Dropped my stick

Clark Griswald · Clark Griswald's Garage

In my continueing quest to create useless work for myself, I...eerrr....uuhhhh... dropped my dipstick into the oil tank.

Someone was distracting me as I was trying to line it up in that little tube and I let it go down the big tube. That is my story and I am stickin to it.

I tried to chase it with a magnetic retriever. No joy. I couldn't get hold of it.

Seems it is laying horizontal in the tank.

After looking it over, I decided it couldn't move out of the tank and wouldn't harm the engine if I ran it. And I have been running it, so far so good.

Now I am faced with a dilemna -

Do I buy a new dipstick and try to forget it is in there? Or do I pull the tank to fish it out and put my mind at rest?

Surely I'm not the first to commit this crime senseless act of stupidity, maybe just the first to admit it on a public forum.

What to do?
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Chuck Moreland '86 Cab - "Sparky", '77 Targa - "Sweet Pea"

Evans, Marv · 07-09-2001, 04:05 PM

Chuck:
I've got one of those long (maybe 2& 1/2 ft), flexible grabber things you push the button on one end & little claws come out on the other end. As you can see, I don't know the name of it, but it has saved me lots of times & it was cheap. Maybe you could get one of them & try it.

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Marv Evans
'72 911E

GIBSON · GIBSON's Garage

I've done the same thing, ended up taking the sender out (no big deal) and grabing
it with a magnet. Don't you just love to make work for yourself.

Bruce Herrmann
73911S

twin plugged targa · twin plugged targa's Garage

I have heard of people using wire coat hangars!
has'nt happened to me, YET!!
rgds Ben

Rustbucket · 07-09-2001, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Clark Griswald:
Someone was distracting me as I was trying to line it up in that little tube and I let it go down the big tube. That is my story and I am stickin to it.
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Chuck Moreland '86 Cab - "Sparky", '77 Targa - "Sweet Pea"

Hope she was worth it ! Nude Supermodel stopping to ask for directions maybe?

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Clint
73T mfi coupe

pwd72s · 07-09-2001, 05:00 PM

I like Marv's suggestion. Even fishing blind, with enough time & attempts, you should be able to fish the dipstick out. And Marv, like you..I don't know what the proper name is. I just call mine "The Grabber"....and it's sure been great to have around!

john walker's workshop · 07-09-2001, 05:43 PM

you will add a damaged sender to your list if you try to coathanger it out. remove the sender and go in that hole with a magnet.

82SC · 07-09-2001, 06:38 PM

did this a while ago...everyone has told me don't worry about it...just get a new one...fishing it out is more trouble then it is worth...it isn't gonna do any damage to your car...

mideastmafia · 07-09-2001, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Clark Griswald:
Someone was distracting me as I was trying to line it up in that little tube and I let it go down the big tube

No joy. I couldn't get hold of it.

Seems it is laying horizontal.

Now I am faced with a dilemna

Surely I'm not the first to commit this crime senseless act of stupidity, maybe just the first to admit it on a public forum.

What to do?

use protection next time.

SHAUN

rubenmad · 07-09-2001, 09:41 PM

Clark, I had the same problem a couple of months ago. I just left it in there and bought a new one. By the way, a magnet did not work.

Leland Pate · 07-09-2001, 09:52 PM

Well john obviously has much more experience than me but I managed to get mine out with a coat hanger.

I didn't damage my sender but maybe I was running the risk.

Come on.... LIVE ON THE EDGE!

And I don't want to hear ANY crap about admitting "embarassing mistakes" on a public forum.
I'm the moron who DROPPED my motor!

island911 · 07-09-2001, 10:16 PM

First hand experience here. If you have an oil change coming up, then take the tank out, to retrieve it. The fingered grabber idea last about as long as it takes to figure out that you are hitting all kinds of stuff and are nowhere near the bottom of the tank. There are baffles and the level sending unit in your way; so that even if you do latch on to the stick pulling it back out is no trivial matter.
The tank comes out easily with the oil drained and the filter removed. You do need to remove the RR wheel though. Also, you may need a new oil sending unit gasket. For me the PO dropping the stick was a blessing, as he had told me the slight oil leak the car had was from the tanks lower oil line. . .it was obviously from the cracked cork oil sending unit gasket.
Even with the tank out, and the stick visible thru the oil sending unit hole, it takes a bit of effort to retrieve.
I too considered “Do I buy a new dipstick and try to forget it is in there? Or do I pull the tank to fish it out and put my mind at rest?” For me leaving it in there was a bad way to start caring for an otherwise well cared for 911. Do Sparky and/or Sweet Pea deserve any less?
Aside: taking the tank out was an opportunity to see the cool (pun) engineering that goes into something as basic as an oil tank.

'81 Platinum Metalic SC COUPE

Jorgeman · Jorgeman's Garage

The grabber is called a "Flexi-claws". Priceless when you really them for retrieval
or as an insertion tool.

George 86T

Rot 911 · 07-10-2001, 07:20 AM

I suggest you all go out and buy a 72 911. My tank has a steel mesh screen around the dipstick hole making it impossible to drop the dipstick in the tank!

Kurt V
72 911E

Jens Wendorff · 07-10-2001, 07:40 AM

Kurt, Great Idea, but when I buy a second 911 I still will have the potenmtial problem with my first one

Serious: Is the mesh part of the tank (welded ?) or is it a piece that can be retrofitted to the other oiltanks. Should be a nice upgrade in the list...

Jens

island911 · 07-10-2001, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kurt V:
I suggest you all go out and buy a 72 911. My tank has a steel mesh screen around the dipstick hole making it impossible to drop the dipstick in the tank!

Kurt, Great Idea, but I hear the steel mesh, on the '72, doesn't do such a good job of keeping out the gas pump.

'81 Platinum Metalic SC COUPE

Rot 911 · 07-10-2001, 08:27 AM

Jens: Not sure how the screen is kept in place. I'll check that out tonight.

Island: Nice comeback! I heard that is why they changed the fill location back to inside the engine compartment in 73.

Kurt V
72 911E

VenezianBlau 87 · 07-10-2001, 09:01 AM

While checking oil last weekend, I was envisioning myself doing that someday and realized how (sadly) I will inevitably do so. I've dropped the oil pressure switch and fan pulley nut and other items into that recess under the crank pulley. The flexible grabber for $4.95 is a real miracle, even when I can't see the object being retrieved.

Good luck!

89911 · 07-10-2001, 09:33 AM

Do you have any friends that are surgeons that could lend you an endoscope? Don't think they would mind if you returned it to them covered with 10W-50. Seriously, many plumbers are using endoscopes now to examine clogged drains from root invasion. There's got to be a way to get one for a few hours and use it with the flexible grasps?

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

Matt Smith · 07-10-2001, 05:15 PM

I often wonder about that gas in the oil filler hole story on the '72. I have a big suspicion that it's BS, given that it is a very stupid thing to do. The cap says oil, the owner should have known it was for oil, it looks and smells like oil when you pull the cap off, and finally the location of the gas filler was never changed. It would have taken more than 1 year for carefully versed first owners to trade their cars on to less knowledgeble 2nd owners; and yet that was the longevity of the tank's position.
Can I sense a conspiracy? Was it the Porsche bean counters not the pump attendants?
More info required- especially first hand knowledge from the 'experienced' owners out there please!

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'72 911 TE