cant find dipstick or where to add oil????

[KingKash420]

this is going to sound really weird but recently i went to change the oil on my s-10 and i noticed something very weird.. i have no oil dipstick or even a location to put one.. as well as the fact i have no spot to add engine oil.. i showed it to a mechanic i \"thought\" knew what he was talking about and he had no idea as well.. he said in all the time he had been working on v8\'s he never saw something quite as weird as this..



i talked to another mechanic and he said to look for a rubber grommet on one of the valve covers i dont see that on either one all i see is a spot where the breather filters are on the valve covers..



i dont know the year but i know its a 350 small block.. if you guys need more information about the engine to help me just tell me where to look to find it out and i will get right back to you guys

[Jeffyboy]

Pull the breather out and fill it from there. That\'s what I do for mine. As far as the dipstick, my friend didn\'t put one on his Monte Carlo when he built the 350 for it. He figured he\'d be changing the oil often enough for it not to be a problem. That and he\'d keep track of any leaks anyway. That might be why yours is missing the dipstick.

[KingKash420]

its not even that i am missing the dipstick i dont even have the dip stick hole!



ok so i can add oil through the heads you are saying then?



how much oil does my truck take?



i just dont want to under/overfill the oil in the engine..

[Scotty_S-15]

Yeah, there\'s only two place that I know of for dipsticks on SBCs. Same place, different sides, that is, by #5 or #6 spark plugs. So if headers were a problem with the location, they may have just plugged it? like Jeff said.

........ OK, here\'s one for the experts... Where was the dipstick on the old Shoebox Nova\'s (SBC) with the sump in the front? I don\'t know, but just wondering...

......... Years ago my buddy had a stock \'55 Studebaker coupe (sleek Bonneville type) and he had a month before someone finally was able to show him where the dip-stick was. It was an integral part of the breather cap! duh! who\'d-a-thought.... http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif

[elv408]

Is there a dip stick tube that plugs directly in the oil pan on the passenger side? I think some of the early SBC\'s were setup this way (like the BBC\'s). They also had the Breather tube in the front of the intake or in the valve cover. Someone correct me if I\'m wrong on this.



Another thought, you could have a combination of early style block (without dipstick hole) and late model oil pan (without dipstick hole).

[rayL]

i think elv is right. the old school pans had dipstick made into the side and filled through the front of the intake.

[Scotty_S-15]

On 2005-07-08 18:53, rayL wrote:

i think elv is right. the old school pans had dipstick made into the side and filled through the front of the intake.



Yes, I think that big tube & breather cap on the front of the intake went away when PCV was introduced. When do you suppose that was, 1964?

[largekid]

my dipstick is on the driverside, and a aftermarket dip stick tube fit right into the block spot with a little modification

[rayL]

Yes, I think that big tube & breather cap on the front of the intake went away when PCV was introduced. When do you suppose that was, 1964?





63 or 64 if i remember correctly...oh wait my mom was 3 or 4 then so i wasnt exactly around heh. BUT i remember reading about this and do beleive your close enough to be correct lol. SO how important do most of you guys think crankcase ventilation is..hmm.....race fans start them brain cells a firing and lets hear it.

[elv408]

Yeah, That\'s why its a little vague for me too. I just remember reading about the old school setups LOL. My uncle used to have Bad azz 327 SBC Back in tha Day, and I think it had a passenger side dip stick?!? Have to get back with you on that one...



But for King, you will most likely run a PVC in your valve cover, add Oil there. Logically, if you\'re adding Oil or losing Oil, you need to check the LEVEL, so you Will need to resolve the Dip stick issue. Later

[grimpuppy]

All 350 blocks should have the oil dipstick hole in them. The 350 didn\'t join the lineup untill 1968. All 350 blocks from 1968 - 1979 should have left side dipstick. 1980 and up should have right dipstick. If you have a 350 look good for the dipstick hole. As mentioned it may have been plugged for some reason in the past.

[KingKash420]

ok so i am trying to bring this thread back to life because my truck desperatley needs and oil change!



how much oil should i refill the truck with once i drain the old oil???



the whole removing the headers to find the dip stick hole is not and option and i am worried about overfilling the truck wtih new oil..



what is a safe amount to add to the truck and what happens if it gets overfilled?



PLEASE HELP!

[tracker]

short filter=4.5



long filter=5

[KingKash420]

how do i know the difference between the shot and the long filter, are they noticibly different?



lets say i ended up with a short filter and added 5 quarts will anything bad happen to my truck?

[racer1182]

you will defineatly tell the difference between the two filters one is like 4 inches in height and the long is like 6 or 7 inches in height