i startmy car this morning, and i look down from the open engine lid.....blip the rpm's a few times. ..and to my HORROR, i see a broken dipstick guide channel! the little tube that holds the dipstick broke a cm above where it goes into the case! what do i do!

PS i like the new smilies!

Make your dipstick shorter?

Duct tape?

J B Weld?

Find a short piece of steel tube that is a tight (press) fit over the dipstick tube and splice it together.
Maybe use some lock-tight on the outside of the dipstick tube, stick it together, then cover the finished splice with a gob of silly-cone.

am i able to replace it?...can i go buy a part from a vw place? do i have to drop the motor, split the case?

that wouls suck

Ice water ?

lol, no really, van i buy a new one? how hard is it to install? i hope it soesnt involve splitting the case on my freshly rebuilt engine! ! i dont know how it broke

Try my idea!

OR

Drop the engine and braze the tube back on.

Mig and tig won't work and you may never get the old tube out.

how is it attached to the engine?

The tube is pressed into the case. It may as well be welded to it.

OHCRAP! so i am screwed...dangit..ill try your idea, brazing it sounds better tho....

Any idea HTF it got broken in the first place? I think we'd all like to know how we might avoid such a hideous fate.

Personally, I'd get some solder and braze it back together. On my non-914, I don't reckon I'd have to drop my engine. Is that the case for a 914?

dumb question coming!

"If you braze it how do you keep the oil from igniting?"

I did repair one on a friend 914 using tubing that just barely fit over the broken dipstick tube. Had to tap it on but it has lasted about 2 years so far without leaks. Much easier than junking the block.
Geoff

well...bad news. took a second look, and its about flush wit the case. (gulp) ....i think it could be brazed tho. ill borrow a digi cam, and sna p a few.
sucks royally, i think it might have been a little weak from the PO <_<

Here is something to check out. Looks like it might work.
Here!
Dave

That tube is just pressed down into the case about 1/2 inch or so. I one time pulled one out on accident. the end in the case has ridges to hold it in place. I just put some JB Weld on it and stuck it back in the hole. If you can get the broken piece out of the case you in good shape.

go to the junk yard and pull one out of a bus

-Mike D.

Pulling it out of the case sounds best - as you don't have much of a 'foundation'. If it doesn't pull, use a tap/die and put threads down into the remaining tube - then screw some rod down into it and 'tap' it out. Still will not come? Drill remaining material out, being careful of course. Put in new tube and flush and change oil.

Seanery - I have welded and brazed on engines while still in the car, I simply kept a trickle of water running through it from the garden hose. Not so much as to keep it so cold I couldn't work on it, but enough to prevent fires.

If ya can't pull it out use some Epoxy Putty sold thru McMaster Carr. It's like JB Weld but better. It's a 2 part stick pre mixed. Cut what you want & knead it like clay till mixed. Flatten it out & wrap it around the clean tube. Clean the area on the block real good where it's gonna stick to. This stuff will even cure under water and stops leaks. It gets so hard you can drill & tap it. I use it a lot in our shop... it's indespensable.
Oh ya, the product # at www.mcmastercarr.com is 7531A11 . Put it in the search and it'll come up. Some FLAPS sell it too.
bruce

buses dont have the same dipstick i thought....i thought they had the part of the block drilled for the oil filler and dipstick....i must be wrong

ok....here is the status...

The P.O. had already brazed the thing! but with brazing, you cant get ll the way (360 degrees) around the tube....how can i pull one out of a donor case? andnor damage it before re-install?

the mahogany transom light broke at the base on my 43 year old boat. the cure was a brass toilet tank fill line inserted up the center of the mast.


how much is sticking out of the case?


take the top half to the hardware store and find a suitable outer sleeve in the plumbing department. copper refrigerant (sp) line come in odd sizes. you should be able to find something with a tight fit.

thats what im trying to locate at the moment.....its hard to believe that the part isnt available new

3/8 outer diameter soft copper might have the proper inner diameter to be a force fit. if you know anybody that does ac work, refrigerant soft copper comes in quite a variety of sizes.

thanx for the tip