oil pan question

[dirtdriver11]

Is there anyway to measure an oil pan to see if it is a 5 qt. pan or a 6 qt.? Is there a way to tell on the dipstick. Bought a car and neither one is stock, so I'm trying to figure them both out.

[MrPbody]

Drain the oil and remove the filter. Pour in 5 quarts, install new filter, run the engine. Allow it to set for a few minutes and check the stick. If it's on "full", it's a 5-quart. If not, add until "full" is achieved. Keep track...

Jim

[dirtdriver11]

Not sure if the dipstick is for 5 qts. or 6 qts.?

[jveik]

if you know the manufacturer of the pan, call and ask them. having a part number helps but i doubt you would be able to find it on the pan. i just figured out the capacity for my milodon pan a few days ago actually. i looked up the number that i still had on the box (luckily the box was still around) and found out how many quarts. the dipstick was not far enough into the motor though, so i cut the appropriate amount off of the dipstick tube so that the end of the dipstick would be far enough into the 6 quarts that the pan accomodates. milodon has specs based on oil PLUS filter not oil AND filter, or i would have conpensated.


If you cannot find the capacity of the pan and adjust the dipstick tube as necessary, you can always play it safe and go with 5 quarts and adjust the dipstick to that. if you put too much you could get crankshaft windage and that isnt good, so if in doubt, go to the less quarts. Im assuming with this advice that you are talking about a small block chevy...

[dirtdriver11]

yes, it's a 350. it's in a race car I bought, it is an original chevy pan and dipstick. just want to make sure i have the correct amount of oil.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by dirtdriver11

yes, it's a 350. it's in a race car I bought, it is an original chevy pan and dipstick. just want to make sure i have the correct amount of oil.

If the dip stick , and dip stick tube are original then , the oil pan size does not matter. you simply fill to the full mark on stick. you want the oil level to be not too high...
since this is a racing vehicle you may find that it is a larger capacity , to get the oil level on stick to full...


the greater capacity allows greater oil cooling..

[dirtdriver11]

sorry, I meant the the pan and dip stick were oem gm, not aftermarket.