Ok the latest project car was missing the dipstick. When i bought the car the previous owner told me he changed the oil so it should be ok. It ran good, didnt overheat, didnt blow smoke.

Still, i didnt like driving it for the fact that i really dont know how much oil is in there. Needless to say, its been sitting for a good 2 months. I got the dipstick today and found out something interesting.


The first thing that confused me is how the dipstick dosnt seem to fit very well. Sliding it down wasnt a very smooth action, it had to be slid in a certain way. That may be normal for all i know, but everytime i checked a dipstick it went in and out very easily.

The second thing that confused/concerned me is when i checked the dipstick it was bone dry. Completely.

So at this point im somewhat confused as of what i should do. Im thinking ill pour in about a quart of oil and see if that does anything. I guess i could keep slowly adding oil and checking it. If it keeps coming up dry i could run the car to see if its blowing smoke, and if it does i could drain it a bit. Ive never run into this problem so im not sure what i should do, what do you think?

The vehicle in question is a 1970 firebird 350.

 

change the oil, pu tin the 5 or whatever quarts and get a dipstick that reads right.

 

Find out the Oil capacity for that engine, drain out the Oil and measure it so you know if you've been running short all this time. Add in the correct amount of oil (as per engine specs) and see if it shows up in the "safe" zone on the dipstick. If it does, problem solved. If not, buy the correct dipstick.
Or skip the used oil measuring part if you would prefer not to know

I've had dipsticks that can only be slid in one way. I think it has to do with the dipstick making a corner on it's way down to the pan.

 

I agree. Drain and refill. But at first refill with one quart less. Check the dipstick for level. Now even if your dipstick isn't accurate with the marks you know where 'one quart low' is. Add the last quart and note the level.

 

I like horsepuller's idea.

That way, even if you have the wong dipstick, you'll have this dip stick calibrated & you know exactly how much life blood is in your engine.

Not a good idea to run it without a dipstick, as all knds of putrid things could find their way right into the oil sump, non of which are likely to be good for your engine, so says Murphey's Law!!!! lol

 

Change the OIL, 5qt's + filter, use dipstick, mark the stick, end of story.

 

....unless the stick is too short and won't reach the oil. If so, new stick.