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Right now I can see the broken tip very close to the dipstick hole, I also have some very thin needlenose pliers, but the dipstick is not aligned with the hole, and there is very little tip on the stick to grab with the pliers, plus the stick itself has an O ring that is very snug on the hole… doesnt look like an option.
I then tryied to take off the valve cover, took off all the nuts but the cover didmt come off, didn’t try to apply too much force, decided to call it a day at that point.
I did some googling, Ehow suggested I open the oil pan and let it drop. is it a good course of action? I’m open to opinions & suggestions
the car is a 2003 Suzuki
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If you magnetize a screw driver or other metallic object, may move it so you can grab it with the pliers, or pull it up?
Or, turn down a screw in the o-ring so you can pull it up. i think a new o ring is cheaper than changing the oil (as you need to do when dropping the pan)
But check if this oring can be bought first!I have NO idea if this is a stupid suggestion or not so please take it with a grain of salt.
Drain the oil and then attach an air hose to the drain threads and blow it out? Guess as long as you are down there might as well drop the pan and try to pull it out from the bottom.+1 on trying the magnet idea.
You can also purchase a magnet pickup tool that also may work and give you another option –
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/access … tifier=141
I would try a magnetic pickup, and if that fails then I would try to remove the dipstick tube. Usually dipstick tubes can be easily removed, and if you remove the whole dipstick tube then access to the remaining dipstick should be easy. If you can do it that way, you save yourself the effort of taking the pan off.
Quoted From spelunkerd:
I would try a magnetic pickup, and if that fails then I would try to remove the dipstick tube. Usually dipstick tubes can be easily removed, and if you remove the whole dipstick tube then access to the remaining dipstick should be easy. If you can do it that way, you save yourself the effort of taking the pan off.
Just an FYI this car does not have an external dip stick tube. the dip stick goes through the valve cover and down into the oil pan ( it is pretty much centered in the middle of the valve cover )
Ok , you said you removed the valve cover bolts but the cover would not come off. some times the gasket will stick pretty good. double check all the bolts are out , use a dead blow hammer ( plastic type with lead shot inside ) and tap around the edges off the cover to break the seal. if you don’t have a dead blow hammer you can use a ball peen hammer but don’t hit the cover directly( it is aluminum and a steel hammer might break it ) use a small piece of wood up against the cover and then tap against the block of wood ( also don’t pry under the cover with a screw driver or pry bar as this might damage the cover sealing surface and cause a leak ) once the valve cover is moved you should be able to get a hold of the dip stick.
I would try the magnetic idea first but if not just pull the oil pan and pull it out through the bottom. On some cars though this is easier said than done, plus you will need a new pan gasket but if the magnetic idear or what ever else you can cobble up doesn’t work it may be next step. Good Luck.
Are we talking about a normal metal dipstick?
Or the evil, stupid plastic ones?If you have an old radio laying about why not remove its antenna and magetize the tip and then just guide it down slowly.
http://www.itspot.com.au/telescopic-mag … ED+TH1877+
I got that for working on computers to pick up those screws that go rolling away from you, but it should still work.
As previously suggested, why not just pull the dipstick tube? There may be a nut or bolt holding it on, and if not, even better. Just wiggle the whole unit out once the nut/bolt is removed. Work it back and forth, and yank the whole assembly.
Hi Gillius,
A picture might help with more suggestions. I like HP’s and dreamer2355’s suggestion on a magnetic pick-up tool. Even if this does not work, the magnetic pick-up tool is great to have. It comes in handy in tight areas. Good luck and keep us posted.
If it fell into the hole doesn’t necessarily mean it’s just the stick. Could still be some plastic on top which would negate using a magnet. How about a shop vac with a reducer!?!? Oh this is so much fun.
When faced with that situation in the past I’ve sometimes taken a tool called an ‘easy out’ and used it to remove a broken part like that. Here is a link that might help better describe what I’m talking about.
http://www.amazon.com/piece-Easy-Screw- … B0002UJNWE
Thanks for all the awesome help! I didn’t imagine so many people will come forward to help, including ETCG himself!
Here is what happend at the end:
After posting here I retired to a peaceful holiday evening, I was 3 hours from home when I got a call that my house got broken into…
Woke up at 6 am and got on it. Oil pan was blocked completley by the exhaust , so that was ruled out. could not fish out the dipstick, so I ended up removing the valve cover. It was hard, but once it was off i got the dipstick out in 0.001 seconds.
After reassemblly I headed back home to fully secure my house. After reaching the house I realized my valve cover gasket was damaged and sprayed some oil. Went to dealership and got new dipstick+new valve cover gasket and replaced the gasket the next day, filled up missing oil as needed, car was still dripping oil right after the repair but now after a couple of days it has stopped!
Problem solved (I hope!) As for my house, the theifs broke through the front door, tripped the alarm, they left within 2 mins, grabbed only some old flatscreen comp monitor, thats it, they didn’t mess up my house..
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