example, try putting a 67-76 A body slant 6 pan on a 66 and back slant 6 A body. Ain't happenin, because the pans are shaped differently. There are subtle shape differences in V8 pans as well, so you have to be careful. These ain't Chevys where most everything is the same. We ain't that lucky. lol

 

[Dana67Dart]

The oil filter can make a difference, some are smaller than others. Unless It's a PH8A size, it might not take a full qt.

 

[65barracudaLA]

I compared the new and the old dipstick today and noticed that they are essentially identical. Looks like I didn't measure it correctly the first time around. At least I know now that I'm in the ballpark and not an inch and a half off. I will check again when I change the oil. Oil filter is a Wix 51515, which is the same size as the PH8A.

 

[str12-340]

MP dipsticks come as a matched set with tube and stick. OP is absolutely correct that the distance out of the block is the operative question as the level of oil below the crank is the issue. But with unknown parts sources it is possible to have a mismatched tube and stick, and yes tube length and stick length was different on various cars with various options (AC being the usual issue). If the OP doesn't want to drain the oil, he sure doesn't want to drop the pan, so I'm not sure how the answer will help.