Our unique oil pans and fill/check setup

J

john r. lebetski

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Dec 20, 2006
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The Olds oil fill tube dumps into the front section of the pan. The dipstick is in the rear main pan. When operated the engine crank and rod caps
throw most of the oil from the front to the main rear section. While changing my oil I did a small experiment. With drain plug out after a few
minutes the stream had diminished to separate drips, usually the point in time where the plug gets reinstated. I added some fresh oil to the fill and
drips continued to slow. Another pour. Waited. Nothing. Added more fresh oil. No increase in drip speed. 3rd time and still nothing. On forth try
the drip speed started to pick up so installed plug as fresh oil started to come out.
Conclusions-- The add-on front pan drain is not needed (not much yield is the consensus)
And you must run the engine after each oil add before checking stick. I did not keep track of the amount of oil added before it went over the
waterfall to the rear pan, but estimate is 3 cups. Will document next time.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
At the International Convention, Dick Patterson mentioned that he felt 1
quart was about what sits there when level.
I try to raise the front as much as I can to reduce that storage.

On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 6:10 AM John R. Lebetski via Gmclist <

> The Olds oil fill tube dumps into the front section of the pan. The
> dipstick is in the rear main pan. When operated the engine crank and rod
> caps
> throw most of the oil from the front to the main rear section. While
> changing my oil I did a small experiment. With drain plug out after a few
> minutes the stream had diminished to separate drips, usually the point in
> time where the plug gets reinstated. I added some fresh oil to the fill and
> drips continued to slow. Another pour. Waited. Nothing. Added more fresh
> oil. No increase in drip speed. 3rd time and still nothing. On forth try
> the drip speed started to pick up so installed plug as fresh oil started
> to come out.
> Conclusions-- The add-on front pan drain is not needed (not much yield is
> the consensus)
> And you must run the engine after each oil add before checking stick. I
> did not keep track of the amount of oil added before it went over the
> waterfall to the rear pan, but estimate is 3 cups. Will document next
> time.
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
1 quart may be there after just adding oil, but very little is there after engine run and shut down. I don't think jacking the front a few degrees
will top any more over the waterfall to the rear. I think Dick also showed how close the throws are to the pan up front and how they sling and wipe
the oil away from the front pan.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Hmmm, that hasn't been my experience. I have a drain in the front sump and, although I have never measured it, quite a bit of oil comes out that
drain when I open it (always after opening the main drain).
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
 
FWIW, I have the Cadillac Eldorado engine and it has a oil pan that is similar in configuration to the Olds Toro. But the Cad oil pan has drain plugs
in both sumps...front and rear. When I do an oil change, I (obviously) drain both. I have found that I get almost a quart out of the front sump, and
another quart out of the oil cooler. Oil change on my engine takes almost 6 qts. Just what I've noticed.
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.
 
The pan on my ratrod is from Ranger Power Sports, specifically to fit a 5 liter motor in an early Ranger pickup. The front sump is somewhat bigger
than the GMC one so it has a separate drain. On oil change I normally get a bit more than a quart out of the front.

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
 
I answered the front pan's (static) capacity question to my satisfaction
years ago:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3942-455-oil-pan-capacity.html

Ken H.

On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 11:15 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <

> The pan on my ratrod is from Ranger Power Sports, specifically to fit a 5
> liter motor in an early Ranger pickup. The front sump is somewhat bigger
> than the GMC one so it has a separate drain. On oil change I normally get
> a bit more than a quart out of the front.
>
> --johnny
> --
> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
> Braselton, Ga.
> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me
> in hell
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
To compare results, I measured at least 3/4 quart in the front of my oil pan.

--
Bill Wevers GMC49ers, GMC Western States
1975 Glenbrook - Manny Powerdrive, OneTon
455 F Block, G heads
San Jose
 
I get a little more than a 3/4 qt out my front oil pan drain.

JR Wright

>
> I answered the front pan's (static) capacity question to my satisfaction
> years ago:
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3942-455-oil-pan-capacity.html
>
> Ken H.
>
> On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 11:15 AM Johnny Bridges via Gmclist <

>
>> The pan on my ratrod is from Ranger Power Sports, specifically to fit a 5
>> liter motor in an early Ranger pickup. The front sump is somewhat bigger
>> than the GMC one so it has a separate drain. On oil change I normally get
>> a bit more than a quart out of the front.
>>
>> --johnny
>> --
>> Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
>> Braselton, Ga.
>> I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me
>> in hell
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
I usually jack mine up 30" or bout as high as my 3 ton floor jack will go which puts my 12 ton jack stands just under the crossmember. 6 quarts puts
it on the full mark after letting down and running long enough to dissipate.
--
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
 
Jacking up the front up to 30" will not give you any advantage in draining the oil from the front of the pan. If you do the calculations, lifting
front 30" from the ground results in tilt angle of the body of only 4-4.5 degrees (because you are rotating the MH around the back wheels which are
about 180" behind the point of lift). I seriously doubt that extra lift results in any advantage to draining oil besides being more comfortable under
the engine to move the drain pan around.

Awhile back, when I had swap my transmission, I decided to re-seal the oil pan. This being my first time taking the funky Olds oil pan off, I was
concerned about being showered by the good amount of oil sitting in the front portion of the pan. Especially after reading all the posts about how
much oil is kept there and people adding second drain plug, etc. To my surprise, not too much oil was retained in the front of the pan after I
drained the main sump. It was just a few ounces. Definitely NOT a quart or even half a quart. I think, as some people said, when you just add fresh
oil, a quart of it sits in front sump. As you run the engine, most of it gets sloshed right out of there. Some oil will drain back to the front of
pan from the front of the engine after shut down, but not so much that you need to be concerned about it during oil changes. Think of it this way -
under normal circumstances, you don't blow out all the oil cooler hoses and empty out all the oil passages in the engine in order to get 100% of old
disgusting oil out... So, don't sweat the few ounces sitting in front of pan. 5 quarts of fresh oil will take care of any contaminants suspended in
that extra oil.
--
Vadim Jitkov
'76 Glenbrook 26'
Pullman, WA
 
You point is well taken.
We use to solve problems like that in our Engineering class, but now fall
in the lazy mode and not use much of what we did.
Other engineers tell me that they have fallen into accepting totally
backward of what we learned.
I for one am guilty

On Thu, Sep 12, 2019 at 8:19 AM Vadim Jitkov via Gmclist <

> Jacking up the front up to 30" will not give you any advantage in draining
> the oil from the front of the pan. If you do the calculations, lifting
> front 30" from the ground results in tilt angle of the body of only 4-4.5
> degrees (because you are rotating the MH around the back wheels which are
> about 180" behind the point of lift). I seriously doubt that extra lift
> results in any advantage to draining oil besides being more comfortable
> under
> the engine to move the drain pan around.
>
> Awhile back, when I had swap my transmission, I decided to re-seal the oil
> pan. This being my first time taking the funky Olds oil pan off, I was
> concerned about being showered by the good amount of oil sitting in the
> front portion of the pan. Especially after reading all the posts about how
> much oil is kept there and people adding second drain plug, etc. To my
> surprise, not too much oil was retained in the front of the pan after I
> drained the main sump. It was just a few ounces. Definitely NOT a quart
> or even half a quart. I think, as some people said, when you just add fresh
> oil, a quart of it sits in front sump. As you run the engine, most of it
> gets sloshed right out of there. Some oil will drain back to the front of
> pan from the front of the engine after shut down, but not so much that you
> need to be concerned about it during oil changes. Think of it this way -
> under normal circumstances, you don't blow out all the oil cooler hoses
> and empty out all the oil passages in the engine in order to get 100% of old
> disgusting oil out... So, don't sweat the few ounces sitting in front of
> pan. 5 quarts of fresh oil will take care of any contaminants suspended in
> that extra oil.
> --
> Vadim Jitkov
> '76 Glenbrook 26'
> Pullman, WA
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
6 quarts with filter. I imagine most of us change the filter at every oil change.
--
Christo Darsch
GMC Nor'easters
1977 Eleganza II - "Komet"
3.50 Power Drive, Disc Brakes, Alcoas
Weymouth, MA
 
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