How to Replace Broken oil dipstick tube • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **tkdieter440** » 19 Jun 2005 22:38

Have a 74 Challenger with a 1968 318 engine in it. Oil dipstick tube came out when I pulled the dipstick out. So I bought an aftermakert chrome one, I can't figure out how this goes in. The old one had a flange on it and the new one doesn't. Do I have the correct style tube or can someone please explain to me the corect way to install a oil dipstick tube. Thanks, Troy

by **dave-r** » 20 Jun 2005 7:38

It sounds to me like the chrome one if not very good. It is important that the tube is the correct length. Use a stock one.

by **tkdieter440** » 20 Jun 2005 18:32

Yes I agree 100% on that so I've purchesed a NOS one, waiting for it to get here. Is there or could there be a piece of the old tube broke off inside the block? If so, what is the best way to get it out? Troy

by **dave-r** » 20 Jun 2005 20:16

I doubt if you could snap a bit off without it either being easy to see or it ending up in the bottom of the sump. But if for some strange reason you did have a bit of tube stuck in there I would run a large screw into it to grip it and then pull it out.
Or you could drop the pan and knock it out from below/remove it from the sump.

Here are some photos of my (rather dirty) dipstick. I assume mine is correct!

by **tkdieter440** » 21 Jun 2005 19:59

Dave, thank you. I will wait until the new dipstick and tube arrive before trying to get the old one out. I will update with progress. Troy

by **Christer** » 23 Jun 2005 9:51

I have had similar problems myself. My idea is that headders often interfer with the dipstick tube routing. Any opinions?

(What I am saying is the a stock exhaust manifold is better in this respect.)

I bought a used dipstick set on a market some time ago. The seller had two different dipstick tubes for my engine. The thing is that the tubes differed from each other quite much. The seller claimed that no one can tell which dipstick tube a specific engine originally came with. I don´t know if that is true or not.

by **dave-r** » 23 Jun 2005 10:58

I find the stock tube and stick to be pretty fexible and will bend around headers OK.

No matter what kind of exhaust you have the handle gets bloody hot!

by **tkdieter440** » 04 Jul 2005 14:59

Well I gave up on trying to get the broken piece out and took the car over to my Mopar mechanic. This guys a Mopar nut, has several Mopar tatoos and even named his son Dodge R/T, quite the character. He got the broken piece out and installed the new, correct one, then while trying to bend it a little to get clearance by the alternator, it cracked and I ended up having to buy another one. Decided to fix some other things, like the tranny fill tube leaking as well as the pan, new belts all around, oil change, new alternator, new fuel line, new valve covers and gaskets and new dual exhaust pipes with Magnaflow mufflers, which I highly recommend, much better than Flowmax, that little 318 engine is sounding goooood and meannnnn.
Waiting for parts to come in to redo the interior which I am sure I will have some more questions on, but I will ask them under the Interior discussion thread. Troy

by **dave-r** » 04 Jul 2005 15:50

Glad you got there in the end.