[DeTomaso] Dipstick length

[Christopher Kimball]

Well, I finally got a chance to re-measure my dipstick, and from the tip to the beginning of the cup opening, it's 38 1/2".  I have no yellow paint on the dipstick handle, so I'm assuming it's the stock one, unmodified.

>From reading the other posts, it appears the correct length should be exactly 38" which means I must have been running a little low on oil in the past.  If I increase the "S" shaped bends up near the cup, I think I can get the length to the proper 38" but before I do I just want to double check with y'all to make sure that's the right thing to do.

Comments?  Confirmations?

Thanks,

Chris 
#3846

> From: tipo874 at comcast.net
> To: MikeLDrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:07:18 -0500
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Dipstick length
> 
> The TSB indicates the production correction went into effect 12-18-72
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
> Behalf Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 7:54 AM
> To: msm at portata.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Dipstick length
> 
> 
> In a message dated 10/21/07 9:15:30 PM, msm at portata.com writes:
> 
> 
> > You'd think after all these years of messages on the forum that I would 
> > have
> > measured my stick, but ...
> > 
> > Anyway, I just did and found that it measures 39" from tip to the opening
> of
> > the cup, so...
> > 
> >>>Yup, yours is a 1971 car, which should have been modified (but evidently 
> wasn't).
> > 
> > 1) How do I tell if I have an original tube?
> > 
> >>>That I can't tell you, except to say that if you didn't change it, it's 
> probably original.
> > 
> > 2) Where do I cut the stick, and how do I re-attach? 
> > 
> >>>The procedure is outlined in TSB #5, article 34, complete with a nice 
> drawing.   The dipstick consists of the handle, the stop, a straight-ish
> flat bit, 
> then a long coiled spring, and finally another straight flat bit with the 
> marks on it.  The TSB says that you cut the dipstick where the first
> straight-ish 
> flat bit joins the coiled spring (near the handle, in other words), then 
> shorten the coiled spring as necessary, and braze the handle back to the
> coiled 
> spring to achieve the requisite 38 inches from tip to stop.
> > 
> > 3) Do I need a Rabbi?  (Just throwing Larry a bone.  He's had a hard day.)
> > 
> >>>HAHAHAHA!!!
> 
> Jim--it sounds like you've been driving around with your crankshaft bathed
> in 
> oil.   Changing oil pans did NOT raise your crankshaft up, and thus you 
> shouldn't have re-marked your dipstick.   Drain a bit of oil out until the
> level 
> reads FULL on your dipstick (again, provided that you have the proper
> 38-inch 
> length) and you're good.
> 
> Oh, and if it isn't already obvious, another alternative to shortening a 
> too-long dipstick to 38 inches in length, is to compare the total length of
> your 
> existing dipstick (39 inches in Mark's example) with the ideal, then re-mark
> 
> the full mark on the dipstick as Jim has done (perhaps incorrectly).
> 
> So, Mark, you can either shorten your dipstick, or make a new "FULL" mark
> one 
> inch higher than the existing one, if there is adequate room.   (On my 
> 38-inch dipstick, which was confusingly repainted black, there is plenty of
> room 
> left to remark it).
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> 
> 
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