Dipstick reading

[ekrossi]

After filling my crankcase with the required 2.5 quarts of oil, the dipstick reads consistently between the 1st & 2nd marks. Is that a proper reading or is it possible my dipstick is incorrect for my engine? It has a replacement Mexican made crankcase.

[79SuperVert]

Pretty sure that's where the oil should read. Between the two marks. If it's below the lower mark then you need to add oil.
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[Harris]

Borrowed from the Gallery. Do you have a 40hp, 1600 or other. I put 2 3/4 quarts in my 40 which brings me up to full on the dipstick..

far left standard 36 hp
second left 1960 only 36 hp
third left believe to be 40 hp but not certain
far right standard 1500 from my 65 bus

[gt1953]

If when you do an oil change and add the proper amount. Start engine let is run for a few minutes. Stop engine let the car sit on level ground for say 10 minutes then check the dipstick. I think that is the full reading for your engine reguardless of the style of dipstick.
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[747frieghtdog]

[KTPhil]

The stated fill volume is 5.3 pints, which is a little more than 2.5 quarts. The difference is betrween 1/2 and 3/4 cup. Try adding this amount and see if that brings you to the full mark. I bet it's close.

[drs1023]

I recently changed out a '70 case for a universal type case with the Type III block-off. The dipstick tubes are different lengths (universal case tube is .310" shorter) so I had to mark the stick higher up by about .310" to make up the difference. Both sticks I had were like the one above on the far left and far right. The far right one (big ringed one) came out of my 1200 engine from the dealer.

[wayne1230cars]

[Kiptere]

You really don't want to fill it all they way up to the top (full) mark. Especially if it's an older engine. I wrecked an engine in the middle of the Texas desert doing this. Too much oil pressure.
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[KTPhil]

[Kiptere]

I don't know really. I blew a ring about 10 minutes after I did it.
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[AlteWagen]

ring?

[KTPhil]

I have read that the usual failure from too much oil is oil starvation, oddly enough. The oil foams from the splashing of rods in the oil bath, which leads to bubbles getting sucked up the pump intake, leading to spotty pressure and poor oil circulation.

[Jon Schmid]

Phil, I thought the problem with overfill was that the cam would cause the frothing. Either way, no bueno.

[raggmann]

I have a Brazilian case with a 2 quart add on sump, a spin on oil filter, an oil temp thermostat, and an add on auxillary cooler under the car in the air flow. the stock doghouse cooler is in place. 2165 engine

My question is: how much oil should I run with this set up?

I've heard too much oil is about as dangerous as not enough. Where's the happy medium and how do I transfer that level to the dip stick reading? I have a VDO dipstick oil temp sensor.

[viiking]

I think the important thing is that there isn’t excessive crankshaft “sling” meaning how deep the crankshaft is sitting in the oil. So, I’d be running the engine and then letting it stop. Then using the STANDARD dipstick top up until the level is between the marks. A deep sump should not make any difference to the level of oil that the crankshaft has to be sitting in. Ditto with an extra oil cooler.
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[sjbartnik]

[jimmykilonen]

This post was very helpful. Have 1600 single port. Have been filling to top line of dipstick but suspected I was overfilling. Saw som foam in filler and leaked oil out of valve cover during winter storage. So changed oil in Spring. Measured out 2.65 qts. Added it, level was midway between dipstick lines. Ran it, rechecked and level still halfway.Bentley says fill to top line and lists 2.65 qts capacities - going with capacity vs fill to top line.

[cyclehobby]

gt1593 is right. Different length dipsticks and the possibility that the dipstick you have may have been changed at some time surely complicate the issue.

Assuming all VW cases (without accessory sumps or filters added) hole about 2.5 quarts, the best thing to do is:

Completely drain your oil during a change. Be patient and let it drain for a while. Carefully measure out 2.5 quarts and after refilling the crankcase and running the engine for a few minutes let it sit on a level surface for 10 minutes.

Knowing you've put in the correct amount of oil will give you a "full" reading on the dipstick when you properly check the oil after the 10 minutes. Mark that level on the dipstick with a filed notch.

Now, you know what full is regardless of whether or not you have the correct dipstick and you can add oil when necessary with confidence that you won't over fill.

Prior to doing this, I (mistakenly) would add oil to what I thought was the full mark on my dipstick - the highest mark shown. Then I'd be baffled at a) why I was leaking so much oil and b) why it appeared that I was also USING more oil than I'd consider normal. Once I did this I find I leak less oil and I rarely have to add more than a few ounces of oil between changes.

Overfilling the oil in these cars is not a good thing.
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