Calculate oil capacity...

[Clois Harlan]

Has anyone determined their true oil capacity? I have seen several guesses on this site but to my knowledge no one has an absolute value including their various accessories.

So here is my guess.

6.5 quart oil pan capacity
.75 quart in a single oil filter
1.0 quart in the oil cooler
.75 quart in 9 feet of AN 10 Stainless line

Total oil capacity cold = 9 quarts of oil

What do you think?

Clois

[Chaplin]

I was thinking about this exact question the other day. You're estimates seem about what I estimated, but let's see if others know for sure.

[Clois Harlan]

I was hoping some math genius could help us out with some basic calculus or something.

Clois

[Whaler]

Hey I am still trying to determine mine with out over filling

I have the milodon raodrace pan which is good for 7 qts alone
I added 1 qt for filter

So b4 startup last week I only had 8 qts and a can of EOS 500ml

The following day I changed the oil by draining the pan...out comes 6.5 qts....and there was a little in the filter itself

So is it logical to assume 1.5 is still in the cooler and lines??


I out 6.5 back in and checking my new Lokar FE dipstick its says I am at the top and some.

Theoretically I should have 7 for pan 1- filter 1.5 for lines and cooler........
9.5 total ...Yet I have 8'ish and my stick reads full??

Who knows

Tim

[Clois Harlan]

I have the same dip stick as you and mine reads the same way.

When I had my engine rebuilt I had my machinist locate my dipstick to the top of my oil pan and on the passenger side of the pan. At l can get to it and I know where the top of the pan is.

Clois

[SCOBRAC]

I think you should put 7 quarts in your new oil pan.. Mark the dip stick.. Run it for a few min. Check the oil to be sure you still have at least 5 quarts in the pan.. Add some if you are uncomfortable with the level, but keep track of how much you ad.

Take the car for a short ride, 10 min. maybe.. On a flat level surface check the oil again, ad as much as it takes to reach the full level.. Ad steps 1, 2, and 3, subtract subtrack the sum of the subtotal divided by your gross adjusted income and divide the net from the total tax paid..

That should get you the total capacity of your threshhold for pain.. As for oil capacity, add the 7 quarts you added to your new 7 quart pan to anything it took to get the oil back to the full line you established.. That is your total oil capacity.

Happy April 15!

[hcollado]

Here is my 2 cents...

302 small block with Cobra T pan, dual oil filters, oil cooler, 2QT Accusump.

Never been able to put more than 8QT's

Go figure

[Slow Dawg]

Clois, you kill me! You've got about $100,000.00 and 20,000 hours, rounded off, taken off, and reinstalled every nut and bolt in your car and now you get stumped by your oil capacity! Like I said, you kill me!


Ron

[Cobra20646]

I've found the easiest way to get around the guessing, when you have aftermarket pans, dip sticks, etc, is to install an OE dipstick and tube first.. Then add your oil until the dip stick indicates full. What you are observing is the 'upper' level of the oil, where the manufacture recommends a "safe" level ......... a stock pan would probably require 4 or 5 quarts of oil to reach this level. A deeper pan might require 7 or 8 or more quarts to reach this level. After you have visually observed on the OE stick where "full" IS, stick in your pretty aftermarket stick & tube. Pull the stick and notch it where the upper level is reading. No more guess work! You have an exact upper level of oil capacity that the manufacture recommends.

- Jim -

[Ron61]

Clois,

Funny you should ask this as I did my complete system just three months ago. I have an 8 quart Milldon road race pan and I took all the hoses off and changed them. I then took my air compressor and blew out the old oil in the cooler. Here are my results.

Oil Pan= 8 quarts Reads right on full line
Filter = .75 quart
9 feet 4 inches of line= 1 quart
Oil Cooler = 1 quart

Started enging and let run until oil pressure was up and everything was warm, then shut it off and checked level. I had to add just about .25 of a quart to bring the oil back to the full line. This is with my 351 and the stock dip stick on the passenger side. I checked it once when the pan was off and my full mark is just about 1/4 inch below the top of the pan.

So with everything emptied it takes me almost 11 quarts to completely fill it again.

Ron

[Whaler]

hey guys
I was just thinking. When the engine is off and the oil no longer charged or circulating, how much backflow would there be in the lines that go up higher than the oil outlet plate?

We know that what ends up on the cooler side of the filter will likely stay and the cooler it self stays full.

Would at least one leg drain back towards the pan?

Tim