Help Please.. I Have Dipstick Damage Possibly From Crank Yb Coswort

[Guest PaulKeen]

I have recently purchased a Robin Hood fitted with a YB Cosworth engine. As I purchased through a classic car auction the car came with absolutely no literature..

The dipstick was found lying descreetly on the passenger floor and a 4 long rubber tube with a brass plug that had 1/16th hole drilled through it ( like a breather) was fitted over the dipstick tube...

I gave the car an oil change and checked the oil level with the dipstick before I started the car. However after starting the car briefly and leaving it to sit for a bit I tried to remove the dipstick to recheck the level to find the end of the ( coiled wire type) was mangled with the level indicator section missing. Im at a loss to what possibly happened.

I would be greatly appreciate any advice.

Ill be spending tomorrow removing to sump to inspect for any damage.

Thanks in advance Regards Paul

[nelmo]

No idea how it works on that engine but i doubt the dipstick will be able to damage the crank.

 

I recently had the sump off my Zetec and the dipstick does run quite close to the crank but i know who would lose out if the 2 came into contact. The only vaguely delicate parts of the crank are the journals and they're well covered by the bearings, so i wouldn't be worried.

[MarkBzero]

Drop the oil first and check magnetic sump plug. I suspect it will be OK.

Edited September 28, 2018 by MarkBzero

[Guest PaulKeen]

Thank you for the replies Nelmo and Mark.

My fingers are crossed that missing piece of dipstick flows out when I remove the sump plug..

[Guest PaulKeen]

The results are in... after dropping the oil I could see a piece of dipstick in the sump of which I fished out, then came its other halve and THEN I fished out a second bent and complete dipstick end.... Now its time for fresh oil and filter and take her for a cruise

[Bob Tucker]

Hold on.....are you saying you have found 2 broken dipsticks?

That suggests that the end of the dipstick is being diverted towards the crank,

then getting broken off.

Is there a baffle in the sump?

Some Vauxhall redtops have trouble where the dipstick doesnt line up with the hole in

the horizontal baffle plate. It then could end up anywhere, giving a false oil level reading

and getting chopped off.

I can think of 2 options.

1. to fit a removable stopper to the dip stick tube & only use the dipstick when you want to check the oil.

2. drop the sump & see exactly what is going on.

HTH Bob

[Guest PaulKeen]

Good evening Bob. I have been thinking along the same line as your Option 1: Having a dipstick tube cover and only use a dipstick in a stationary engine situation .

 

Its currently running on a modest 10psi boost but after some research I found that it is running upgraded dark green Bosch 803 injectors and a 3 bar map sensor. So when I get a chance its off to my favourite rolling road tune guy with 30 years experience to up the boost to achieve approximately 330bhp....

[fry61]

Just make sure there's a straight road ahead & no 'roos when the pedal hits the firewall.

[Guest PaulKeen]

Roger.. Will do!!!

BTW.. just saying that I drive 80,000km a year of Australian Outback roads for my day job

[tractor]

Some aftermarket zetec sumps have problems with dipstck hitting the baffles or some people call it the windage tray but basically the hole through it is to small and slightly not in the Wright place so on my sump I made the hole bigger so dipstck now passes through it rather than pushed towards the crank

[Guest PaulKeen]

Hi Tractor. Thank you for your input I hope that I dont stumble upon any more grief with my Robin Hood.

[MarkBzero]

I had the same as tractor but with the ATR blacktop sump, broke two dipsticks before drilling a bigger hole.

[Bob Tucker]

The SBD sump even has the dipstick hole drilled on the wrong side!!!!!