SO... Epic tale to follow...

The other day while coming home I noticed that when I started my truck my oil pressure was great... THEN dropped to about 10psi... then fluctuated from about 10-30... I shut my motor off and checked my oil. It said I was a little over 1 quart low so I figured that was ok to get me home. Started it back up and same thing would be great psi then drop to about 10 and move around...
Fearing that my FRAM oil filter was crapping the bed (after reading horrible things about them) I got home and parked my truck till today when I could change the oil and filter.
Before I drained the oil I checked it one last time. My dip stick said it was about 1.5 quarts low. Just for fun I added a half quart I had sitting around so I was only 1 quart low and started it up... problem went away.... ????
My truck started and the oil psi went to 50 and held steady. I revved it and let it run for a min and it held steady... WTF??
I figured I would change my oil anyway and pulled the plug. I drained the oil into a separate pan than my close-able container to inspect for crap falling out. Good thing I did because not much oil came out. Curiosity made me measure the amount and it came to 1 QUART! 1 QUART?? that was IT? My stick said I was only 1 quart low... SO this meant that when my stick said I was at "full" I only had 2 F-ing quarts in there??? WHAT?
OK... SO, when it came to fill it back up, I decided to measure the stick with every quart I put in. I have a 65 D100 with a 225 and was told that it should hold 6 quarts. I dumped one in and checked the stick... It says "oh you are only 1.5 quarts to full"
W H A T?
I put in the second quart and it almost went to the "full" mark.
~sigh~
I filled it up with 5 quarts and started the motor. Ran it for a min to get everything full with oil and the oil pressure looked GREAT. So I shut it down and waited about 5 min. Checked the oil, remarked the dipstick for a new "low" mark, threw 1 more quart in and marked the new "full" line.
I guess time will tell if I screwed anything up but I have had this truck for about 6 months and have been gauging my oil level on the original marks since then. Except when I did an oil change on it at about the 2 month mark when I had my fuel pump go bad. When I filled it then I noticed it was kinda high... But was in a rush to leave so just thought I would see how it ran... Then forgot about it and went by the stick since then.

SOB... NOW I KNOW. lol

-Marc

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1965 D100 225 slant 6, NP435 Utiline.

You may have the wrong dipstick/tube for the application (oil pan). I don't know how many there were over the years, but there were at least 2.

I wonder if the pan is full of goooooo...............

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

I know of at least 7 different dipstick lengths. I think there are about the same number of oil pans.
Frank

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

Good lord. Lol well, I have a 1965 D100 utiline with the 225 slant six. It has a front sump oil pan that looks like it could very well hold 6 quarts. Now, my dipstick tube is broken at the block. It was like that when I got the truck. I was going to fix it but as far as I knew it was still accurate so I didn't bother. Guess I was wrong. Lol
I would love to fix my dipstick tube and get the correct legnth stick in there. If anybody knows what my tube and stick specs should be I would most definitely be more comfortable with something I know is for my truck. Instead of some dipstick that could be from anywhere and a tube that could have had any amount of it's legnth changed when it broke. Haha I guess for now my new marks on this frakenstick will do...

Thanks guys!

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1965 D100 225 slant 6, NP435 Utiline.

Man... I hope my pan isn't full of gooo! I have to replace my rear main seal at some point. I guess I will check then. But for now... after adding 6 fresh quarts with a new filter the motor seems to have no change in power or feel like the crank is taking diving lessons. So... I am going to just go with it until I have the time to do the rear main seal. Haha

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1965 D100 225 slant 6, NP435 Utiline.

My first oil change showed me that with 4qts. in the sump, oil level showed at the top of the crosshatch, and 5qts. raised the level an equivalent of the cross hatch. So in other words when 2 quarts low, the dip stick reads at the bottom of the crosshatch… No big deal once one is cognizant of the situation.

So I guess I have the wrong dip stick. As far as I know the engine is deposit free, so no goop incrusting the pan. How would one go about locating the correct dip stick for said oil pan?

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

Years ago my /6 dipstick snapped off; I found a universal one at the local parts place that could be adjusted and used that for years. To calibrate it, I did an oil change, ran it a bit, then let it sit awhile and marked that point on the stick as full and the same distance below as the orig. stick as add 1 qt.

For what it is worth, I believe there is also a difference in dipstick length based on whether or not the car had A/C. For example, I have seen early 70s A-bodies that had the same slant six oil pan but that had a short or a long dipstick tube depending on whether or not the car had A/C. The short tubes just stuck out over the P/S pump, but the long tubes (used on A/C equipped cars) bolted to the back of the A/C compressor or the bracketry and had the handle up by the carb. I couldn't find any mention of different dipsticks in my quick scan through a 1974 mopar passenger car parts book, but I don't know how much that is worht.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

hi just have a question. as i was putting the bolts back in the lower oil pan i managed breaking the head off of one of the bolts. how bad to drive the car with one less bolt in the oil pan?thanks for any advice.

Smear some RTV over the hole and it might not even leak...................

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

ill do that later. thanx a lot