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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Is my '41 dipstick too short?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Is my '41 dipstick too short?     BRL 03-13-2024 @ 11:29 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 103 Joined: Oct 2021 Hi Martin: I dont think you need to remove your oil pan for sludge removal unless your engine is very high mileage and due for a rebuild anyway. The sludge would have to be so thick that it would be blocking the oil pick up to merit removing it. I think you have to lift the engine up in the engine bay to get the pan off so it is a big ordeal that you dont want to do unless you have to rebuild the engine anyway. You can drain your oil hot and see how it flows out. If your oil flows fast and smooth, you dont have sludge circulating. If your oil is sludgy from the start to finish, I would recycle some new detergent oil to try to get the sludge out of circulation. If you only have a little bit of sludge slowly dripping at the end of the drain process, then whatever sludge you have is staying put and is not circulating through the engine. I would do all the oil level checks as we have discussed earlier and if your dipstick still reads high, just be satisfied you have the right amount of oil in the engine, the right parts, and it should be fine. If you have sludge at the bottom of the pan you are not the only one and it will stay put down there until you drop the pan someday. martin.scheffer@gmail.com 03-09-2024 @ 2:43 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 27 Joined: Aug 2022 Thanks so much for the informative and quite helpful replies. To complicate the matter I goofed up the specs on the dipstick. It should have read 12' from the circular metal stop at the top of the stick to the full line. I will affix a gasket as described. Never considered the tube length. Gosh, could there be enough gook in the bottom of the pan to take up the equivalent up to a qt of oil? Wow. I am beginning to think I should drop the pan and take a look. Is such a chore even possible with the engine in place? (I am not lazy but an answer to this question would save a lot of effort to jack the car up a bit and take a look) Just finished replacing the head gaskets following a (possible misdiagnosis )of a blown gasket. My first on a Ford flathead. Earned a "T" shirt from my wife for that which reads "I'll Be In The Garage" Not bad for 84. BRL 03-09-2024 @ 10:06 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 103 Joined: Oct 2021 Hi Martin: You need to verify the correct length of dipstick and tube combination as a start...then, once you are satisfied you have the correct tube and dipstick, get the felt or leather washer on the end of the dipstick. Then drain all the oil and re-fill with 4-1/2 quarts (1/2 quart will be trapped in the block passages and the area under the intake manifold around the valves). Then see what your dipstick reads....if it is just a bit above max full this is probably because of sludge at the bottom of the pan. I had the exact same problem as you do with my 37 Phaeton and it turned out that an engine rebuilder used a short dipstick tube instead of the correct longer one for my model car...after I installed the correct tube and added the dipstick washer and only put in 4-1/2 quarts, the dipstick now reads exactly to the full mark. See the post titled "Quantity of oil for 37 Phaeton" dated 11-27-3021 for the full gory saga. JayChicago 03-09-2024 @ 8:39 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 480 Joined: Jan 2016 Martin Just so you know you are not alone: My engine is the same, a little less than 4 quarts to the full line. Been that way since I got the car. Have verified that the stick, the markings on the stick, and tube are all the correct dimensions. My assumption/guess is what Kube said, there is enough sludge in my original engine to raise the level with less oil poured in. I am doing as you, not worry about it, just keep an eye on it. Edit: I added a seal on the dip stick as Kube mentioned to make my car more "correct". (used a felt furniture leg cushion from local hardware store) Raises the stick 3/16", so not an appreciable difference to the oil level. This message was edited by JayChicago on 3-9-24 @ 9:02 AM kubes40 03-08-2024 @ 1:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3401 Joined: Oct 2009 There should be in place a dense wool seal at the dipstick handle. It was meant to keep dust out of the tube. The seal is about 3/16" thick. That would raise the stick a bit. There's also a chance that there is sludge in the bottom of the pan making the level appear full when in reality it is not. Me? I'd allow the crankcase to drain overnight. Then fill with the proper five quarts and mark the stick at that level. Be aware that the capacity is five quarts regardless of whether or not the engine is equipped with a filter. Mike "Kube" Kubarth martin.scheffer@gmail.com 03-08-2024 @ 10:33 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 27 Joined: Aug 2022 Thanks for your interest. I do not have an oil filter. I agree with you that running a qt low should be no problem as long as I kept an eye on the oil level. It is just that after over 70 or more years of hanging around cars, I can't figure the problem out and it is annoying. carcrazy 03-07-2024 @ 8:52 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1659 Joined: Oct 2009 Does your engine have the optional oil filter installed? If not, you are probably safe to just use 4 quarts of oil when doing an oil change. If you put too much oil in the crankcase, it will have a tendency to leak out behind the rear main bearing. martin.scheffer@gmail.com 03-07-2024 @ 1:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 27 Joined: Aug 2022 I have the correct engine for my 1941. Several sources indicate 5 qts to fill the crankcase. My dipstick reads full at 4qts and has since I purchased the car and made at least three oil changes. The stick seems to match pictures in the parts catalogs and measures 12" from the bottom of the stick to the full line. out of caution I have been using only 4qts each change. Any thoughts about what is going on here?

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