We had a mechanic replace the head on my sisters 03 Pontiac grand am it has the Eco tec 4 cylinder. Since they replaced it the oil doesn't show on the dip stick. We bought the complete head assembly it had the valves and that. All they had to do is remove the old head a drop the new head in they said. Any suggestions. I already asked if they pulled the dip stick tube out of the oil pan and they said no. Don't know if they actually checked.

Having worked on several types of heads for engines, I learned two valuable lessons:

1.) Know the person who is doing the work on your car. The worst thing you can do is skimp on the knowledge aspect of replacing the head because there are a lot more parts to that engine than what meets the eye. A misplaced gasket or a pinched line could keep the oil from reaching the vital parts and you will be buying a new block as well.



2.) If there is no oil on the dipstick, I would start by checking the rocker arms to see if the oil pump is actually pulling oil to the top of the engine. If there is no oil being pulled then there is something in the way of how the oil is being dispersed inside the engine itself.



If the dipstick tube had been pulled from the base of the block then oil would literally be pouring out from underneath the hood.



I would also look at the following basic troubleshooting steps to ensure the mechanic did not accidentally forget to put the oil back into the engine after the head was replaced.



If the car starts, the easiest way to check for oil pressure is to take the oil dispenser cap from the valve cover and put a paper towel over it while you have a second person crank the car. If oil is not being spit onto the paper towel within about 10 seconds, shut the car off and don't try to crank it again until you can verify there is indeed oil in the engine at all.



Oil is responsible for keeping the pistons, rocker arms, timing chain, and drive shaft(s) well-lubricated.



There is always the possibility the dipstick tube was unscrewed and either may not have been screwed all the way down or, if teflon was used to secure the threads, it is possible some of it could be covering the hole for the dipstick tube.



Hope this helps.

If oil not on the dipstick you might be 2 qtrs low on oil did do an oil change on it your car holds 5 quarts