Pinto Car Club of America

hello first let me say i've allways liked pintos since i got my first mustang ii and finaly i found a 78 2.3 wagon. before i drove  it home i stopped at a gas station and checked the oil and noticed it didn't seem to have a drop so i put 2 quarts in and kept on trukin' when all of a sudden it started smoking like crazy. mostly at takeoff and going down a hill. i noticed the dipstick is located in the back of the engine near the bellhousing even though all front sump 2.3 engines i've seen have the dipstick in the front (near the engine mount) so my question is did any 2.3 pinto's have the dipstick in the back? is it possible i could have put too much oil in the motor? i once overloaded a 2.0 cavalier with oil and it smoked pretty bad. could this be my problem or is it in the head? thank you

My later model 2.3 from an 88 thunderbird had the rear mounted dipstick and the rear sump pan. If your engine block was replaced with a newer one then they should have blocked that hole (I used jb weld and a bolt) and poped out the welch plug in the front part of the block (they have both holes in the later model blocks) to mount the original dipstick back in the front. You cannot tell the proper oil level by having the rear dipstick-front sump combo and I'm surprised the dipstick doesn't hit your crankshaft. I would drain all the oil out and fill it with only the amount required (3 or 4 quarts? ) and drive your car again. If the smoking stops, then repair your dipstick problem, if it continues, figure a rebuild and still fix the dipstick.

I agree with CR., you need to move the dipstick.

Aren't 2.3 Pintos 5 quarts?

Bill

i believe this engine is off a newer modle car because there is nowhere to mount the dipstick in the front, it would have to be drilled out. there isn't even a place to mount a mechanical fuel pump. i'll change the oil and see how that does, but for the dipstick i'm lost.

Five quarts with filter change or 4.5 quarts if using the short filter.