During the course of our trip to Arkansas, I noticed that a bracket (near the top of the tube) which secures the engine oil dipstick to the engine had broken loose. This creates an unacceptable level of flex of the tube when removing and reinstalling the dipstick. Has anyone had to deal with this problem before?
"I noticed that a bracket ...had broken loose."
Can you secure it with a Nylon Tie Wrap?? ::)
"I noticed that a bracket ...had broken loose."
Can you secure it with a Nylon Tie Wrap?? ::)
Or a hose clamp?
If the weld broke, the dip-stick tube can be removed and repaired or replaced.
Larry
A hose clamp was my first thought. I tried one but couldn’t make it work. It’s real tough to do anything because it’s such tight quarters. I finally decided to remove the bracket that the dipstick had been spot welded to, drilled a hole in it for a ziptie, and was able to secure it with a couple ziptie’s. With the heat in the engine compartment, I don’t know how long it will last but I’ll keep an eye on it. You can see in the first photo where the spot welds broke.
I would use JB Weld, or find an old style shop to re-weld it for me.
Rich
Can you use a hose clamp in stead of the zip ties. I fear for their longevity. Same thing happened to my Suburban, I had it rewelded right in place.
Jon
find an old style shop to re-weld it for me.
Ultimately, welding is the best long-term solution.
Dip-stick tubes can be difficult to remove from the block, the zip ties should last several years.
Larry
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! After scraping both arms and cutting my hand, think I'm going to stick with this temporary fix for now, at least until I recover. Now where is that Neosporin . . . ;)
Hose Clamp!