1985 351 Windsor with 2 engine oil dipsticks.

[dennisb]

 My 1985 F150 351Windsor HO has 2 dipsticks, with 6 qts. of oil the one in the front left reads ADD
 and the one that goes into the pan reads way over full? seams like the tubes are the wrong lengths
as the dip stick lengths are spot on? What lengths should the sticks and tube be?
Thank you.

[Rembrant]

dennisb wrote

My 1985 F150 351Windsor HO has 2 dipsticks, with 6 qts. of oil the one in the front left reads ADD
 and the one that goes into the pan reads way over full? seams like the tubes are the wrong lengths
as the dip stick lengths are spot on? What lengths should the sticks and tube be?
Thank you.

Hi Dennis,

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but in 1985 there should be no oil dipstick tube up front, only the one on the driver's side that goes into the oil pan (or into the engine block, just above the oil pan).

The dipstick up front in the timing cover is a car thing (or maybe a truck thing in the 1970's...I'm only thinking of the 302...not sure about the 351w).

Has this engine been changed?

It almost sounds like somebody dropped a car engine into the truck, and put the truck oil pan on it.

[Machspeed]

Or, replaced the timing cover with the one with the dipstick holder. My 86 351 Windsor has dipstick on the side of the engine.      

[Jacob84]

You could check the block casting number and someone should be able to tell you what it came from. Easy to see on the block if you pull the starter.

The 351w HO should have the dipstick in the oil pan if I remember right. My 95 351w block has it in the block on the side.

My old 351w HO would hold 7 quarts at the full mark. Never noticed any foaming when I pulled the dipstick. It should hold between 6 and 7 quarts. I believe the owners guide calls for 6.

[Rusty_S85]

Only time I saw dipsticks up front was with a front sump oil pan.  Our trucks have a rear sump so there should be no dipstick in the front.  My '78 351W in my Mercury is a front sump with the dipstick in the timing cover.  But my '82 302 in my F150 is a rear sump with the dipstick in the block on the driverside.

[Andre]

Dennis,

I had the same problem, when I bought a new dipstick tube to go into the oil pan, it was shorter then the one that came out. As I changed the oil and filter at the time, adding the exact 6 quarts ( 5.6 liters) including oil filter. Started the engine, run it for a while, let it cool down and corrected the markings on the dipstick to show correct oil level. The new timing gear cover I bought came with a front dipstick hole, but there are special plugs to close this hole, as the trucks don't check at the front.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Dennis, does your rear stick go into the pan, or the block?

It definitely seems someone swapped a car or van timing case onto your engine at some point.

And I agree with Andre.
The best way to tell what the oil level should be is to do a 5 quart filter change and mark the stick as 'Low' then add the 6th quart and mark 'full'.

There are a lot of questions about sticks, fill tubes and different pans.
If you do it empirically there's no doubt, and you're not churning a lot of heat into your oil through windage.

[myrl883]

1985 had a pan mounted dipstick. If your timing cover has a dipstick hole, you can plug it with a small plug (part number 352532-S) I'm not sure of the diameter.

[1986F150Six]

myrl883 wrote

1985 had a pan mounted dipstick. If your timing cover has a dipstick hole, you can plug it with a small plug (part number 352532-S) I'm not sure of the diameter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-Plug-352532-S-1-one-PLUG-PER-ORDER/174388056205?epid=1011202736&hash=item289a56908d:g:hasAAOSwpmZfMYYl

[dennisb]

  I currently have 7 qts of oil in my truck what harm will that do?
  The pan mounted tube is only 12" long and I think it should be
  about 9" longer to read properly, how is the tube installed?
  Thank you.

[ArdWrknTrk]

It just means the crank has to churn through that extra oil.
Sapping power and heating the oil as the counterweights whip it into a froth.

I'm not the Windsor expert. (Why I asked if your stick was in pan or block)
But the tube on my 460 pan is held with a collet nut to the threaded boss set in the side of the pan.

Gary dove deep into getting these things to seal.
There was some discussion of dipstick lengths there.
(Again, not about Windsors) but it could give you an idea of what's available.

[dennisb]

Thanks for the info.

On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 8:42 AM ArdWrknTrk [via Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

It just means the crank has to churn through that extra oil.
Sapping power and heating the oil as the counterweights whip it into a froth.

I'm not the Windsor expert. (Why I asked if your stick was in pan or block)
But the tube on my 460 pan is held with a collet nut to the threaded boss set in the side of the pan.

Gary dove deep into getting these things to seal.
There was some discussion of dipstick lengths there.
(Again, not about Windsors) but it could give you an idea of what's available.

 Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake.
Too much other stuff to mention.

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