Anyone lost a dipstick down the filler neck?

[Byrner99]

I have an 81 930 and lost the dipstick (I know...I'm the dipstick). I think it might have gone down the filler neck. I can't see it down there, but I can't find it anywhere else!
Has this happened to you? What did you do?

[Flat6pac]

Search with a flex magnet...
Bruce

[Solamar]

Hate to admit it, but I also dropped mine down the filler neck once...

I got lucky and fished it out with a piece of welding wire with the end bent into a hook.

Wise advice is to forget it's down there and buy a new dipstick. Won't hurt anything in the oil tank.

Edited: removed incorrect info...

[Bill Douglas]

Yep...

The first day I got the porsche.

Powerhaus man, Jon Pottinger, was down at the docks picking up some 911s and hooked it out for me with a bit of bent wire.

[Glenfield]

Me too. I think you have to drop one down there don’t you? I heard it’s like breaking a champagne bottle on a ships hull before its maiden voyage

[HarryD]

It is said that you can determine the number of owners of your 911 by removing and counting the number of dipsticks in the tank.

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by Solamar

Hate to admit it, but I also dropped mine down the filler neck once...

I got lucky and fished it out with a piece of welding wire with the end bent into a hook. I believe the dipsticks are stainless, fishing with a magnet won't work.

Wise advice is to forget it's down there and buy a new dipstick. Won't hurt anything in the oil tank.

Solamar,

When you get a chance, test your oil dip stick with a magnet. You will be surprised. You probably have not tested one before because a 911 oil dip stick could be picked up by a magnet. I had used magnets to retrieve and picked up stray oil dip sticks a few times. BTW, my oil dip sticks are not made from stainless steel.

If you could not retrieve the stray oil dip stick through the oil fill tube, remove the oil tank level sender unit and use the access hole to pick up the dip stick.

Tony

[RNajarian]

Would an errant dip stick inside the oil tank potentially interfere with the oil level sender unit?

[2.7RS]

Drain the oil

Get a coat hanger. Go fishing or "Sticking" through the drain

Not hard at all

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

Solamar,

When you get a chance, test your oil dip stick with a magnet. You will be surprised. You probably have not tested one before because a 911 oil dip stick could be picked up by a magnet. I had used magnets to retrieve and picked up stray oil dip sticks a few times. BTW, my oil dip sticks are not made from stainless steel.

If you could not retrieve the stray oil dip stick through the oil fill tube, remove the oil tank level sender unit and use the access hole to pick up the dip stick.

Tony

What a waste of my 'once per year' Mulligan

Sure enough, my dipstick IS magnetic. I was positive that I had checked it before...

[7783911]

easier question is who hasnt :-)

[Marc Bixen]

Don't worry about it, just get another. I once pulled 4 dipsticks out of one oil tank. As for a replacement, check the part number on your level sender, there was an update 80-81 and there are 2 different dipsticks. The .01 sender uses the .00 dipstick, the .02 sender uses the .01 dipstick.

[HarryD]

For the metal geeks here:

Austenitic stainless steels (the 300 series) are non-magnetic.

Ferritic stainless steels (typically the 400 series) ARE magnetic.

[GH85Carrera]

Nope, never done it. I always find the little tube it goes in before I shove it down tight. I just try to move the handle back and forth a bit and it it will not move, it is in the tube.

[proporsche]

I`m as Glen, never dropped one in ........but you never know ,i might do it next time i check the oil;-)))))))))))))))

Ivan

[shoooo32]

My targa came with three dipsticks; two in the bottom of the tank and one in the correct location. They're non-magnetic so bent wire is the best way to fish them out.