# Broken dipstick **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 6, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066 "2008-01-06T04:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kellyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kellyen](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kellyen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/1 "2008-01-06T04:25:16Z")
Last time I had my oil changed, the guy broke the dipstick off as he was removing it. (Both he and the manager said that is common, although it’s the first time in 30 years it’s happened to me.) They couldn’t get the dipstick out, but I was assured that the broken dipstick wouldn’t cause a problem. Is it OK to leave the dipstick in? And is it really common for the dipstick to break when it is removed? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/2 "2008-01-06T04:33:45Z")
Buy a new dipstick from your dealer. The old one won’t hurt anything lying in the oil sump. It’s not common, but it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/3 "2008-01-06T04:38:07Z")
It’s plastic loops molded to the steel dipstick that break off. Not that uncommon. But what someone needs to do is remove the dipstick tube from the engine so broken dipstick can be removed, so a new dipstick can be inserted. You do want to be able to check the oil level? Tester ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/4 "2008-01-06T05:48:57Z")
You covered that answer well. ---
**Author:** ![karl-sieger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c77e96/32.png) [@karl-sieger](https://community.cartalk.com/u/karl-sieger)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/5 "2008-01-06T06:07:30Z")
Why isn’t the shop replacing the dipstick? ---
**Author:** ![tappit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@tappit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tappit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/6 "2008-01-06T18:57:55Z")
The “boys” (tom and ray) just covered this last week on the radio show…sure you aren’t that same caller LOL. Anyway, they said YOU HAVE to have it fixed…oil will continually spout out of the tube and you have no way of knowing how much, nor how to measure what you have left, besides having it splash on the manifold, burn and smell. The shop should fix it free. The old stick isn’t lying at the bottom of the pan, it’s still in the tube. Tom and Ray said it is nearly impossible to get out, although Tommy seemed to think a magnet might do the trick. I was thinking one of those really long pairs of skinny tweezers… Ray said the tube would have to be removed and it would be costly…At any rate, both of them said to fix ASAP ---
**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-dipstick/9066/7 "2008-01-07T05:06:23Z")
A 1/4" diameter round magnet welded to the end of a 1/4" or less (long) rod would pull that dipstick out. When I worked at a heavy construction house one of the mechanics did that and in two minutes had the broken piece out.