Dip stick to pan clearance?

[jrork]

Okay, don't flame me but I just gotta ask. What should be the distance from the bottom of the pan to the tip of the dipstick? Is this important?
I know I can check the oil depth once the motor is back together and full of oil and mark it on the dipstick but I'm curious if there is anything I should do to address this clearance while the motor is apart. Right now it's 2 1/2".
If you don't think I need to check this that's fine. I just want to cover everything that I can think of.
Thanks

[Rexone]

The only dipstick measurement that's important is the oil full mark...
And they're normally wrong (stock) more than right. It's important not to overfill the pan where the oil level is above the windage tray and getting into the crankshaft. Engine mounting and operating angles in boats compound this potential problem. The reality is that most pans of a given capacity really shouldn't be filled to that capacity in boats because many times the oil level on the low end of the pan (the angle thing again) will exceed the appropriate height and get into the crank windage area. Whipped up oil causes many problems as in aireated oil, low oil pressure, whipped up oil blowing out the breathers, etc, etc, etc,. All these if severe enough can result in engine damage. So too much oil in the motor is a bad idea.
So no the distance from the stick to the pan bottom really means nothing.

[jrork]

Great. Thanks very much for the reply. Have a good one

[Infomaniac]

Yep, I ususlly check them with water before installing on the engine.
Count the quarts, take measurements from the pan rail down to the water
and compare it to the block up the to windage tray measurement.
Install the dip stick and check or adjust the mark.

[cdog]

Since this question has risin. I've got one too. I have a Gil 12 quart oil pan with a harden stringer mount thermostaticly controlled oil cooler mounted in front of the engine and a remote oil filter set up that mounts to the back of the head. I used the eddie marine MSD box mount as a mount to hold the oil filter relocator. I've got about 8 feet of an-12 hose that connects everything.
12 quart pan + oil coller + oil an-12 line + oil filter= how much oil.
I started with 16 quarts and the dip stick regestered at add oil. Ran it all weekend for the first trip out and everything went great. So I added another quart to see what would happen for the next trip and the engine started pissing it out from somewhere. I think it was coming out from the front crank seal in the timing cover. So i'm thinking too much oil. It seemed to let up after about a half of a quart in the bildge. I'm about to change the oil for the first time next week and was wondering if anyone else has had the same problem. Seems to me I need about 15-16 quarts.
Heres the oil coller http://www.cpperformance.com/detail.aspx?ID=908
12 Gil Version oil pan http://www.cpperformance.com/detail.aspx?ID=989
Gil does not make the pans anymore, Harden marine make's almost the same exact one but does not make the 12 quart version.

[Infomaniac]

Add however many quarts you intend to run in the pan. Check the level. Use an engine priming tool, run it for a while fill all of the external accessories and oil passages and see how much oil it takes to bring the oil level back to where you started.
I would probably run 10 quarts plus whatever it takes for the external devices in a 12 quart pan. You can always add more if the oil temp does not behave.

[MikeF]

Another thing to be aware of is that the dip stick tube should not protrude into the level of the oil when inserted into the pan. Any crankcase pressure buildup will cause the oil to be pushed out of the dipstick tube like a straw (and all over the headers/bilge). Cut off the bottom of the tube to make sure. :clover:

[cdog]

Thanks for the reply's. At 16 quarts I had a little airiation of the oil out the breathers in the valve covers. The dipstick is a cheap deal that you can get from pepboys but the tube is a bendable plastic tube much like a refridgerator water line and I used a brass compression fitting to connect the assembly to the pan. When I find the right oil amount I can cut the plastic tube / make it shorter and that will make the dipstick enter the pan deeper. I'm big on checking everything before going out on the boat so I want the dip stick to regester correctly.