Hi,
Can anyone tell me where the oil level should be in sump?
I have a 4age (20v) sump modded, what I should have done is put in the quoted amount of oil into the unmodded sump so I could have seen the correct level (sump off car) and then filled the modded sump to the correct level.
I don't want to rely on the dipstick for correct capacity if I can help it.
Should the oil level be above the factory baffle?
Cheers
The oil level should be above the sump baffle plate.
The picture above is for a modified 16V sump but as you can see dipstick low and high markings both sit above the baffle. But dont forget that the 20V is fitted with a windage tray so I would assume that the oil level must be below this so that the crank isnt sat in oil when the engine is off.
What are the modifications to your sump? Presuming you've lost capacity? Have you added wings to increase the capacity or do you have an oil cooler or an accusump fitted which also increases the oil capacity?
Without referring to my 20v manual, oil capacity inc filter should be about 3.5 liters.
HTH
A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply deano. I have had the sump shortened to clear the cross member and wings with gates added to get the capacity back up. I do have an accusump I will be fitting and oil cooler on the way so should be plenty of capacity. Still cheaper than a dry sump, just!!!
Just fill it to the max level on the dipstick!
This is how I see it and I may be teaching you to suck eggs here:
You want to always have the oil level in the sump above the pick up pipe, and by winging the sump but only filling the factory oil volume say 3.5L, the oil level will not reach the max mark on the dipstick, this will lean you towards a higher risk of the oil level being below the pick up pipe when running and during cornering/inclines etc thus oil starvation.
So by filling to the max dipstick mark you have increased the capacity (say to 4.5L) since due to the modifications you need more oil to reach the max mark and therefore run a lower risk of this happening given that the oil pump will draw a certain volume per rpm regardless of whether the sump is modified or not.
Now you also have to bear in mind that on its first run not only will the accusump charge and store oil under pressure but also oil will fill your cooler and cooler hoses, therefore your sump oil level will decrease. After the first run, check the oil level and refill to the max mark.
If you said the accusump holds 1L, and the cooler and associated lines a further 1.5L then after the first run your sump will only be holding 2L of oil
Filling it back up to the max mark (4.5L) will mean that your oil capacity has risen to a total of
Sump 4.5L + Accusump 1L + Oil cooler and lines 1.5L = 7L
Now you have 6L of circulating oil and 1L of oil stored under pressure.
Now the accusump is there to prime the engine with oil under starting conditions (low oil pressure) and under periods where oil pressure is low i.e cornering/inclines etc, therefore the more you can do to reduce the risk of a low pressure moment (i.e more oil around the pickup) the better it is for the engine and your wallet!
I will be running the same setup and I will be making sure that the oil level at the max on that stick.
A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life.
put it this way, oil pick up pipes and dipsticks should alway be matched, the dipstick is in relation to the oil pick up pipe up, so regardless to the size of the sump you should always go with the dipstick as long as neither have been modified.
its not dead till it's buried!
T.I.T engineering. "Feel the power!"
My worry was because of the mods to the sump my dipstick may have ended up hitting the horizontal baffle plate and bending so would give a false reading ( the above picture cleared that up)also if for any reason the wings were not filling with oil. A lot easier to check Filled with water off the car.
With the oil cooler and pipes I would normally top these up with oil then connect so I don't have low oil pressure at start up until cooler and pipes fill. And crank it over with plugs out until good pressure is reached.
Cheers for the replies.
it must also be a false reading if the engine is level in the engine bay as 4age 16v is on a slant? i will have to have a look at this on my 4age anglia?
Do you mean slanted like the picture below? Because if so yes you are correct it will actually be a true reading on the oil level if slanted. Whereas the 4AGE installed level will be false due to the sump bottom not being level and oil finding its own level within the space. In the picture of mine below the dipstick is the topside of the slant and therefore if I was to level the engine, my true oil level would be lower if level than if it was slanted for the same reading from the dipstick (full mark). Might not be much but its always worth checking
Last edited by Mk1_Deano; 28-03-2013 at 16:06.
A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life.
Yes I've put mine in level so will have to check it out when nearer the time.cheersOriginally Posted by Mk1_Deano
Do you mean slanted like the picture below? Because if so yes you are correct it will actually be a true reading on the oil level if slanted. Whereas the 4AGE installed level will be false due to the sump bottom not being level and oil finding its own level within the space. In the picture of mine below the dipstick is the topside of the slant and therefore if I was to level the engine, my true oil level would be lower if level than if it was slanted for the same reading from the dipstick (full mark). Might not be much but its always worth checking
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