NEED HELP Stick Dipstick!

[l008com]

So today I tried to start my new habit of checking my engine oil level regularly. This is in place of my old method, which was "well, theres no oil on the ground where I park so I can't be loosing THAT much oil, i'll just wait till my next oil change"

I didn't get off to a great start. I could not remove the dipstick. I tried for a while, but no matter how hard I pulled, nada. I could only fit one finger in the loop at a time and I literally pulled as hard as I could, holding on with just one finger.

I'll have to use something to hook it and yank on it with two hands, but what's the best way to do this? I don't want to break the top off. I don't know if the top is metal or plastic, but googling returns lots of results from people whose dipstick handle is plastic and it gets broken off.

 

[Maverick6587]

Can you turn/spin the dipstick at all? I would try that first. If not, try to turn/spin it during any/all of the methods below. Try to spin/turn it before you try brute force pulling on it.

See if you can get a flat and very thin piece of metal/plastic into the dipstick tube, to loosen the rubber that is stuck in the tube (run the metal/plastic around the dipstick inside the tube). Otherwise, I think you should plan on getting a new/used dipstick from the parts store/junkyard.

You could also try and feed some oil into the dipstick tube as well. I would use engine oil or transmission fluid and only a small amount.

If you can't get it out with the above methods, I would drive the vehicle until it gets to operating temp and then try to turn/spin it. Or, use a small torch and heat up the dipstick tube at the very top for about 10-30 seconds (don't melt the rubber at the top of the dipstick).

 

[l008com]

How would I feed oil into the tube if the dipstick is stuck in there? I'm also not entirely sure where you are suggesting I put a screwdriver either?

 

[Maverick6587]

yeah, not an easy task for any of my suggestions really. They were just ideas. A very small and thin screwdriver would work if you have one.

Your best bet is to just get the engine to operating temp and try to turn the head of the dipstick by hand or with a small screwdriver/bar/tool. Be careful though, you could break the head of the dipstick off and then you'll have to get some needle nose pliers to get the metal part of the stick out.

Worst case scenario... I think there's a screw holding the dipstick tube onto the engine. I've never had to do that and I'm not sure if you would lose any oil if you removed the tube or not. I don't think so but, I'm honestly not sure.

Here's a video on the dipstick removal but, I'm not sure if that's a 5.3 on a trailblazer or not.

 

[Sparky]

My dipstick tube rusted halfway down and jammed up the stick once. New tube and was good to go. Easy to replace. Check your tube for rust if you cannot get it to budge. It should not get stuck like that.

 

[Reprise]

Yeah, that should come out easy. I think you might have Sparky's problem.

The stick won't move 360" in the tube, as the curvature of the tube prevents the flat metal stick from turning more than about 45" or so. You'll probably need to attack it from where the tube mounts to the pan (and I'd drain the oil beforehand, although I doubt it will reach the height of where the tube meets the oil pan)

The dipstick / tube assembly should be fairly easy to find for the 5.3L, although if you get one from a full-size pickup, it might be longer (the one in my 6.0L Sierra is about 30-40% longer)

 

[l008com]

So I eventually got the stick out and then it was very hard to get back in. My problem seems to be the O rings at the handle of the dip stick. Anyone know exactly what size they are so I can replace them?

Or, anyone know the part number for a dip stick on a 5.3 trailblazer? I've literally spent over an hour trying to google up a dip stick for my truck, but all I get is dip sticks for other vehicles. It's like "dip stick" is a phrase that somehow confuses google.

 

[Sparky]

Found this. Try looking that part up elsewhere for better pricing maybe as they have been terrible on shipping in the past.

 

[l008com]

12575957 does seem to be the part number. I'm making this reply for my own benefit, so I can search harder for it later

 

[Wooluf1952]

Sorry. Rockauto sent me to a Volvo site

 

[l008com]

Did you try Rockauto:

Engine Dipstick Oil Dipstick / Tube Parts | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

I did, but those appear to just be random dipsticks. When I search for dipsticks for my specific truck, all I get is the one for transmission fluid.

 

[l008com]

Geez, for $40+, I think I'm better off just trying to replace the O rings at the top of the stick and hopefully it will go in and out more normally (thats what she said).

Question, if I drive with no dip stick, is oil going to spray everywhere? I assume not since I've never removed a dip stick and had the whole thing covered with oil. Plus the hardware store is about a half a mile away, so its not like ill be on the highway or anything.

 

[Mooseman]

Maybe not but it will affect the PCV system introducing a vacuum leak. Might also get some oil mist or vapour.

 

[l008com]

Maybe not but it will affect the PCV system introducing a vacuum leak. Might also get some oil mist or vapour.

Guess I'm walking

 

[TollKeeper]

75 bucks from Amazon (includes tube)
35 from ebay

 

[Mooseman]

What about the one for full size trucks? It's longer but it might be cheaper due to its popularity.

 

[TollKeeper]

What about the one for full size trucks? It's longer but it might be cheaper due to its popularity.

Good call..
16 bucks for the tube
10 for the dipstick. The blocks the same. Just not sure about the depth of the oil pan, or if the 4wd cross will change how it reads.

 

[Mooseman]

I don't think it goes by pan depth. And in these trucks, they have higher capacity, probably because of the diff. I'll bet at-rest levels are the same.

 

[Mektek]

I think the rubber o-ring swells over the years, leading to the tight fit. Mine is quite tight, but not extremely difficult to remove. Just for fun, I might try to replace the O-ring today and see if it changes anything.

 

[l008com]

I'm back!
My truck is a few years older now and I really need to start checking the oil between changes. I thought i needed a new tube but reading this thread, it looks like I only need the dip stick itself. At this point, I feel like the old one is old enough that the plastic is probably more brittle now, enough so that I should just get a whole new one vs trying to replace those dip sticks.

I do get a burning oil smell after a long drive but it's not really bad, and there's never a puddle of oil under where I'm parked.

 

[l008com]

Ok it's time to finally get the new stick. Its about $41 shipped through rock auto. Any ideas on where I might get one cheaper than that?
I'm seeing $39 on ebay and $38 on amazon. For such a small discount, I'll just go with rock auto.

 

[flyboy2610]

Go to a salvage yard and get one. Try and find a metal tipped one instead of the plastic one.

 

[Mooseman]

Did you check for the full size truck version? Might be cheaper.

 

[fixit]

Ok, I have some suggestions for you. For getting things off, like rubber gaskets and 'O' rings, wrap a folded paper towel around the cap, tightly, so as to be in contact with the "seem" where the cap and tube meet. hold it in place with a couple of rubber bands or wire. Next, soak the paper towel with naphtha. You can get it Home Depot in the paint section as Varnish makers and painter's naphtha, (VM&P naphtha). You may need to go through the soaking process several times. It will dissolve 'oil varnish', that cooked on film that happens around hot oil. Be careful, though; naphtha is what 'grandad' would have called "white gas" and burned it in his pump-up Coleman lanterns. It is an excellent solvent for most gooey adhesives and it will not harm most plastics that I have ever used it on. Once you get the stick out of the tube, get yourself a tube of silicone grease; auto parts shops usually carry small tubes of it. Liberally coat the 'O" rings and neck of the cap with this silicone grease and maybe take a "Q" Tip and coat the inside of the tube where the 'O" rings have been sticking. That will prevent them from sticking again. Don't get so sloppy with it that lumps go down the tube. Silicon grease is unbelievably inert and it doesn't thin or run when hot. Hot oil won't dissolve it nor will any chemical that you are very likely to run into. If you do get a new dipstick coat the same surfaces to prevent this from happening again. You might have to renew the grease every year or two. This works. The hardest part is still going to be getting the old stick nu-stuck. fixit

 

[l008com]

Did you check for the full size truck version? Might be cheaper.

I did, and it is much cheaper. But I wasn't able to figure out if they are the same size.

 

[l008com]

Ok I got my brand new expensive one from rock auto. Hopefully I can get the old one out. But once I do and once I throw in the new one, how DO you read this exactly?

 

[Matt]

how DO you read this exactly?

Easy. Bottom hole/hash marks is low, top hole/hash marks is high, you want the level in the middle hole.

 

[Mooseman]

Basically keep it within the hash marks. Top hole I wouldn't call "high" but "full".



I'm surprised that in the 21st century we haven't come up with something better than 100 year old dipsticks. Like I can slap a battery operated Bluetooth sensor on the bottom of my propane tank that can tell me the exact level but we can't have one for something as vital as engine oil? The 4.2 did have a low oil level switch in the pan but only for the 2002 model year. It was REMOVED for the subsequent years. Damned bean counters! Hell, they've even been removing dipsticks!

 

[l008com]

What about hot vs cold, does that affect where i want to keep it?

 

[TequilaWarrior]

What about hot vs cold, does that affect where i want to keep it?

For engine oil, not enough to matter. If it's "low" cold, it's LOW. If it's "Full" ever, it's full.

 

[TequilaWarrior]

Basically keep it within the hash marks. Top hole I wouldn't call "high" but "full".



I'm surprised that in the 21st century we haven't come up with something better than 100 year old dipsticks. Like I can slap a battery operated Bluetooth sensor on the bottom of my propane tank that can tell me the exact level but we can't have one for something as vital as engine oil? The 4.2 did have a low oil level switch in the pan but only for the 2002 model year. It was REMOVED for the subsequent years. Damned bean counters! Hell, they've even been removing dipsticks!

Now THERE'S an idea.... an aftermarket bluetooth sensor you can install in the bottom of the pan that reads oil level... I have an ultrasonic wifi one that reads heating oil levels in my furnace's tanks... why can't we do similar via bluetooth and engine oil?

 

[Sparky]

Basically keep it within the hash marks. Top hole I wouldn't call "high" but "full".



I'm surprised that in the 21st century we haven't come up with something better than 100 year old dipsticks. Like I can slap a battery operated Bluetooth sensor on the bottom of my propane tank that can tell me the exact level but we can't have one for something as vital as engine oil? The 4.2 did have a low oil level switch in the pan but only for the 2002 model year. It was REMOVED for the subsequent years. Damned bean counters! Hell, they've even been removing dipsticks!

It works, it is cheap, and it is simple. I like electronics and gadgets and all but sometimes all that tech is the downfall of it all.

 

[l008com]

OK I've got a bit of a problem here.
I FINALLY got the old dip stick removed. The new one is the exact same length. But I cannot get the new one in all the way. Its like metal on metal and if I push any harder, it just bends the stick all out of shape. I removed it and double checked it against the old one and it's definitely the exact same length. What is going on here?

 

[TollKeeper]

I think your going to have to pull the dipstick tube.. It appears that maybe some of the old plastic dip stick is stuck in the bottom of the tube?

Thats the only thing that makes sense.

 

[l008com]

OK Update. I can't explain how but the newone is directional and I was able to force it in after rotating is 180°.

THEN I couldn't get the O rings into the tube. Not even close. I had to tap it with a hammer and scrap of wood. That worked and now the new stick is in there. BUT it's stuck and I can't remove it

 

[TollKeeper]

With the rust I see on the dipstick tube.. Im not surprised.

 

[l008com]

Ok so some info that might be useful. As discussed over and over above, I couldn't get the old dip stick out and because its just sort of floating out in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing to pry against to try to get it moving. So a few weeks ago, it suddenly occurred to me (I think I thought of it, I hope I'm not stealing credit for an idea above I read, forgot, then re-remembered again!) I can use a large heavy wrench or mallet, tie a rope around it and around the handle of the stick. Make the rope short enough that you won't hit the hood but long enough that you can get some movement. Them "hammer" against the rope. It took a long time but this actually worked and I was able to force the stick out this way!

As previously mentioned, I held the dip sticks next to each other and they are the exact same length and thickness. The only difference was the direction of the twist at the end.

HOWEVER looking at my pictures, it looks like the placement of the hashmarks/holes is a little different. So I might take the new one out again and double check.

And maybe removing the new one a few more times will help loosen it up.

Question: Where exactly is the oil filter? It is between the engine and the oil pan, or between the oil pan and the engine? In other words if little bits of rust do fall into my oil pan, are they going to go through the filter before they get sucked up into the engine?

 

[TJBaker57]

I would say 'best practices" would dictate removing the tube, #423 in this image, and cleaning it or replacing it.



If I were going to try cleaning it in place I would do so when I was going to be changing the engine oil anyway. I would do so when the engine and oil were fully warmed so things would drain quickly, hopefully taking with the oil much of whatever falls down the tube during the cleaning. I would flush the tube with either a light spray lubricant or maybe Marvel Mystery oil after cleaning the internal rusted top section with a round wire brush of an appropriate size.

As to the circuit of the engine oil it goes from the pan through the oil pickup tube screen (at the bottom of piece #406 above) then up the tube to the oil pump then onward to the filter and finally off to the oil galleries of the block. So any debris that might fall into the pan and oil during the dipstick tube cleaning would first get drawn into the pickup tube screen.

 

[Mooseman]

He has the V8.

The filter is located on the left rear of the engine on the oil pan.

Just pull the tube and get a new one. If it's NLA for this platform specifically, get the tube and dipstick for a 1500 pickup with the same engine. It's slightly longer but will work the same.

With the rust and the pulling and yanking, I wouldn't trust it.