2 oil drain plugs and the wrong dipstick?

[murdock]

I need some input. I went to change my oil today and after I finished and had added 6 fresh quarts to the bronco I noticed a second drain plug up in the front of the pan. I had used the rear plug to drain the oil.

So should I have drained out of both the plugs? Since I didn't do I have to much oil in there now?

Second problem I think. I'm not sure I have the right dipstick for the oil (see picture below, what is 153-A oil?). The dipstick seems to be reading about a half inch above the full level.

Does this look like the right dipstick (its located on the passenger side in the front of the engine)?

Any help on the two drain plugs and dipstick dilemma would be appreciated!

Its a '74 with a 302.

 

[DirtDonk]

Sounds like you've got a car engine/pan in there. Does it look new? Different color? Any distinguishing features to say who built it (if aftermarket)?
The cars and 2wd trucks used front sump and dual-sump (which it sounds like you have) pans with the dipstick in the front cover. 4wd trucks and Broncos used a rear sump pan (still had a small area in front too though) and had the dipstick in the side of the deep section of the pan.
In a dual-sump pan you probably should use both drain plugs. I don't know how much is left (if any) if you don't use it, but I imagine it's enough to read high. Assuming your dipstick is right for that type of pan.
Is there a boss on the side of the pan for a dipstick too?
With that front sump, the front dipstick may be reading correctly for that engine. But I'm also not sure if it's a 5qt pan, or a 6qt pan, since it's not "stock" for a Bronco. If a Ford car pan, it's probably a 5qt pan. If it's an aftermarket pan it could be 5 or 6. Maybe you can take a depth measurement on the rear sump portion and we can compare to a known stock one to see how close you are? Might be worth a try.
But is it matched to the dipstick? I don't know. Sorry.
Maybe others will know from your part number or personal experience what's what, but once you find out what the pan is from, check the capacity for that vehicle and use that spec.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

I forgot to mention that by that part number in the picture, the D9B one, that it's at least a '79 design. No telling how many years Ford used that one, but the earliest would've been '79.
And probably a car or van. A truck would "normally" be a D9T.... not the D9B... so I'm not sure of it's exact application. Maybe someones got a Ford parts guide and can tell you.

Paul

 

[murdock]

WOW! Thanks for the input Paul. It gives me something to look into. The dipstick is definitely reading the oil level in the front sump. The pan looks like its been there for a long time. I'll have to check to see if its the same color as the rest of the engine.

Now I guess I need to figure out if this is a 5 quart or 6 quart pan. Will I hurt things if I run with an extra quart in there?

On most broncos with the 302, where is the dipstick located? Passengers side/drivers side/front/back?

 

[DirtDonk]

Passenger side, rear sump, but with the handle just under the air filter housing and with a support strut to an extended stud on the exhaust manifold.
A little awkward to check, but doable.
As far as the extra oil goes, I don't know. I know about all the horror stories of blown seals and all that due to too much oil, but have never had that happen myself.
But there is nothing wrong with running a quart low on the street in general use either. So I might take a quart out until you know for sure. That way, if it's a 5 qt pan, you're right on the money. If it's a 6qt pan, you're only down a quart in an already larger capacity system.
Some engines runs fine with only 4qt systems, so capacity seems to be sufficient.
Hell, when I bought mine, it needed 5 quarts of oil to get it to read halfway up the dipstick!! Boy, was the P.O. embarrassed! Luckily he had a case of oil in his garage so he filled 'er up for me. Oh, and that was 109,000 miles ago, so no harm done apparently.

Paul