[DeTomaso] Dip Stick Tube Leak Solutions??

[Asa Jay Laughton]

Scott,

At this point, I would strongly encourage you to contact a deTomaso 
vendor and get yourself a new dipstick tube and be done with it.  Stop 
the speculation and Murphy fixes, do the right thing and get the right 
tube.  Just be aware you will have to trim the end of the tube (where 
the handle normally sits) to the correct length.

Asa Jay

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired

& Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA

1973 Pantera L 5533
[ASASCAT]
    
******************************     
http://www.asajay.com
http://www.351c.info
  



Scott Couchman wrote:
> Larry, Thanks for your research on this. Based on your description, I'm wondering if I have a broken dipstick tube? (Am I the last one on this forum to come to this conclusion??) My tube does not have a flange to seat onto the top of the block and the second bracket that bolts to the head is missing. It is like the tube was damaged somehow right at the point it entered the block and someone cut off the remnants of the flange and the head support bracket so they could at least insert 1/2" into the block. One of the surprises during my recent engine rebuild was that this is a 2bolt main block, so obviously not original. That means someone had to transfer the dipstick tube from the old block to this new block, and it now appears they may have lacked the necessary skills to do that.
> Besides not protecting the dipstick inside the block, this makes for a marginal dip stick tube retention and if as I now suspect, the dipstick inserts 1/2" further into the block, it makes the oil level appear to be higher than actual. With the Armando oil pan that was installed with the recent engine rebuild that is a 10qt that is really a 9qt or whatever and since I'm planning to install an oil cooler with that additional capacity, I should have no clue how much oil is 'full'???? The plot thickens! Scott
>
> fresnofinches at aol.com wrote:   Exactly, Scott.
>  
>  Do you think that tube, even at just 1/2 inch long, is getting blown out of the block hole by crankcase pressure?  Perhaps, but I'm kind off doubting it.
>  
>  It is a really tight stock press fit into the block, and they are not easy to pull out.  I just went out and measured the Cleveland block I have outside in the shed (it has no tube) - the block shaft for the tube is less than 2 inches long -  yet Ford made that tube just shy of ten inches long below the o-ring position.  That means the stock tube supported about eight inches of dipstick that would otherwise be unrestrained inside the block/pan, and there is more stick below the bottom of the tube.  From the measurements I took I think you have about 10-11 inches of unsupported dipstick below the bottom of the block shaft.  IF it goes in perfectly straight, then no problem.  But.....
>  
>  If you see no movement with crank rotation, (and I'm hoping you don't) then the flaring suggestion seems a good start.  I'd probably approach that task with a center punch or drift that has a tapered, round shaft leading into the standard square shank.
>  
>  By the way, the tube for the Pantera is unique for the Pantera, and thus pretty $carce.   Sorry.
>  
>  Good luck.
>  
>  Larry
>  
>    
>  
>    
>  
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: Scott Couchman <scottcouchman at yahoo.com>
>  To: fresnofinches at aol.com; Pantera Forum <detomaso at realbig.com>
>  Sent: Sat, 5 Jan 2008 6:40 pm
>  Subject: [DeTomaso] Dip Stick Tube Leak Solutions??
>  
>          
>
>  Before replacing the firewall cover, you might want to pull the coil wire and crank the engine while watching what happens.
>  
>  Larry, are you suggesting watching the dipstick to see if it moves???
>  Scott
>  
>          
>  
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