Re: Oil change capacity
With all the lateral G's that I try to pull, I fill the oil to the top of the mark on level ground. When I got a lot of oil on the side of the pan, I want to keep the pickup covered, so I run max level on the dip stick, cold.
With all my cars I have never see oil damage an engine if too high, though it will drain out of the seals, bad for standard transmissions. Even ran a pan evacuation system (partial vacuum) for a while to reduce the air pressure in the engine to reduce power losses and cherning of the oil due to windage losses.
Once blew a oil pump relief spring in my 406 T bird, and had to go 50 miles, so I added about 6 extra quarts to splash lube the engine, and when I got it apart the next day bearings were fine. THe mechanical pressure gauge read zero.zero the whole way home.
On the other hand with a stock oil level I have had the oil light go on on a ramp leading to 495 in Gaithersburg with a great banked turn as the oil puddled up across from the pickup ( right handed turn ) on a wild 153CID Iron duke 4 cyclinder at about 6000. Got spirited leaving IBM back in the day, and the turn was soooo sweet. Shifted to over-fill 1 qt in all cars since then, in everything.
My super 60 daytona had a baffeled pan with scrapers and 8 quarts with long pick-up and windage tray for 7500 revs on the autocross circuit. Oil is cheap, and necessary.
For my 440 6pack challenger I welded up a 2 quart accumulator storage tank so I can open it and get 20# of oil pressure before the starter turns, car is a hanger / garage queen and the bearings sit dry for weeks or months at a time.
9 quarts on board, and a 7 quart pan.
Woody
Me I believe in full up oil levels.
Last edited by waldig; Aug 1, 2010 at 08:40 AM.