Hey all-

I was wondering if you think this is really a problem or not.
I have two slant 6 powered A body cars, of mid 70s vintage, and I've noticed that on both of them, when they are started cold, that it takes a little while for the oil light to go out. I'm talking 3 seconds maybe. It's not huge.

The reason it concerns me is because here is the engine, running at its fastest idle (must be about 2000 rpm), and the oil light is on and I can hear the bearings ever so slightly until the oil light goes out. I.e. the motor gets quieter once the light goes out, so it really is no oil pressure to the bearings yet.

I know a lot of this has to do with the fact that the oil filter drains out because it is upside down, and because I do not use the cars on a daily basis.

My question is, are there certain brands of oil filters that you have found that resist the oil draining back into the pan better than others? I have tried switching brands and some do seem to be better than others.

Does using the long vs. the short style of oil filter (since the slant 6 can use one of two filters) make a difference? i.e. is one type better than the other when it comes to reducing the amount of time the motor runs without oil when it is started?

Also, do you think this condition means that the oil pump is wearing out and needs to be replaced?

I have had many different cars with many different engines, but the slant 6 is the only one I have had that has its oil filter positioned in this way, causing the oil to drain back like this... on other cars I have had, the oil light always went out immediately upon starting the engine.

If this were any other motor, I would think this condition would cause the engine to wear out much sooner than slant 6s usually do.

In the book "How to build high performance Chrysler Engines" by Frank Adkins, he address this.

I have never done it, so I don't speak from experience, but according to Adkins, there is a "stove pipe" like part that can be put on the top of the oil pump where the filter goes on. It apparenlty keeps the oil from draining back.

Cheers,

CE

_________________
-76 Cordoba, 360 4bbl
-68 Valiant, 273 2bbl
-67 Dart /6 4bbl, Leaning Tower of Power!!!

It's called a "standpipe" I believe and it was discussed in a previous thread.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I have always used the long stand pipe and the large Wix type oil filters on the SL6 engines.

When using the long stand pipe this is never a problem since about half of the filter always stays full of oil. I always have an instant 45#s pressure at start up.

I would not use the short stand pipes that come on new oil pumps. I throw them away and switch them to the long ones.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

Standpipe! That is what I was struggling for. Stove Pipe what was I thinkin'?

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-76 Cordoba, 360 4bbl
-68 Valiant, 273 2bbl
-67 Dart /6 4bbl, Leaning Tower of Power!!!

Is this longer type of standpipe easily obtainable?

Also, if you have the short standpipe, is it better to use the short style oil filter, then, since perhaps the shorter one that the car came with is designed for them?

I'm guessing whether you have a long or a short standpipe depends on the year the engine was built? Maybe the later ones all came with the shorter ones...

We need a history lesson from SlantSixDan or Doc.
I am not sure who sells them.

My SL6 came with the longer standpipe in 1974. However, I recently rebuilt my engine and the new oil pump came with a short standpipe. So I made the switch.

Take a look at the Docs "Twiggy thread" and you will see a picture of the taller standpipe.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

Sometime in the 70s they stopped using the tall filter and went to a more compact design about 1/2 the height. The short pipe is required if you use the short filter. If you use the tall filter then to get the best effect you will need the long standpipe.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I've never used a standpipe on any of my motors.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

And you have the debris to prove it.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

How do you figure that? The mains and rods are still fine.

Do you mean that a standpipe will prevent piston failures from nitrous "incidents"?

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Nah, I was just being a smart @

A lot of engines go through a very long lifetime with no standpipe.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Mine would too if Mike would take away my bigger nitrous jets.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

My 170 is really worn out. If I just go out in the morning and start it cold, it will rattle for about 8~10 seconds. I installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge and a toggle switch to kill the ignition. I crank until I have pressure, then hit the toggle switch and let it start. I know this is hard on starters (I have a mini) but they are easier to change then bearings.

Good luck

TopHat

Hell, I used to drag race my Duster with the oil light on at idle with the original motor. A starter asked me one night what the red light was on the dash. I told him it was for the line-loc.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.