Monitoring how much oil is in your car engine is an important part of your vehicle maintenance that needs to be performed regularly. Driving your car when it is low on oil can lead to serious issues and engine damage.
If your car is very low on oil, the engine may overheat and you could find yourself broken down thanks to a complete engine meltdown! Keeping on top of your car’s oil levels is essential and the task is made quick and easy by using a dipstick.
However, how do you remove a stuck oil dipstick tube? Don’t panic, keep reading this article because we have all the answers you need.
To help drivers stay on top of their engine oil levels, car manufacturers install a dipstick under the hood of most vehicles. There are modern cars that do not have an oil dipstick and instead use digital oil monitoring systems.
However, the majority of vehicles will have a metal dipstick tool that can be found in a tube next to the engine block.
The oil dipstick tube keeps the dipstick in place and is also used to check the engine oil levels. The dipstick tube is hollow and leads to the oil sump in the engine, you just need to push the dipstick firmly down to correctly check the engine oil levels.
Sometimes when trying to check the engine oil, you may discover the dipstick has got stuck in the tube. This is an annoyance but is actually quite common. Here are some of the main causes of a dipstick getting stuck in the tube:
As you can see, there are many reasons why your car’s dipstick may have got stuck in the tube. Don’t panic, you can remove the dipstick from the tube. Keep reading this article for our step-by-step guide on how to remove a stuck oil dipstick from the tube.
Before we share instructions on how to fix a stuck oil dipstick, let’s delve a little deeper into the reasons why your dipstick got stuck in the first place.
Engine oil plays a vital role in the function of your vehicle. Oil is used to lubricate all of the moving parts inside your car engine. There are several metal components that move together at speed when the car engine is running, oil helps these parts to move smoothly and prevents additional heat building from the friction.
Over time the viscosity of the oil changes and this is why you need to keep up to date with your service maintenance and oil changes. If the oil is left inside your engine for too long, it can form into more of a sludge consistency and this can build up, causing problems inside your engine and for your dipstick.
The sludge can also build up inside the oil sump of the engine and may even start to clog up the base of the dipstick tube and around the dipstick. If you are neglecting your engine oil maintenance, don’t be surprised if one day you go to check the oil level and your dipstick is stuck in place.
The oil dipstick is made from a strong metal in order to withstand the heat and vibrations of the car engine. However, if the dipstick in your car is one you bought for cheap online or a knock-off brand replica, it will unlikely be made of the same sturdy material as the car manufacturers use.
Engine vibrations can cause the cheap poor quality metal to snap, causing your dipstick to come away from the handle and get stuck inside the tube. If the handle is fastened to the metal rod with flimsy bolts or screws, it may come off when you try to pull the dipstick back out of the engine oil sump.
Low engine oil can create a hot engine which in turn can cause your dipstick to get stuck in the tube. An engine can overheat for many reasons but one of the most common causes is low or poor quality engine oil.
As the dipstick oil tube is welded to the engine when an engine starts to reach temperatures that are too high it can damage parts inside the dipstick tube. At high temperatures, the ‘o’ rings inside the dipstick tube can melt.
These fastenings are used as gaskets to keep the dipstick handle in place, if they melt they may fuse to the sides of the tube. If the ‘o’ rings melt, you will find it extremely difficult to pull out the dipstick as it will undoubtedly have fused to the melted parts inside the tube.
As you can see, engine oil maintenance is essential. Not only can old oil cause your engine to overheat, but it can also lead to damage to the dipstick tube and the metal dipstick rod getting stuck.
Has this happened to you, are you wondering how to remove a stuck oil dipstick from the tube? Keep reading as we can help you solve this problem in just a few steps.
If you are trying to remove a stuck dipstick, the simplicity of the process will vary from car to car. There are 4 factors to consider before deciding which removal method is best suited for your situation:
Removing a stuck dipstick by hand isn’t always easy, especially if it has snapped or is firmly trapped inside built-up sludge and debris. You will likely need a few essential tools to help you get the job done, including:
There are four different methods you can use to try and remove the stuck dipstick. Which method you choose will depend on how stuck the dipstick is and the extent of the damage that has occurred.
If your dipstick hasn’t snapped and has just got trapped inside the tube, you may be able to easily remove it by following the steps below.
Step 1 – Gently wiggly the dipstick handle. Try to move the dipstick around and build up some heat inside the tube.
Step 2 – Keep moving the dipstick carefully in all directions until it begins to dislodge itself from the side of the tube.
Step 3 – Once the dipstick has moved slightly away from the inside of the tube if you still can not pull it out you will now need to add lubrication.
Step 4 – Using a lubricating oil designed for car engines, spray the cavity you have created between the dipstick and the side of the tube.
Step 5 – Once you have sprayed the lubricating oil, you should notice any melted ‘o’ rings or debris move away and you can then carefully slide the dipstick back out.
Step 6 – If the ‘o’ ring gaskets were damaged or melted, replace them with manufacturer-quality parts before reinserting your dipstick into the tube.
Sometimes, the best approach to removing a stuck dipstick is to deal with the problem from the bottom side up. Put simply, pushing from the bottom of the dipstick tube can be more effective than trying to pull the dipstick out of the top, especially if the rod has snapped off the handle.
Step 1 – Using a jack, lift your vehicle up so you can easily access underneath the engine.
Step 2 – Locate the engine oil sump and place a large bucket beneath the plug.
Step 3 – Remove the oil plug and allow any oil and sludge to drain from the car into the large bucket below.
Step 4 – Once all of the oil, debris, and sludge has emptied out, you will now be able to access the dipstick tube by removing the oil pan. You should easily be able to see the tip of the dipstick that is stuck in the tube.
Step 5 – Using a rubber mallet, tap the end of the exposed dipstick to try and shift it back up the tube. A rubber mallet will help to reduce any damage you may cause to your engine during this process.
Step 6 – Keep tapping the bottom of the dipstick with the mallet until it moves further up into the tube.
Step 7 – Now, come out from underneath your vehicle and locate the dipstick tube under the hood. You should notice the dipstick is now easier to pull out the top of the tube.
Step 8 – Using pliers, pull the dipstick out of the tube. It will likely be damaged and unusable. If this is the case, you will need to replace the dipstick with a new one that meets the same quality standards used by the manufacturer.
If the handle has broken off the dipstick, the top of the metal rod will be exposed. In these circumstances, using a magnet may be the easiest way to pull the dipstick out.
Step 1 – If the handle has snapped off, discard it and look inside the tube to try and locate the metal dipstick.
Step 2 – If you cannot easily reach or pull the dipstick out, carefully insert a telescopic magnet into the dipstick tube.
Step 3 – Move the magnet into the tube until you feel or hear contact has been made with the metal rod.
Step 4 – Slowly and carefully pull the dipstick out using the telescopic magnet.
Step 5 – Once you have removed the dipstick from the tube you will need to replace it with a high-quality dipstick. Handles can easily snap off cheap knock-off dipsticks, always opt for high quality over a small price tag.
When there is a lot of built-up grime and dirt that has caused your dipstick to get stuck in the engine, the above methods may be unsuccessful. If you are finding it very difficult to remove a stuck dipstick, you may need to use a few more tools to help you solve this problem.
Step 1 – Find a bolt with an aggressive thread pattern to screw into the dipstick tube. This method will be most successful if you use a bolt with a thread pattern that is the same diameter as the dipstick tube circumference.
Step 2 – Before inserting the bolt (or you can use an oil tube extractor tool for better results), you will need to measure the depth of the handle that has broken off the dipstick.
Step 3 – Insert the bolt or removal tool down into the tube, using the depth you just measured (plus a little extra) to locate the stuck dipstick and apply pressure to the top of it.
Step 4 – The bolt or removal tool will be creating tension and friction inside the dipstick tube, this should be enough to dislodge the trapped dipstick.
Step 5 – You should now be able to more easily remove the dipstick using pliers, a telescopic magnet, or by simply pulling it out if it is close to the top of the tube.
Step 6 – The dipstick tube should not be damaged from this process but you will need to replace the dipstick, using the manufacturer’s original specifications.
It is possible to drive a car with a broken dipstick but is not advisable. Running the engine with a dipstick that has broken in the tube or the oil sump can lead to damage to the engine. If the dipstick is stuck in the engine, it may cause oil to leak out or debris and dirt to get into the engine through the hollow dipstick tube.
A dipstick can get stuck in the tube or down in the oil sump for various reasons. If your engine oil is old, the viscosity will have changed over time and it will have a more sludge-like consistency.
When the oil is like this it can easily build up in the oil sump and around the base of the dipstick tube. A dipstick can also get stuck if the handle snaps off, this can happen because the parts used are of poor quality or due to the engine being too hot, causing parts to melt.
Depending on where the dipstick tube is located on your car engine and the extent of the damage, you should be able to drive your car with a broken dipstick tube.
However, if the dipstick tube is damaged in such a way that it is interfering with other parts of the engine, you may want to avoid driving your car until it has been repaired.
There are many ways you can try to fix a broken dipstick. You can use a telescopic magnet or pliers to try and pull the dipstick back up out of the tube. If the handle is still attached, spraying lubrication into the tube can help you to pull the dipstick out.
When the dipstick is stuck in the oil sump of the engine, you could try getting underneath your car and using a rubber mallet to push it back up. We have provided step-by-step guides for all of these methods in this article.
If the dipstick is broken in your car, you may be wondering how you can check the oil levels. Many modern cars use digital monitoring systems to keep track of the engine oil. This system alerts drivers when their engine oil is reaching the end of its life and needs to be replaced.
If your vehicle does not have this function or a dipstick, there will likely be a level sensor on the bottom of the oil pan. The sensor will alert when the engine oil is low.
Monitoring your engine oil levels using the dipstick is essential maintenance that all car owners should do regularly. However, if you have neglected oil changes or you just have some bad luck, the dipstick can get stuck inside the dipstick tube.
A stuck dipstick can be caused by oil sludge and debris building up inside the oil sump, the good news is that this problem can be fixed.
In this article, we have shared four methods drivers can use to try and remove a stuck dipstick from the tube. If you are in this sticky situation now, we hope you have found this article useful and you are able to get the dipstick back out of the tube.
