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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Early 1936 ford sedan oil capacity

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Early 1936 ford sedan oil capacity -- page: 1 2 3     cingmire 08-20-2014 @ 1:42 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 3 Joined: Aug 2014 I have an early 36 Ford 4 door sedan. It was my understanding that the motor takes 5 quarts of oil. After I change the oil it showed about a quart high on the dip stick. Am I putting to much oil in or maybe I have the wrong dip stick. There is no oil filter on the car. Please enlighten me. Thanks. Chuck oakhurst 08-21-2014 @ 9:39 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Jun 2012 Perhaps too much Gunk left in the pan? supereal 08-21-2014 @ 2:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The correct fill without a filter is 4 quarts. Any more, and it will usually leak out around the crank seals. Later Ford literature called for 5 quarts in everything, for some reason. I suspect they didn't want to remake the dipsticks to save pennies. When you put four quarts in, remark the "full" level on the dipstick. cingmire 08-21-2014 @ 6:26 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 3 Joined: Aug 2014 Thanks for the information. The car has been leaking oil. It is great to have access to people who have the answers. TomO 08-24-2014 @ 9:24 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 The 36 Ford Owner's manual says the capacity is 5 quarts. I would use 5 quarts and ignore the dipstick full mark. Your dipstick should have a 1/4" thick leather seal under the stop washer and should show about 1/2 quart over the full mark when filled with 5 quarts. The 5 quarts help keep your engine cooler. The later V-8s had a smaller oil pan and an oil filter. The pan capacity on thse cars was 4 quarts add one for the filter. Tom VT/JeffH 08-28-2014 @ 7:26 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 153 Joined: May 2010 Hi cingmire, You've asked a question that doesn't seem to get a consensus answer from the reading I've done on the subject. I agree with TomO that the literature for my '36 says use 5 quarts. I also agree that many owners, having added 5 quarts, report a high level on the dipstick, and frequently, leaking. My opinion is along the same lines as oakhurst suggested; That unless you know the inside of the oil pan and valve valley are clean, there is a possibility ranging to a likelihood that through the years some of the oil has turned to sludge and the displacement from the sludge can account for the high quantity reading. Several additional complications also exist. This is copied from a post that Kube40 wrote somewhere else... "There are so many variables that might "confuse" folks. Junk in the pan, wrong dipstick, dipstick tube threaded in too far in the boss, missing dust seal at the stick..." I really like that last suggestion. There is a dust seal, I think it fits up inside a small cap, that ends up making the dipstick sit higher in the tube. Are you missing that dust seal? -VT/JeffH supereal 08-29-2014 @ 7:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Without the filter, the fifth quart will swamp the labyrinth and slinger "seal" on the rear of the crankshaft, causing a constant leak until the oil level drops to about four quarts. Same is true of the rope seal used in later old Fords. Using full synthetic oil will also cause leaks. We tell customers that if they use it, our warranty against leaks is void. The literature calling for five quarts in all engines is simply incorrect if it doesn't qualify it by mentioning the oil filter. JM 08-31-2014 @ 6:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 822 Joined: Oct 2009 Regarding Jeff's comment above on sludge buildup in the bottom of an oil pan affecting actual oil capacity; when I removed the oil pan from the engine of a '35 coupe I am working on, there was about a 1" buildup of thick sludge in the lower section of the pan. Just out of curiosity, when I removed that sludge, I put it into an old quart jar to see how much volumn it would fill. After scr*ping as much out of the pan as possible, it wound up filling that jar with ~ 1/2 to 3/4 qt. of sludge!! This is one reason why the debate will continue on "how many quarts of oil does your Flathead engine take" I will add some pictures of this oil pan showing the sludge buildup and the amount that was removed when I can get back on my computer this Tuesday. There was no coolant in this oil pan when I drained the oil. John This message was edited by JM on 9-4-14 @ 3:38 PM TomO 08-31-2014 @ 7:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 John, I think that the change to a 4 quart pan in 1949 when most engine were equipped with an oil filter, has some people confused. With the correct dipstick, most 32-48 cars will show 1/2 quart over the full mark with 5 quarts of oil. They were this way back in the day and it was considered normal. Most cars were the same. It gave the owner more miles before he had to add a quart. The slinger type seal was never very successful in controlling oil leaks. They worked great until the main bearings developed some wear. The rope type seals were better at controlling oil leaks. The slinger type was a problem in the hilly country and San Francisco was probably the worst place to have a Ford with one. If you parked with the back of the engine lower than the front, oil would leak out into the flywheel housing. Tom supereal 08-31-2014 @ 3:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I've never seen that much sludge in the oil pan unless there was a coolant lean into the oil. If you are curious about how much sludge is in your engine, remove the intake manifold and look in the valve "valley". I have scooped handfuls of what we used to call "black Jello" out of there. Trying to dislodge those deposits with the engine in the car is risky. Once disturbed, it is likely the particles will end up in places you don't want it, even with a filter. Old Henry didn't think much of filters, air or oil. That is one reason Ford tractors, and some trucks, were equipped with a removable panel in the bottom of the oil pan so the sludge could be scr*ped out. For the tractor, it was a must, as the engine and cast oil pan form the tractor chassis. Detergent oil, now common, contrary to the prevailing myth, will not remove heavy sludge deposits. The purpose is to keep sludge in suspension so the oil filter can catch it, and is safe in old engines. As for the debate on 4 vs 5 qts, if your engine is leaking oil, simply try the lesser amount. The old manuals were often revised with no attention to earlier information. This message was edited by supereal on 8-31-14 @ 3:49 PM

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