oil dipstick, bent or straight?

[banundsen]

Hello, first time poster. Thanks for all the information on this site! I have a 2002 753G. The engine oil dipstick was bent just after the rubber grommet. Looked like a normal bend, not mangled up. It had a few scuff marks in the middle. I check the parts diagram and asked the mechanic at the Bobcat dealer if it should be bent or straight. Was told straight which made sense to me, so I straightened it. Well, that wasn't the right thing to do! It hits something inside, guessing camshaft if not positioned just right. It popped out and blew oil all over. Was difficult to get out and was all twisted up. Basically the hole it at a 45 degree angle and the dipstick has to bend back vertically downward to not hit anything inside. My question is if this is normal and if anybody has experience otherwise. Now I have alot of scuffing on the dipstick. Not knowing what metal shavings are left in the pan is a little concerning. Don't feel like pulling engine and disassembling.

 

[reaperman]

Copy the link below, its a photo of my dipstick. I have the identical machine as yours. It should answer your question. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxutA6nggnFgczdic1NDWXJNems/view?usp=sharing

 

[Treeman123#]

file

Copy the link below, its a photo of my dipstick. I have the identical machine as yours. It should answer your question.

Hello, first time poster. Thanks for all the information on this site! I have a 2002 753G. The engine oil dipstick was bent just after the rubber grommet. Looked like a normal bend, not mangled up. It had a few scuff marks in the middle. I check the parts diagram and asked the mechanic at the Bobcat dealer if it should be bent or straight. Was told straight which made sense to me, so I straightened it. Well, that wasn't the right thing to do! It hits something inside, guessing camshaft if not positioned just right. It popped out and blew oil all over. Was difficult to get out and was all twisted up. Basically the hole it at a 45 degree angle and the dipstick has to bend back vertically downward to not hit anything inside. My question is if this is normal and if anybody has experience otherwise. Now I have alot of scuffing on the dipstick. Not knowing what metal shavings are left in the pan is a little concerning. Don't feel like pulling engine and disassembling.

Yes sir, so I have the same problem on my 753 Bobcat it is a 94 model I pulled the dipstick out while it was running felt a clicking on the stick as I was pulling out, when I went to push the dipstick back in guess it hit the camshaft and bent the dipstick now I can't get it out of the tube is this a common problem obviously that was the wrong thing to do how do I fix any suggestions

 

[DaleM 753]

Hi banundsen, I too am a new owner of a 753 (1991). My dipstick HAS a bend in it. However, I had another serious issue people should watch for. The rubber stopper which is molded to the dipstick and sets the height that the dipstick will set in the engine had come lose from the metal dipstick shaft. This allowed the dipstick to slide up / down in the stopper. With that, you had no idea where your real oil level was at. If the shaft had slid down in the stopper, a very low oil level would look like a good oil level. I fixed mine vs buying new by putting the specified 7.5 quarts of oil in it, then adjusting the dipstick in the stopper to reflect a full oil level. I then tack welded a nut to the dipstick shaft tight against the top of the stopper so the stopper could no longer slide up the shaft of the dipstick. Just a thing to watch for.... Dale M

 

[ByggareBobby]

Hi banundsen, I too am a new owner of a 753 (1991). My dipstick HAS a bend in it. However, I had another serious issue people should watch for. The rubber stopper which is molded to the dipstick and sets the height that the dipstick will set in the engine had come lose from the metal dipstick shaft. This allowed the dipstick to slide up / down in the stopper. With that, you had no idea where your real oil level was at. If the shaft had slid down in the stopper, a very low oil level would look like a good oil level. I fixed mine vs buying new by putting the specified 7.5 quarts of oil in it, then adjusting the dipstick in the stopper to reflect a full oil level. I then tack welded a nut to the dipstick shaft tight against the top of the stopper so the stopper could no longer slide up the shaft of the dipstick. Just a thing to watch for.... Dale M

That was a smart solution! My rubber stopper broke into two parts where the lower part fell off and into the oil pan. Bummer! Had to drain the machine and fish out the small rubber piece through the oil drain hole. Took a good 30 minutes to get hold of it. Bought a new dipstick for another engine and was thinking on how to mark the bottom part of the dipstick correctly to visualize low and high levels. Of course your idea of filling her up with the right volume and then just use this as a mid-point is splendid! Thanks for sharing your wisdom = )