Steve Nagata

So I got installed a set of SSIs and a M&K exhaust on my 1981 SC Targa. Got the lifters adjusted and an oil change and store it for the winter.... I just took it out for storage and I love it! Throttle response much improved and I feel a power difference.

Just noticed that my oil level gauge when the car is running stays just a couple of mm above the red mark at 4 o'clock position. Checked the dipstick when car is on level ground, idling and warmed up... and oi just touches the tip of the dipstick.

There is no way I could have burnt all that oil... after the oil change I stored the car and there aren't any leaks whatsoever.

My question is.... due to the SSI install with backdated oil lines does it change the way the dipstick will read? If not am i just low on oil then?

thanks in advance! I'm really worried... I've been driving like this for a week now (all highway)

Amber Gramps

I would trust the dipstick long before the gauge.

theiceman

Believe what you see on the dipstick to get a starting point. My dash guage is extremely accurate and i can watch my guage when topping my oil to tknow where i need to be but this is the exception not the rule.
FIll you oil to where you want to then start to wtch , the reading should be the same as before and nothing has changed.

Steve Nagata

So you guys don't think the SSI backdated oil lines would make the dipstick read differently?

Thanks for the replies!

ron mcatee

If You have an external oil cooler on your car, make sure the tubes are hot to the touch. If not, the thremostat in the wheel well has not opened and the oil level will not measure accurately. It makes no difference what the temp guage says or oil level on the guage, if those oil lines are not really hot, the dry sump action is not working and you will always get an erroneous reading. The hot oil cooler lines is my indicator.

theiceman

nope

dshepp806

Agree with ice: nope.

Best,

old man neri

How do you know that when you changed the oil you filled it all the way? Were there any puddles of oil underneath the car when you took it out of storage?

BlackPearl

No. The dipstick lives in the external oil tank. Completely removed from the oil lines. While the lines may or may not alter the amount of oil you use (shouldn't though) the volume in the tank should be the same. The stick should read the same. Remember oil lives in the tank, in the lines, in the cooler, and in the engine. All systems have to be open and flowing before oil levels can be checked.

Not to insult your intelligence but: Go through the oil level checking procedure very carefully: Engine temp at or above 192F.; engine idling; on flat ground; let oil recover in tank a good 30 to 60 seconds before checking dipstick (takes a while for the dual-function oil pump to scavange the oil into the tank). Check the stick (lives under the cap in the tank), then the gauge.

Little hint: quickly touch your oil lines inside the front passenger fender. Hot? Good. Now, put some ice on your recently-burned fingers and check your oil. Oil lines cold? You're not ready to check oil levels yet. Idle the engine, or take a couple of laps around the 'hood to heat things up. With my augmented oil cooler I have to put a blanket over my decklid to get the temp up to 190+ prior to checking oil levels.

As theiceman says trust your stick, not your gauge. Like him, I have a very accurate gauge-to-stick calibration, so I can rely on my gauge most of the time. Of course, I always confirm a low level with the stick prior to blindly believing my gauge.

Hope that helps.

Oh, and while I think of it: does anyone else's engine idle change when the thermostat opens and oil flows to the front cooler? My idle drops about 50 to 80 RPM when the thermo opens up. Is that common?

dshepp806

I've not seen RPM drops under that condition..

Good take on the "process",...those front oil lines should be quite toasty...I've been fortunate to have a gauge that correlates nicely,...and I've learned "her"..... Spider911 and blackPearl: straight up...good emphasis of those oil lines opening up BEFORE checking her oil level in the tank.....the stick is the almighty reference once the oil lines to the front are quite warm to touch (both of em")....

(THEN) mid-point of the stick is my nirvana...

Best,