Sump Capacities for Ford 2700 2720 Engines

If you notice your engine emitting blue smoke from the exhaust it could just be a sign your are overfilling the sump for your particular engine configuration. Keeping oil topped up to the dipstick maximum may be causing excessive oil splash from the back of the Conrods which then results in higher oil consumption and worrying exhaust blue smoke.

Ford 2700 series (Dorset) and 2720 (Dover) sump capacity vary depending on the engine age, specification, possible sump modifications and engine fore/aft inclination angle. The Ford workshop manual will provide oil fill guidance.

The reason for blue smoke particularly for marine is linked to the oil level at the rear of the engine being high relative to the crankshaft centreline and in particular the big-ends whipping through the oil. This causes excessive oil splash and for the oil to be dragged across the sump in the crankshaft direction of rotation. The end result is excessive oil splash onto the cylinder bores so much so the ring pack is unable to cope and scrape the oil away sufficiently. This oil then remains on the bores where upon some of the oil gets partially burnt and some just passes into the exhaust stream resulting in a blue / grey smoke emission. 

In addition to oil smoke out the exhaust you may also notice the bilge getting dirty and contaminated with a slight oil film. This will be to the oil leaking through the rear crankshaft seal. The crank seal can either be a two part rope construction or a lip seal. The engine installation for marine applications particularly shaft is inclined more than if it were installed in a truck. Furthermore, if the vessel is semi or full planning the engine will be further inclined. This resulting in oil leaking through the rear main oil seal and then finding its way into the bilge.

How do we fix this: Fill with the correct oil fill against the information from the Ford data books and then calibrate your dipstick to the level then found. Do not rely on the standard dip-stick marks for reasons given above. 

High-inclination sumps (not usually seen on marine engines) differ

Dipstick Adjustment: High-inclination sumps (not usually seen on marine engines) differ. With the boat normally loaded and at rest, fire the engine up for a couple of mins to fill all the oil passages, stop it and wait a couple of minutes to allow excess oil to drain down from the head. Check the level on the dipstick and if it appears too low, shorten the dipstick tube so the full mark on the stick coincides with the actual oil level now found. Do not add more oil to bring the level up to the original marks.