Engine oil fill

I remove a breather from one of the valve covers to add oil.

Correct - I use the right breather which is at the back of the valve cover

Yes, great it worked by removing one of the breathers.
Many thanks
Hartwig

Nice aluminum heads

And here is was thinking the breather was actually the oil filler with a breather built in. Now I find out it is a breather with the filler built in! Those crazy Italians!

Hi Hartwig,

Congrats on your Pantera. At the risk of asking the obvious, do you know how much oil to add to your engine? What oil pan do you have on your engine? The stock pan (5 quarts) or an Aviad or Armando pan (9 quarts)? Or more importantly, how long is your dipstick, and has it been shortened per the factory TSB? It should be 38" long cap-to-tip.

Hello Garth,
Honestly, I have no clue but your question brings up another topic I should look to. I found in the car documentation an old invoice from Pantera Hall from 1989 showing some expensive engine modifications (but as I'm a small block rookie all this is chinese for me). I will have a look this evening to check if there is something mentioned related to the oil pan and dip stick. Last Friday I changed engine oil and filter and according to the manual I had to put about 5 liters of 20W50 in, but the dip stick showed a too low oil level. Finally, I put 8 Liters of oil in. I thought that the extra oil quantity was linked to the engine modification (hoping that I have not overfilled the engine).
Brgds
Hartwig

Do two things:
1. Measure your dipstick from the tip to the edge of the cap that slips over the dipstick tube. It should be 38" long (96.52cm). If it's longer, then it hasn't been shortened per the Ford TSB. Assuming it's still the stock dipstick and it hasn't been shortened, add 1 extra quart of oil above the full mark.

2. Look at your oil pan from under the car. Is it a stock front sump pan? If you have the stock pan, you should use 5 quarts of oil.


Or an aftermarket road race pan (which all Panteras should have) from Aviad or Armando? If you have one of these pans with the deep sump extending almost the entire length of the pan, you will need 9 quarts of oil.

Garth can you scan that TSB and post it here please? Thanks.

Hi Hartwig,

Congratulations on your Pantera!

Here is a pic of the dipstick information that Garth mentioned.

If your dipstick length is already 38", then you are good to go.

John

Hello Garth,John and all,
The dipstick of my car is exactly 96,5 cm long. It was obviously already modified. I have attached a photo of my sump pan. Seems to be the aftermarket road race pan.After how many miles you change your oil? Do you use also standard SAE 20W50?

Long sump steel oil pans take the same dipstick as stock pans. Your pan looks like it's been modified by someone for some reason, as none of the common as-sold steel aftermarket pans look like that as-delivered. Damage to pan bottoms is common, which also sometimes affects the critical oil pump pickup height above the bottom. As to what's inside your pan, some aftermarket oil pans are simple open buckets suitable only for trucks, or pans with drag-race baffles, or (most desirable) a fully baffled, trap-doored pan that will save your engine bearings if installed. Aviaid and Armando's pans are of this type. Of the stock & drag race pans, there are three of them as well, none will do much to resist Pantera cornering forces. There are two uncommon welded-aluminum pans known as well; check yours with a magnet. From the welds, it may be steel.

It would probably be a good idea to drop that pan and see what the insides look like. Take photos! There's supposed to be a welded steel crossmember running under the shallower portion of the pan near the rear. In your photo, it may be there but can't quite see it. This supports the lower rear suspension pickup points. A factory upgrade to Panteras built after 1974 was a removeable bolt-in crossmember so the oil pan can be easily removed. This also came with a bolt-in e-brake support replacing a welded assembly; the pans all drop down, then slide forward a few inches to clear the front-mount oil pumps before the pan drops all the way off. With early welded crossmembers, the engine needs to come out to remove the pan! Good luck.