Engine Dipstick Problem

keynsham1

keynsham1

Active Member
I have recently replaced the dipstick tube on my engine. I have also had the sump off and the inner metal cover over the crankshaft. I have reassembled everything in accordance with the manual. I now have a problem with my dipstick. When I push it in, it hits something metallic (I assume the inner cover in the sump) about 3 inches before it is fully home. If I bend the dipstick a little at the end and twist it as I push it in, it will go all the way in. My original dipstick tube only went into the block about an inch. The replacement was much longer so I cut it to the length of the original so it was exactly the same. I am wondering if they were made longer in the later cars to guide the dipstick into the sump? Has anyone had a similar problem?

Richard.
 
Hello Richard,

The dipstick and the guide tube are to my knowledge a matching pair. There were two dipsticks and their associated guide tubes fitted to the 3500 and 3500S over their production run, with the engine number being the deciding factor.

The dipstick and tube must be the correct length for your engine, else the reading will be inaccurate. Later dipsticks and filler tubes will not be correct, even though the engine capacity may be the same, the sump capacity though will not be.

You most certainly should not have to force the dipstick in. The distance that the guide tube protrudes from the block must be exactly the same as the original one that you removed, and the dipstick itself must be exactly the same length as the original one. Any difference will lead to either too much to too little engine oil in the sump, and both could lead to engine damage or worse still complete engine failure. :shock:

The metal cover over the crankshaft is a windage tray, and its purpose is for oil control, to prevent oil surges and contact between the oil and the spinning crankshaft. There should be a small cutout in the tray to allow the dipstick to pass through and down into the sump. If the tray was not put on in the correct orientation, this could well be the problem.

Ron.
 
SydneyRoverP6B said:
If the tray was not put on in the correct orientation, this could well be the problem.
Ron.
Click to expand...

It's not possible to fit the standard windage tray the wrong way around.
 
Thanks for your responses. The part of the dipstick tube I cut to length, was the lower section which sits inside the block. It was exactly the same protruded length out of the block as the original, and so will match the original dipstick length. I suspect that as my dipstick is a little bent, it is not feeding correctly through the tray in the sump. I will try to straighten it properly and see if that helps!
 
Yes, the tray orientation. It can indeed only go on one way, as the oil pickup passes through a cutout on the opposite side to the dipstick.

Ron.
 
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