How To Make A Dipstick

[Guest The Modfather]

I have just posted this on the WANTED section as someone has stated that a zetec dipstick is £40 from Fords! However, I thought I'd post how to make your own dipstick here (maybe a sticky?) and hope that more of you will see it.

 

This can be done on ANY engine, but you must ensure that you have the correct amount of oil in the engine and that the engine is level to ensure the correct reading in order to set this accurately.

 

Here goes:

 

Ensure that the sump has the right amount of oil in it and that the car is level, or at least the engine is if it is slanted in anyway.

 

Get a suitable length of rod that is about 2-3mm thick, and put a small cable tie around the rod, and push the rod into the hole, and allow it to touch the bottom af the sump. Move the cable tie up the rod to where you want the end of the tube to be. Now measure the distance between where the tube sits in the engine and the cable tie.

 

Go and cut the tube to this length and fit it to the engine. Use a sealant for this to stop it coming out.

 

Now put the rod back in and it should hit the bottom of the sump as the cable tie touches the top of the tube.

 

Now lift the rod up about half inch and push the cable tie down to touch the top of the tube. The rod should now be off the sump floor. Pull the rod out, wipe it, and put it back. Take it back out and make a mark on the rod where the oil level is now. This is your MAX line. I'd suggest running a junior hacksaw around the rod just to put a small indentation that is visible. You can of course make a MIN line if you want.

 

Now you need to make a bung on the rod where the cable tie is. I'd use something like metal putty to ensure a good bond. Using as spare piece of the tube, push the rod with the fresh putty into this spare piece of tube, but pull it back out carefully, so that it creates like a T shape so that it can locate inside the engine tube. Allow to set, and dress it with a file to allow ease of removal.

 

If you want you can bend the end around something to make a finger pull.

 

Simples!

[fry61]

8mm or10mm microbore copper tube & spiral curtain wire allows for tube & dipstick to be set around obstructions.

[fry61]

Should of gone to Specsavers --- or read your wanted post first Daz.

[Dragstews]

I'm in need of making a custom dipstick for this motor ..

Got the tube pretty much where I wanted it ..

This is going in a lifted 4X4 ...

Thanks

[phaeton]

How is the dipstick going to get through the cylinder head & into the sump?

[IanS]

I think that the small bore pipe is for the dipstick.

The Large bore is oil fill.

[phaeton]

21 hours ago, IanS said:

I think that the small bore pipe is for the dipstick.

The Large bore is oil fill.

LOL that makes more sense