tuxedo

When I have checked my oil lately I notice the dipstick tube is a little loose. Well I finally figured out that it has finally broken off right where it goes into the engine block. I bought a new tube for the replacement and I take the plug shielding off to get to that area in the hopes of being able to pull the portion of the tube remaining in the block out. Well although the tube lip is sticking out around a 1/32 I can't pull it out. Have tried liquid wrench, needle nose pliers and also wedging a screw driver under neath that lip as best I can. All to no avail. As you know that space down there is very tight and is compounded by the fact that my battery is on the drivers side and I also have power brakes. So getting any other tools down there at the engine block level is next to impossible. Have thought about coming up underneath the car by the battery, but I don't know if that will work any better. Let alone if I will be able to see the area from that angle anyway. Basically I gave up tonight because I want to drive the car tomorrow and over the weekend. This 15 minute job looks like an afternoon project or more now. I have already started my winter get it done list and this project may go on it. In any case anybody have this problem or got any ideas on how to pull that inch of tube out of the engine block in such a tight area. Any special tools for something like this. Even if I could grind it out I wouldn't because of the shavings getting into the oil. Even thought about a little JB weld (forgive me) on the end of the tube where it sheared off but that scares with the tight area and hole going into the engine pan. Please give me some ideas for this simple pain in the rear problem. Do I just live with it this way with the dipstick keeping it attached to the block and rattling around a little? THX :confused:

Plasticman

Try threading a large "Lag" bolt (Hardware store will have them for use in wood and they have a hex head for easy installation/removal) into the tube and then you will have a "head" that you can pull or hammer on to pop the old one out. Just get a size that threads into the tube with a "some" bite so it creates it's own threads (like a sheet metal screw). Don't wimp out with too light a bite, since that will probably pop out without the tube (leaving some metal shaving along the way), and thread the bolt in at least an inch (the more threads the better). But you don't want too big a bite either (one that will really press the threads and tube tightly into the block (making it impossible to remove). Also, get a length that makes it easy to get at the head. Add some grease to the bolt threads before screwing it in. This should minimize any metal slivers from entering the engine that may be created in the bolt cutting the threads.

Note that driving in the new tube is not as easy as it looks. There is a "special" tool used to surrround the dipstick tube flared lip (area that seats against the block) and press the tube down into the bore. This tube can be fabricated from a piece of 8-10" long pipe or tubing, and then a saw cut is made (on the side) so that the pipe/tube can slip over the dipstick tube (with the dipstick tube sticking out of the saw cut on the side of the pipe/tube) and allows you to "beat" on the end of the pipe/tube so that the dipstick tube lip is down flat against the block surface. A little sealer or locktite applied to the dipstick tube won't hurt the installation!

Good luck,
Plasticman


[Modified by Plasticman, 11:24 PM 7/24/2003]

waynec

The JB Weld may be a good thought... if you could clean & dry the inside of the piece of dipstick tube still in the block, then you could insert the (pre-roughened) end of a long steel rod that would fit snugly into it, coated with just a thin coat of JB Weld, let it dry in place, then pull the rod (and tube stub) out. If you threaded the other end of the rod ahead of time, you could use a couple of heavy washers and a nut in conjunction with something heavy with a hole in it to use as a slide ram (similar to a hub puller) to ease the job.

There may be bearing race pullers that would do the trick, too, but working space might be too tight to use one.

If all else fails, I guess you could pull the pan and drive it out from the bottom side.

west66

I think my fix is a whole lot simpler and safer than the previous two. Take an old wire hanger and straighten it out. Take those needle nose pliers and bend about 1/2 inch from the end of the hanger all the way back ( kind of like a fish hook only tighter do you can fit it through the hole. stick it in, hook the bottom of the tube and yank it out. Should be simple.

andy60

Can you take the oil pan off and tap it out from the inside?

stouro

Hey Tuxedo,
Try the coathanger hook as described by West66, But after inserting the hook into the broken dipstick tube, take a center punch to the edge of the
portion broken off in the block and tap it inward to crush the broken portion of tube in on itself and around the hook. This should give you a surface that
the hook can grab and allow you to pull the broken tube out of the block.
Good Luck!
Take Care,
Shawn :chevy

Matt Gruber

Lots of great ideas already.
Since my 61 does not use a tube, if the tube in my 72 broke off i would just use a short dipstick until the next time the engine is out.
yes i am lazy sometimes :lol:

MassVette

Take an ice pick or awl and drive it between the tube wall and the block. Then use a needle nose to remove.
my 2c.
:yesnod:

tuxedo

West 66, I had been thinking of that idea also ,but it scares me that once I insert that hanger into the hole. If it doesn't pull the tube out I now have a hanger that I cannot get out of the hole. Any thoughts on this? That tube seems very happy in that block and calls it home and does not want to leave. I am wondering if when Mr. Hanger comes a calling he will get in but won't be able to leave with the tube he will then be a resident of that block also. I don't want to get stuck where I have to drop the pan for such a minor pain in the a_ _ problem. What happens if the hanger trick doesn't pull the tube out and then I got the hanger sticking out of the hole? I am fearful this could become a nightmare project. Also I can't get a swing with anything down there to get the momentum going to drive anything between the block and the tube. That 32nd lip covers the outer edge of the hole and I can't get a little screwdriver underneathe it to pry it up. I am wondering also if when that thing was installed years ago if they used some locktite on it per plasticman's thoughts. Whoa is me. :smash:


[Modified by tuxedo, 11:30 AM 7/25/2003]

richscorvettes

Had the same thing happen many years ago to our camper. As MassVette suggested I used an awl between the tube and the block to get something to grab onto and pulled it out with needle nose pliers. As I recall I changed the oil and filter after that just to make sure that any particles that might have fallen in the crankcase were removed. I believe that I used a small flare nut wrench on the collar to help drive the new dip stick tube home. Good luck with the removal.

Rich Lagasse

busfran

If all else fails, drop the pan, and punch out. Put the new tube in freezer overnight and then install. I slipped a brake line wrench over the tube, down to just above the ridge over that portion that goes into the block and tapped on it with a hammer. It worked for me.

GaryC

How about using an easy-out. When I use these to remove broken bolts, I notice how strongly they grab the inside of the bolt after I drill a small hole inside the bolt. Easy-outs are tappered so you may be able to press fit the right size into the tube and then twist it CCW a little. I think that the main thing you need to do is break it lose. Note: Don't use one that is just a little bigger than the hole because I would hate for it to drop into the oil pan.

Just a thought.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

GaryC

west66

Dude. The coat hanger will come out. The worst thing that will happen is you will straighten out the hook on the way out. Its gonna take a decent pull but there is no way it is going to get stuck in there, I would also be very surprised if this does not solve your problem. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of small blocks layin around now, I'll try it myself tomorrow and let you know if it works. I read the suggestion about using an easy out, DO NOT DO THIS. Easy outs are great for removinbg bolts and such but using one on a component as thin walled as a dip stick tube will only wedge it in worse than it already is. The JB weld will never hold because A: Surfuce will always be too oily and B: The leverage on that poiunt will be quite significant. And you dont want to chance any of that stuff going down the tube. Anyway, the worse thing thats gonna happen with the hanger is it dont work.

tangel

This exact problem happened on my Jeep CJ-7 (daily driver) about 3 months ago. First time I tried using the awl to push it in and grab with the needle nose pliers, but it just wouldn't come out. So I pushed it back and just put a small bolt in it to plug the hole. Im gonna fix it when I get back from this patrol by trying the awl and pliers again, then resorting to a screw extractor. If that doesn't work I plan on just dropping the pan and punching it out. I feel that pretty much any method you use will create metal shavings, so an oil change is cheap insurance. Good Luck!

magicv8

I like Matt Gruber's idea of using a shorter dip stick. But if it's a TQ - that's not gonna look "correct".:lolg:

When you get it out (if I don't offend your sensibilities) I have an aluminum strap between two exhaust manifold bolts that holds the tube with a small U bolt. The tube will not go anywhere. :cool:

John McGraw

I agree with Rich and Massvette! If you collapse the tube into itself with an awl the tube will loosen and come right out with a pair of needle-nosed pliers.
I have had to perform this operation before and it is an easy fix. It will cause no metal shavings as well. As for the installation of the new tube, you can take a piece of 3/8" iron pipe and cut half of it away lengthwise for about 3 inches, and you will have a nice mandrel that wraps halfway around the tube and will drive it in with no problem.
Regards, John McGraw



[Modified by John McGraw, 9:15 PM 7/25/2003]

tuxedo

This weekend the infamous dipstick pull begins. :smash: