before you say "what kind of an idiot cant read their oil level!" lol i know the thred topic sounds rediculous, but heres the deal., keeping in mind that i work at a valvoline instant oil change place (going on 2yrs) so i read like 40 dipsticks a day every day!, well my 88 2.8 fiero is a bit different, if i pull out the stick, wipe it and stick it, when it reaches the botem it doesnt want to go all the way down, stops about 2 cm from the tip of the tube, now i can force it down, but it springs right back up, so i messed with it for ever and finally got it to go all the way down by facing the stick loop towards the rear windshield `(which i believe is backwards), but when i check the oil like that it reads like 1qt over!, how do you check the damn stick!, and with the over sized filter how many qts should the 88 2.8 hold? my comp at work says 4qts with base filter (which we all know is BS), with the enlarged filter i put 5.6qts in it and it reads perfectly full every time....unless my stick isnt reading right, the engine doesnt leak a drop of oil anywhere so i dont wana over due it and blow a seal. any help is appriceated...i had my friend change my oil for me last time and he even put 5.6qts in it (i didnt tell him how much it held) i said just keep pouring and checking till its full, after start up of corse.

The manuals say 4 quarts with filter. I use a PF 52 and put in 4.5 quarts. If you are putting in 5.6, I'd say you are a quart over. My dip stick loop faces toward the back window.

With the PF 52 filter It uses 4.5 Quarts. My dipstick loop faces the thermostat housing.
Don

When you place the dipstick in...and it gets to the 2cm mark where you dont think it will go any further...give it a twist. That should allow it to drop to where it needs to go. I have to do it on my 86SE all the time.

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ok, tomorrow il check it like 100 times to make sure its over full on oil, then if so il drop some out in a hurry!, now i heard 2 different posts saying which way the loop faces, and if i give it a twist..nothing happens, it just keeps springing back like its pinned at the bottem on something, would over filing the oil hurt performance? effect oil presure?, so il assume that its soposed to face the windshield, but man that gives a weird reading! its like 2qts over on 1 side and right on full on the otherside?, you think my crank is splashing around in the oil cause its overfilled causing weirdness?, keep it comming..

hmm i may just change the oil again even tho its only been like 850 miles since the last change, i want to make sure it gets 4.5qts and no more!, im using (ever heard of this) 5w30 Kendall synblen GT1, its energy conserving and gf-4, very very very great oil!!! id recomend it to everyone!, just good luck finding it to buy!
oh and im using the new spin flow napa filter (PF52 size), cheap filter,($3.21)clams great things, il cut it open and see 4 myself...good so far tho.

[This message has been edited by 88 forumla (edited 11-28-2005).]

my suggestion would be that you possibly have the wrong dipstick

what i might do is trim off like 1/2" of the dip stick and then change the oil adding 5 qts run the motor so the filter gets primed then pull the dip stick and Scribe a mark in it so you know where it should be

or get a new dipstick there should be a few people in the makk willing to help
all jokes aside......
if you'd like i can measure my Dipstick so you can see if yours is longer

EDIT
here is a pic of how it should look, here is an old pic of my 86
it arch's tward the rear of the car
PM me if you want me to measure mine for you

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02 Jetta 1.8t
86 Fiero V6
AIM:Onefast2M8

[This message has been edited by $Rich$ (edited 11-28-2005).]

quote Originally posted by 88 forumla: before you say "what kind of an idiot cant read their oil level!" lol i know the thred topic sounds rediculous, but heres the deal., keeping in mind that i work at a valvoline instant oil change place (going on 2yrs) so i read like 40 dipsticks a day every day!, well my 88 2.8 fiero is a bit different, if i pull out the stick, wipe it and stick it, when it reaches the botem it doesnt want to go all the way down, stops about 2 cm from the tip of the tube, now i can force it down, but it springs right back up, so i messed with it for ever and finally got it to go all the way down by facing the stick loop towards the rear windshield `(which i believe is backwards), but when i check the oil like that it reads like 1qt over!, how do you check the damn stick!, and with the over sized filter how many qts should the 88 2.8 hold? my comp at work says 4qts with base filter (which we all know is BS), with the enlarged filter i put 5.6qts in it and it reads perfectly full every time....unless my stick isnt reading right, the engine doesnt leak a drop of oil anywhere so i dont wana over due it and blow a seal. any help is appriceated...i had my friend change my oil for me last time and he even put 5.6qts in it (i didnt tell him how much it held) i said just keep pouring and checking till its full, after start up of corse.

It reads 1 quart over when you get it to go down all the way because you filled it up with it not going down all the way!

hmm im preety sure i have the right one, measuring might help!, mine also has a tethlon tip, should they have that?, i woke up to late today to go sticking and dumping so il let you know later, i might try to do it at work?

The picture from rich is the correct position for the dipstick. Do like he says and change the oil, add 4.5 quarts and run for awhile then check dipstick and make a mark if necessary.
Dom

my dip-stick is angled like Rich's also.........on both my Gt and Formula

its blizzarding like a MO-FO out right now but ill go out in a bit and measure it for you cuz im such a nice guy

quote Originally posted by 88 forumla: mine also has a tethlon tip

Whew. I believe he was trying to say teflon.

Tim

hehe i think weve already established that my spelling skills suck lol, yeah measure that bad boy for me. srry about the frost bite , well hell i guesss im glad i got like 30 free qts of kendall, il be changing my oil prior to scedual i guess.

did ya ever measure that thing? <no pun intended> but i checked my oil like 100 times this morning and all came up full or like .25 under, i stuck that damn stick 100 different directions and all the results were the same., BUT theres still 5.6 qts of oil in that oil pan and filter! what gives!?

sorry i totally forgot.. ill go do it right now

sweet! il measure mine right now! <no pun intended> ....2feet 1 in, or 25inches, just like yours. SOOO why does my pan hold 5.6qts???, so now (AC) how much of a difference is there between a pf47 and a pf52? isnt it like a half qt or less?, mabey the napa spin flow filter holds even more? so a stock 2.8 with the small filter holds 4.5 correct? so then a stock 2.8 with the larger filter should hold 5.0? correct? where am i getting the extra .60 qts!!??, or is it 4qts small and 4.5 large? if so im 1.1qt over!, but still in operating range!

i run the big filter... pf 52?? and i dont even check the oil i just dump in 5 qts ... then in like a month ill check it and it'll be like 1/2 qt low ill add a qt and then change in in like 2 more months
but why is your dipstick tube differant? didnt you say yours faced foward?
if so... maybe its from a differnat motor and it is a tad shorter.... and thats why it wont stay seated and seems to be bottoming out in the pan??

[This message has been edited by $Rich$ (edited 12-01-2005).]

thats a good posibility, im going to contact the guy (1 time owner) that i bought this 88 from and ask if he had any oil pan/ dipstick tube work, he has reciepts for everything ever done, these arent in em but it doesnt mean that its never been done, btw the tube would have to be longer to give my effect., one thing i worry about is that my car doesnt leak any oil, looking at the trans pan and oil pan they look brand new! no oil anywhere and i want it to stay that way, ive heard that overfilling will make em leak and bust seals.