Oil dipstick won’t go

O

ooddie

New Member
Hi All,

Was going for a bit of a general check over today. When checking the oil in my 1.4 petrol upon pulling out the dipstick it had lost its end however then on trying to re-insert the dipstick into the tube the dipstick won’t go all the way back in. I assume the end that fell off has somehow got lodged in the bottom of the pipe and is thus stopping the dipstick going back in.

I am not worried about the loss of and end as it seems the consensus is it will end up in the sump and cause no problems. However what is of more concern is that now the dipstick won’t go back in this presumably leaves the tube open to things ending up in the oil that shouldn’t be now the two O rings on the cap are no longer seating.

I have taken the dipstick out and covered the hole with a piece of tape and was planning on not driving until problem was resolved. Is this a overcautious approach? I would be grateful for a consensus.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to how best the end of the dipstick should be removed from the tube, whether this be by removing the tube and presumably the oil at the same time?

Happy Christmas all

Ollie, (an inexperienced a2 owner)
 
ooddie said:
Hi All,

Was going for a bit of a general check over today. When checking the oil in my 1.4 petrol upon pulling out the dipstick it had lost its end however then on trying to re-insert the dipstick into the tube the dipstick won’t go all the way back in. I assume the end that fell off has somehow got lodged in the bottom of the pipe and is thus stopping the dipstick going back in.

I am not worried about the loss of and end as it seems the consensus is it will end up in the sump and cause no problems. However what is of more concern is that now the dipstick won’t go back in this presumably leaves the tube open to things ending up in the oil that shouldn’t be now the two O rings on the cap are no longer seating.

I have taken the dipstick out and covered the hole with a piece of tape and was planning on not driving until problem was resolved. Is this a overcautious approach? I would be grateful for a consensus.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to how best the end of the dipstick should be removed from the tube, whether this be by removing the tube and presumably the oil at the same time?

Happy Christmas all

Ollie, (an inexperienced a2 owner)
Click to expand...
I'm no expert in dip sticks, but as it's no longer any use, chop a bit more off the bottom, so it'll fit, and seal the dip tube.
Best wait for other opinions before getting the hacksaw out though! Merry Christmas.
Mac.
 
I don't think the normal oil level in the engine is above the hole where the bottom of the tube joins, or certainly not by much. If you can get the front of the car up on ramps, I should think the oil level at the front of the engine would be beneath the hole. Then you could take the tube off and have a look without having to drop the oil.

Regarding Mac's suggestion above, you can get 3D-printed dipstick ends from @depronman on here - which replace the remains of the broken end on your current dipstick. Otherwise it's new dipstick time, which is a lot more expensive. Many engines don't have that level of sealing on the dipstick. If you're worried about moisture and crap from outside getting into the oil, you could bung up the end of the tube with blu-tack.
 
The lack of a proper seal on the top of the dipstick will generate 'Vacuum leak detected' from the ECU and possibly rough running.

Remove the dipstick guide tube and clear the obstruction, I think there is not much holding it in place.

Andy
 
Proghound said:
I don't think the normal oil level in the engine is above the hole where the bottom of the tube joins, or certainly not by much. If you can get the front of the car up on ramps, I should think the oil level at the front of the engine would be beneath the hole. Then you could take the tube off and have a look without having to drop the oil.

Regarding Mac's suggestion above, you can get 3D-printed dipstick ends from @depronman on here - which replace the remains of the broken end on your current dipstick. Otherwise it's new dipstick time, which is a lot more expensive. Many engines don't have that level of sealing on the dipstick. If you're worried about moisture and crap from outside getting into the oil, you could bung up the end of the tube with blu-tack.
Click to expand...
How does the dip tube fit? Is it a push fit, or is there a fixing?
Mac.
 
Andrew said:
The lack of a proper seal on the top of the dipstick will generate 'Vacuum leak detected' from the ECU and possibly rough running.

Remove the dipstick guide tube and clear the obstruction, I think there is not much holding it in place.

Andy
Click to expand...
Superb, thanks. Warnings are always much more manageable when you know what the problem is at least

Cheers
 
Have you tried rotating the dipstick slightly as it is inserted as some are fussy about how they route into the sump.
 
audifan said:
Have you tried rotating the dipstick slightly as it is inserted as some are fussy about how they route into the sump.
Click to expand...
No luck there unfortunately despite a fair amount of wiggling, turning and persuasion. Should hopefully have it fixed today with any luck
 
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