No, the thread title isn't a reference to Lorena Bobbitt. It is, unfortunately, about my '89 F250 with 7.3 diesel IDI.

Filling up at the diesel pump last night, I opened the hood and pulled the dipstick to check the oil. What the !@#$%!!? The dipstick was only a foot long. On closer examination, I realized that the upper end of the dipstick is a metal tube that was crimped around the flat rod that extends down into the oil pan. The flat rod is now broken off flush with the bottom of the tubular upper end.

Whether the flat rod is still lodged in the dipstick housing tube, or has slid farther down into the oil pan, I don't know. I did drive the truck home, and nothing horrible seems to have happened... yet.

Anybody have any suggestions for how to fish the broken off dipstick out of the housing tube? Is there an easy way to remove and reinstall the housing tube? Or will I have to bite the bullet and remove the oil pan? Grump, grump.

 

Try a telescopic magnet. One of the small ones with a thin rod.

 

I don't remember but doesn't the oil tube bolt into the side of the block with an o-ring on the end of the tube?? I though you can remove the tube, grab the broken stick and bolt it back in?

 

tube has an retainer bolt, remove and pull tube, broken piece will come out with it.

 

That's what I did, thanks. Getting the tube out was pretty straightforward, and the broken dipstick came out of the tube easily. Reinstalling the tube was a pain in the kazoo, though. Hard to see where the tube fit between the block and the exhaust pipe, and hard to see and reach the mounting hole up behind the starter, and the stretched out rubber gasket kept falling off the tube and getting lost.

 

I bought a new "universal" dipstick from the local parts store for about $11. Got home and discovered it is shorter than the original. I remanufactured it somewhat: pulled the plastic sheath off the curved handle, straightened it out, cobbled an extension handle out of a heavy gauge wire fastened on with a cable clamp. Works, sorta, but has a tendency to catch on something when inserting. I'm tempted to re-use the original dipstick, which I brazed back together, but I don't really trust it not to break off again.