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replacement oil dip stick
- Thread starter prkaye
- Start date
Phil,
They are not necessarily standard: There are different dipstick part numbers. I recommend you contact Lyco, tell them which engine you have, and order direct from them. This is important because there's at least one AD out there regarding specific dipstick part numbers for certain engines (in this case, the IO-360M1B). Going direct should ensure you get the right part.
They are not necessarily standard: There are different dipstick part numbers. I recommend you contact Lyco, tell them which engine you have, and order direct from them. This is important because there's at least one AD out there regarding specific dipstick part numbers for certain engines (in this case, the IO-360M1B). Going direct should ensure you get the right part.
Here is what I did when I needed a longer dip stick due to filler tube extension. I bought a length of 1/4" alum rod, knocked out the pen in the oil cap that secured the old rod to the cap, inserted new rod in cap, screwed cap to tube, slid the new rod until it bottomed out, lifted up couple of inches, marked, cut to length and match drilled. Pro Sealed the rod to cap and inserted pin. I then poured in four quarts of oil, let drain down for a few minutes then inserted new dip stick in and using a 3-corner file lightly marked the oil level. Repeated procedure at 6 and 8 quarts. Using my genuine HF 1/8 stamping set, marked each file mark appropriately. Probably not the right way to do it, but what can I say, grew up on a ranch in OK, duct tape and binder twine. So far the only down side is I had to buy 10 4 foot lengths of the 6061 alum rod, so, needless to say, I have some left. Dan from Reno
Dipstick
All the four cylinder dipsticks I have seen have the end of the rod that goes in the cap machined down a few thousands. The pin is a standard roll pin. Be careful not to drill the hole oversize so the pin is a tight fit. The material is available from Aircraft Spruce by the foot. 6061 T6 is probably less affected by the stresses caused by the marking than the 2024 that some have recommended. Marking the stick for your airplane is the only way to go. The Lycoming dipstick is likely a waste of money as it is unlikely to be marked for YOUR airplane/engine.
All the four cylinder dipsticks I have seen have the end of the rod that goes in the cap machined down a few thousands. The pin is a standard roll pin. Be careful not to drill the hole oversize so the pin is a tight fit. The material is available from Aircraft Spruce by the foot. 6061 T6 is probably less affected by the stresses caused by the marking than the 2024 that some have recommended. Marking the stick for your airplane is the only way to go. The Lycoming dipstick is likely a waste of money as it is unlikely to be marked for YOUR airplane/engine.
wow
hmmm. I think I should look for a MacGyver solution like you have proposed. I just got a quote for a replacement dip stick... $122CAD! Absolutely crazy for what it is.
I wonder I could just have the pieces of the old rod welded together. I could solder it back together, but I would worry that the hot oil would melt the solder??
hmmm. I think I should look for a MacGyver solution like you have proposed. I just got a quote for a replacement dip stick... $122CAD! Absolutely crazy for what it is.
I wonder I could just have the pieces of the old rod welded together. I could solder it back together, but I would worry that the hot oil would melt the solder??
When your oil gets hot enough to melt solder, you will have plenty to worry about other than the dipstick. There are a few special low temp solders, don't get one of them. Silver solder would be good. You need a mechanical bond too, you can't just stick the ends together and expect solder to hold.
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another option?
Since the cap on my dip-stick is fine, I can still use it in flight. To measure the oil level, it occurs to me that for measuring oil level there's no reason I need an expensive dip-stick attached to the cap. Is there any reason I can't just take a suitably long piece of rod (say a hinge pin), bend it at the top to prevent it from falling into the filler tube, and just carrying it with me to measure oil level?
Since the cap on my dip-stick is fine, I can still use it in flight. To measure the oil level, it occurs to me that for measuring oil level there's no reason I need an expensive dip-stick attached to the cap. Is there any reason I can't just take a suitably long piece of rod (say a hinge pin), bend it at the top to prevent it from falling into the filler tube, and just carrying it with me to measure oil level?
Just out of curiosity, has anyone installed an electronic oil level sensor like cars have had for, oh, 60 or 70 years? 
Might be a lot more trouble than it's worth, but then again...my buddy found a dipstick lying in the middle of the taxiway (and run over, as the yellow cap was smashed), so forgetting to put the stick back in is not outside of the realm of possibility. How, I don't know, but people do all sorts of things...
Might be a lot more trouble than it's worth, but then again...my buddy found a dipstick lying in the middle of the taxiway (and run over, as the yellow cap was smashed), so forgetting to put the stick back in is not outside of the realm of possibility. How, I don't know, but people do all sorts of things...
No solder for aluminum. I have tried some supposed AL solder, but it doesn't work. They make AL welding rods for stick welders and I have used them successfully to weld a water tank for the water heater in my boat.
Welding should work in your case, but will look ugly, unless done by a guy with TIG.
Larry
another option?
Since the cap on my dip-stick is fine, I can still use it to seal the filler tube. To measure the oil level, perhaps there's no real reason I need an official dip-stick attached to the cap. Is there any reason I can't just take a suitably long piece of cheap metal rod, make a 90-degree bend at the top to prevent it from falling into the filler tube, and just carrying it with me to measure oil level?
Since the cap on my dip-stick is fine, I can still use it to seal the filler tube. To measure the oil level, perhaps there's no real reason I need an official dip-stick attached to the cap. Is there any reason I can't just take a suitably long piece of cheap metal rod, make a 90-degree bend at the top to prevent it from falling into the filler tube, and just carrying it with me to measure oil level?
The std stick is held parallel to the tube. A loose stick would give different readings at different angles, but the variance is probably only 1/4-1/2 quart. You would need establish a standard process to match the one used during calibration.
Larry
