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How do i check the oil level in the 533? I see what i think is a dip stick but it only turns 90 degrees and does not come out.

Thoughts?

The answer is in the Owner's Manual which you really should read, lots of useful information on most all aspects of use and maintenance of the car. That manual is available on site, why not download it and read it at your leisure?

You add oil until it reaches the level of the petcock, at which point it is full. That was a very typical method of the era, wide use of dip sticks came along later.

Thanks. We found that if I turned the handle 90 degrees, it would allow the oil to drain out of the motor at the petcock under the engine. If no oil comes out, we need to add oil. Easy...

The obvious problem with this type of oil level measurement is that it only indicates when full, there is no way of knowing whether the oil level is just slightly low or empty.

I have fitted a dipstick to my 126 that inserts through the oil filler but it cannot be left in place because it will hit the crankshaft when the engine is running.

To allow the dipstick to be left in place I brazed a tube to the underside of the filler that guides the dipstick clear of the crankshaft but this was done with the engine apart.

A removable dip stick can work, the engine may need to be turned over a little to clear the crankshaft and it must not be left in place.

Noticing DavidM's Avatar today , I was compelled to attach a photo taken out in front of David's garage from a couple of weeks ago. Our Packard club used David's garage as a run destination then, and the photo is the sight that greeted us on arrival. The 3 Packards on the left are David's '22 1st Series Sport Tourer, '29 633 Runabout and '30 740 Limousine as is the '12 Maxwell The other 2, '29 740 Roadster and '30 840 740 Roadster are owned by friends. After years in a private collection then some time in a museum David was helping to bring the '30 840 740 back to good running condition and a return to the road.

NOTE - Click on photo for a bigger, clearer image.

EDIT - David has informed me I made a mistake. Misidentified a Packard, but now fixed.

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