Hi all
1981 ford f-150 with 300 inline 6, 4 speed manual trans 143,000 miles NO oil pressure or temperature guage

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I'm no mechanic and I'm having trouble with what i believe is oil circulation. My engine runs great. Very smooth so long as i let it warm up properly. In low rpms in 4th gear however it seems to lag slightly and there is a light rattling/chattering sound when i am going up hill at lower rpms in 4th gear only. I do not know if this applies to my question but it seems relevant.

My problem is that when i filled the oil to the specified 6 quarts it was far above the safe line on the dipstick:
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The oil line was at where my thumb is. I emptied about a quart out and now i keep it just above the safe line. There are several additional things i've taken note of. There is a large dent in the bottom of the oil pan:




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No cracks or leaks in it... In addition to this I've noticed that the dipstick reading drops significantly just after running the engine. Someone said some kind of return lines could be clogged. What the hells going on?

 

On the gauge issue, does your fuel gauge work? If not, then your Instrument Cluster Voltage Regulator is bad, as all three of those gauges are fed by it. But, if the fuel gauge works then you probably have a bad oil pressure sender and a bad temp sender.

On the oil level issue, the dent in the pan doesn't look big enough to cause the level to be up nearly a quart. My guess is that you changed oil and filter, added 6 quarts, and then checked the level without having started the engine. It should be high because you haven't pumped a quart of the oil into the filter. And, when you run the engine you have to wait at least 10 minutes and preferably 15 minutes for the oil to drain back into the pan before checking it. Otherwise there is all that oil up in the engine. And whomever said the return lines are plugged has no clue. Don't listen to him. Your engine is fine but you should keep the level of oil at the full mark, measured 10 - 15 minutes after turning the engine off.

As for the rattling sound in 4th climbing a hill at low speed, that may be pinging. Have you checked the ignition timing?

 

Ever get it to pass smog?

 

That's a nice truck you have there.
Are you sure you put 6 quarts in? Some oil come's in gallons (4 qts) and also in 5qt jugs.
That dipstick doesn't look 33 years old either. Are you sure you have the correct dipstick?

 

I'm also questioning whether you have the correct dipstick.

I have a 1980 F-150 with the 300 engine, so our trucks should be fairly similar, assuming you have your original engine. The lettering on your dipstick looks very different than mine...is there a Ford engineering number on your dipstick? Mine is E0TE-6750-EB...yours doesn't have to be identical, but it should probably be close.

 

Guys - I think he changed oil & filter, filled it up, and checked the oil. Without starting it.

 

Gary's comments make sense.

However, if the engine had been started and sufficient time had been allowed for all of the oil to drain back to the crankcase, then perhaps as mentioned earlier, the dipstick has been substituted. If this is the case [?], then the owner can custom calibrate it.

After draining the engine of oil and replacing the filter, add 5 quarts of oil. Start the engine and check for leaks. Shut off the engine and take a break for 10-15 minutes. Pull the dipstick and check the oil level. With a hand file [some have reported using a hack saw], make a mark at the top of the oil level. I did this on the back side of the dipstick. This will now be the mark indicating being 1 quart low. Next, add the 6th quart of oil and repeat the process described previously. Again, mark the back side of the dipstick at the top of the oil level. This mark represents a truly full crankcase.

CAUTION: Each time you mark the dipstick, carefully wipe it clean so you do not introduce metal particles to the oil.

By the way, your truck looks great!

 

Where is this located behind the dash?

 

I take it the fuel gauge isn't working either. The ICVR is on the backside of the instrument cluster. Go to my albums here on FTE and look at the pics in the album on making an ICVR. There are some in there of the stock one.

 

Thanks, I sent that before searching and found your album. I just revived the long thread about the IVCR.

 

Long thread???? That's one of my shorter ones! Try Dad's Truck Build.

Anyway, I saw your post and replied.

 

Thanks for all the input. I'm not getting any help here though. The dipstick's code (E1TE-6750-EA) starts with E1 meaning that it is for the correct year- 1981. I don't know if it could be for the V8 engine though. Also thank you Gary Lewis but I know how to check my oil and the person who told me that the oil return lines could be clogged was an experienced mechanic. But I do think that you are right with the need to check the ignition timing- i cant get it past idle emissions at inspection. I'm beginning to think I've made an error somewhere though, perhaps in the amount of oil- if there is no other explanation for this. Is there any other possible reason, like the oil not reaching all parts of the engine?

 

My apologies. But there are no "oil return lines" in these engines. There are oil return holes in the heads, but on a V8 they are as big around as my little finger and there are 8 per head. I've had lots of engines apart, some in REALLY bad condition, but I've never seen one with the oil return holes plugged.

However, lets assume that yours are plugged completely such that the oil will not return to the pan in the 15 minutes I mentioned. If that were the case you would have NO oil pressure within about 5 minutes of starting the engine because all of the oil would be in the head under the valve cover. And you would be sucking it into the carb via the PCV valve.

But, let's turn to the amount of oil you have in the engine. In any case, you should have 6 quarts of oil in after a fill if the pan is not crushed. You were given good advice by 1986F150six, which will work regardless of the dip stick you have. So please don't say you've not gotten any help. You just haven't taken the good help you've gotten.

As for your dip stick, I cannot find that # in the Master Parts Catalog for any engine from 80 through 89, so I have no idea what it is for. But, don't take my word for it - here's the page from the catalog, and you are looking for an Indicator (Oil Level).

 

A Google search returns this thread; https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...cc-4-9-6l.html

Seems to point to that engineering # being correct.

 

I concur with Gary, I also looked for it in all truck engines 1980-89 and couldn't find it, either.

But, the page Gary posted *does* show a dipstick marked with E0TE-EA (the 6750 in the middle is implied) being installed on 1980/82 F-Series & Bronco with the 300 cid 6-banger, and we have that other thread Jim pointed out in which somebody else with a 300 cid 6-banger (unknown year, though) had one marked the same, so this suggests an omission in the book and implies this is a correct dipstick for this application.

If blocked oil return holes are suspected, pull off the valve & side covers and take a look.

Could it not also be a situation where the oil pan has been swapped sometime in its life? This happened to me with my 400, 6 quarts is overfilling it as it turns out I have a sedan oil pan & pickup tube installed.

I suggest marking the dipstick at 5 and 6 quarts as has been suggested and moving on with life....