Anybody here have a Dealers Diesel 6.9? We've got on in an '85, and I'm changing the oil, and am a bit confused about the capacity. I wonder if DD put a larger capacity oil pan on the engine. The owner's manual doesn't even mention the 6.9 (I don't have the diesel supplement). The FSM says 9 quarts. The local Farm store looked it up and said 10 quarts. Well I drained it, and poured it off into gallon jugs, and I already have 12 quarts, with a little still left in the drain pain, plus whatever's in the filter. So I wonder if this thing takes 13-14 quarts like a 7.3. I've put 11 quarts of new oil into the engine, and it's barely registering on the dipstick. Anybody know how much it actually takes?

Old oil didn't appear to have fuel or coolant in it; it was pretty black, but looked normal otherwise. Stoopid me, I forgot to check the dipstick BEFORE I started.

 

Oil capacity for the IDIs is 10 qts. with the stock filter. If you use the stroke filter, you need to add 1 more quart. I put a Dealers Diesel 7.3 reman in my 90, and the oil capacity stayed the same.

 

Black is normal for used diesel oil. I have two 7.3's and have never been able to get more than 12 quarts into either after a oil and filter change, so I would bet you have an aftermarket oil pan. If you are registering on the dip stick after 11, I would add two more. The bottom of the hash marks on the dipstick indicates two quarts low, so if you are not even there yet, adding two more cannot be too much. If you get to the hash marks and are still low after two quarts, you will be fine to run it to normal operating temp and re-check oil level. Add more as needed and monitor your use for future reference.

 

The 6.9 and 7.3 built for Ford does hold 10qts., but I think the International 6.9 and 7.3 held 15qts. I wonder if his engine has the bigger International oil pan. I'm also almost sure the oil pan is also reversible, so it might be able to work in his truck. I don't know if it's too deep for Ford applications.

 

Make sure you have the right dipstick as well, i had that issue that cuased my to think mine held 8qts.

 

It does seem to be a pretty deep pan. Maybe I should get a pic of it, relative to the rest of the front of the truck, to see if that suggests whether it's the Ford standard pan or a deeper one.
That's my other concern. I don't wanna overfill it and froth the oil with the crank. Ah, the joys of buying an old truck....