Snapped Dipstick

Leeum

Leeum

Leeum

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Joined
19 Sep 2005
Posts
1,242
Hi,

Slight problem here... My dad was checking the oil on my mams Saxo 1.1 this morning and the plastic end which tells you how much oil is in the engine has snapped off the end of the dipstick. It's fallen down into the engine!

Any ideas what we can do? We haven't started the car yet for obvious reasons. Any help appreciated.
 
Plasic on the end of the dipstick to check the oil? :confused:

Ours only has a plastic handle and thats it :confused:

Are saxos really that plasticy
 
Yup, there's the plastic handle, the metal shaft and then a plastic bit on the end to measure the oil... that's the bit which has snapped off.
 
The only way I can think of to do it would be to take the sump off. I'm surprised there is plastic on the end too, I assumed you meant the actually metal section of the dipstick had fallen in. It's not a huge job really, about 10 bolts and then replace the liqued gaskett on it on TU engines I think.
 
Hum, going to be a mucky job to get that out. You'll have to drain the engine of oil and if you're lucky it might spew it out the drain hole. If not then take the sump off and fish it out yourself. If you're really lucky you'll be able to take the sump off with the engine in place.
 
How about trying a telescopic magnet and poking it down the tube? It might not have fallen all the way in.
 
milgo said:
How about trying a telescopic magnet and poking it down the tube? It might not have fallen all the way in.
Click to expand...
Its plastic ;) will it not just get caught by the oil filter?
 
Leeum said:
Yup, there's the plastic handle, the metal shaft and then a plastic bit on the end to measure the oil... that's the bit which has snapped off.
Click to expand...

:eek:

Cost cutting to the extreme :p
 
milgo said:
How about trying a telescopic magnet and poking it down the tube? It might not have fallen all the way in.
Click to expand...
Only going to work if this plastic bit still has some metal snapped off inside;). I'm pretty sure taking the sump off isn't an engine out job, but I've never had a proper look under a 106, ci_newman did it easily on a 306 though. As said, if oyur lucky it'll just pop out when you drain the oil.
 
Probably a silly question but is this thing safe to start and drive?

The plastic bit which has snapped off is roughly an inch and a half long, I'll get a picture of where it's snapped if it helps.

Cheers
 
And if it blocks the oil filter in the process?

My dipstick has a moulded plastic piece on the end as it makes it easier to tell where the min and max are that just having tiny marks on the metal.

No problem with having a plastic bit on the end providing the manufacturers actually attach it properly!
 
I think you'd get away with running it but I wouldn't risk it. There's a metal gauze over the oil pick up on the 1.4 TU so it couldn't suck it up or anything assuming the 1.1 is the same, and the oil level should be below the crank so it shouldn't get hit by anything. But I don't like the idea of runnning an engine with something floating around inside it.
 
Would be impressive to get stuck in oil filter. Has it has to go up the oil pick up pipe first.. And no plastic bit is gonna go up there :)
 
My dipstick broke off into the oil about 3 months ago, i just left it in there thinking it would not get past the oil filter. No problems here. :)
 
my guess is that it would just wedge itself in an oil way.

i know on the golf that the sumps are hard to get off cos of one of the studs being hidden away etc. if the saxo is an easy 6 bolt just, id just take the sump down
 
Matt82 said:
my guess is that it would just wedge itself in an oil way.
Click to expand...
how?
the oil only flows one way ie up into the head of the pickup pipe, and that has gauze over the end to stop any objects from entering the oil system.
 
from what i can remember of last time i had an engine stripped to the crank case, there were channels between the various segments of the shaft to flow oil, i can imagine finding the tail end of a dip stick in one of those.

i had the oil filter housing off mine the other day, the oil ways into the block were a lot smaller than i expected too, i therefore doubt it would get anywhere near the oil filter
 
The plastic part wouldnt reach the oil filter, it wont leave the sump, the oil pump has a small filter in itself, and no chances of it passing through that!
 
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