K-301 dipstick length

[ford2go]

Not sure which section this fits in, but I'll start here. I have been having issues with a K-301, and it probably qualifies as an old ( but not ancient !) engine. If I get it back to good health it will be a daily driver again.

I have had issues with it backfiring through the exhaust and quittiing, but that's not the point of this discussion. In the process of checking things out I noted that it should have a 2 qt oil capacity. It's always seemed to be 2-1/2 qts, which seems to be quite a bit over.

When I had it apart, I noted that the dipstick extended just slightly past the bottom of the block. The illustration in the manual shows it extending considerably further, but I have no idea if that's correct-- it's just a drawing.

I tried comparing it to a K-341 that I have, and the length seemed right. The K-341 is about an inch taller, and (IIRC). it had a 14 inch dipstick (bottom of cap to end). The K-301 was 13 inches. (again IIRC).

I just checked the capacity. I filled it with 2 quarts and let it sit overnight. It just reaches the bottom of the dipstick.

Anybody have a clue about this? If it's wrong, I may have been run it overfull for a while, and I'd just as soon not do that.
There are various things that make me suspicous of what might have been done to this engine previously.

[Bruce]

If you haven't done so, you might want to check this post - Bruce

http://www.perr.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2455

[DonB]

Bruce I think teh same guy posted both, probably not suer which topic it belonged in.