Dipstick differences

Topic: Dipstick differences (Read 2750 times) previous topic - next topic

Dipstick differences

May 09, 2013, 04:37:34 PM

Both motors are a 5.0 one is an 87 one is an 88
Why are they different as far as oil levels

Dipstick differences

Reply #1 – May 09, 2013, 08:17:05 PM

That

Dipstick differences

Reply #2 – May 10, 2013, 12:33:50 AM

both sticks are identical in length
both sticks show the add and full marks

both are different.

the one with the paint marks go in my 87 coug 20th anny and is stamped with an E6 part number
the one with no paint marks goes in my sons 88 bird sport and is stamped with an E7 part number

i would be interested to see what everyone elses dip sticks look like,, parden the pun : )

i want to get to the bottom of this mystery.

both are 302 motors and the dip sticks are the same length and so are the tubes.

Dipstick differences

Reply #3 – May 10, 2013, 12:46:40 AM

My 88 Thunderbird has the "long hash mark" dipstick you 87 Cougar does. My 91 Mark VII, however, has the same "short hash mark" dipstick your son's 88 Thunderbird has. Both take 5 quarts of oil. The short hash mark dipstick is common on later 5.0s. I have no idea why. See here: http://www.thelincolnmarkviiclub.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1233&hilit=dipstick

Dipstick differences

Reply #4 – May 10, 2013, 01:46:14 AM

oddly enough, my sons car has bottom end noise, my coug does not.
his car has half the miles i do,
makes me wonder if he is "LOW" while running.

my car may allow for the pan to be "full" "while running"

thanks for the feedback, will read up on the link, this is spooky.

Dipstick differences

Reply #5 – May 10, 2013, 02:05:28 AM

well, that was a very interesting yet confirming the confussion thread!

i forgot to put my coug dipstick into the bird.

what i do know is that mason and I both run 5 and 1/2 qts

my uncle use to say "ive never seen something burn up with too much oil.

Dipstick differences

Reply #6 – May 10, 2013, 06:11:13 AM

Dipstick differences

Reply #7 – May 10, 2013, 09:13:03 AM

click on thunderjets link for a moment
i am not alone on this issue.,, there are a ton of dip stick pics in there

i dd not stand the dip sticks up side by side. i laid them side by side dressing the left ends together.

i did not swap dip sticks to check readings, the bird is gone now so cant do it for a while.
im surprised you hadnt noticed this yet,,,,,,,,,again check thunderjets link......... boggles my mind

Dipstick differences

Reply #8 – May 10, 2013, 09:19:03 AM

notice the top dipstick for my 20th that the pn starts with E6 uses the term "MAX"

"Max" was not used on a dipstick from 88 on up from my research.

there must have been at least 8 variations in 88 on up to the end of the 302 probably due to some cost savings or perhaps some idea of making the customers car break more often,,,, or perhaps as one person stated on the thunderjet link that there were several vendors making these and there was a TSB out that indicated to use the "F" on the word full as the new "MAX or full" reading.

Dipstick differences

Reply #9 – May 10, 2013, 09:27:16 AM

is that more than a quart difference? Looks like alot on the stick. Makes me want to go check my cars now lol.

Dipstick differences

Reply #10 – May 10, 2013, 09:37:05 AM

the link posted by thunderjet is worse,,
across several years of the same make/model car MK7 of the one guy, he has a grand total of i think 8 different dip sticks.

Dipstick differences

Reply #11 – May 10, 2013, 11:05:57 AM

I have the same E6 & E7 dipsticks as pictured on the Lincoln site... Both are same length and have "add" marks at same position but the E6 stick apparently allows for adding a extra quart of oil... None of my 5.0s were newer than a '87 so E6 stick is likely from the Sport I junked to get the needed parts for my swap... Guessing the '86 LSC 5.0 had same but I sped most of the external pieces of that rusty northern turd... The E7 stick came with the fresh 306 I bought recently, that engine is a '91 but I believe the stick is from a '89 Stang(what the engine was orignally built for)... The oil pans I have for both engines appear identical...

That E6 stick is the one I've used in my 5.0 since '99 and never added more than 5 qts at a change, it always read approx midway of the hash if I remember correctly...It never had a pressure issue even at the qt low mark... Remember this engine has over 700 drag strip passes and with the exception of the thrust bearing, all looked good, no copper showing on any main or rod surface...

Dipstick differences

Reply #12 – May 10, 2013, 12:38:24 PM

i think you are seeing what i see and thats why i do 5 1/2 qts.
i tend to want to get the new oil up to as full as possible , i think your right that 5qts gets you up halfway on the long hash mark E6 stick.
what a mystery,,
my sons is an E7 short hash mark stick, his motor makes noise,, makes me want to pay attention to his next oil change.

i guess what i am illuding to is that i wonder if its possible the sticks are misleading and you could possibly be below 4qts at any given moment (factor in angle of hill up or down + Fluid ounces of oil up high in the moving parts), that would leave you with 3 in the pan maybe?
that would let less of the crank slingers dip into the oil and cause early bottom end wear i would think,, again i may be over thinking it.
Not really for bottom end bearings because the sump itself sits about a half inch off the bottom of the lower section of the pan.,, pointing to cylinder wear and the potential of additinal crank ware increasing side to side movement i think we measure as run out or thrust end play.

just thinking

Dipstick differences

Reply #13 – May 10, 2013, 12:50:34 PM

Quote from: jcassity;414871

just thinking

Scott I believe it more like over thinking

Assuming pickup and oil pan are alike, 5.5qts is going to give the same oil supply in either engine...

Dipstick differences

Reply #14 – May 11, 2013, 02:38:51 PM

Since both car's have 5 quart oil pans you know that 5 quarts fills them, no matter what the dip stick says. With 5 quarts of oil the "E6" dipstick in my Thunderbird registers right at the top of the hashmark scale. If I take that dip stick and put it in the Mark VII it registers the same. This leads me to believe that the dipstick tube and dipstick are the same length, confirmed by laying the dipsticks next to each other. Both dipsticks are the same length. All I did was scribe a line on the "short hashmark" dipstick in the Mark at the same height as the top of the hashmark on the "E6" dipstick. Now I know when the Mark's oil pan is full.

It's a simple solution. Don't worry about it too much :).