Hello please help! My 2002 F350 7.3L 4-door 4WD was just repaired with rear main seal and oil pan replacements. I got it home, and attempted to check the oil (an o-ring at the fitting on the end of the high pressure oil line was also leaking and replaced which created lots of residue oil everywhere) … and the dipstick will not insert back! I have not had any problem with this whatsoever prior to this repair. The dipstick feels like it is hitting something hard, like the oil pan? It is inserted about 3/4 or more into the tube before this happens. What could be wrong? Also, the o-ring mentioned has fried a few times with limited driving, what could be causing this? THANK YOU in advance – please help!
Try rotating the stick as you insert it, that might get it past the obstruction. Then take it back to the shop that did the work.
1 Like
If @Purebred s suggestion just will not work, they may have installed a baffle called a windage tray in upside down so the dipstick holes is on the wrong side.
Why didn’t you ask the shop why they didn’t unstall the dipstick when the job was done? Maybe they knew they screwed up and left it out on purpose.
Had a problem with our 017 rav 4 could not remove dipstick. Short miles rusted in place they said. Remove tube cleaned and greased, no problems since
Call the shop and ask if they also replaced the oil dip stick tube adapter/O-ring on the oil pan.
If they did, and didn’t get it aligned right, it can cause your problem.
Tester
The way I read the post, the OP got the dipstick out but now can’t replace it. No mention of the dipstick not being in place.
Thank you all. The dipstick WAS installed when I got it back from the shop. I had taken it out to check the oil, which they had told me to do because so much oil was lost during the second o-ring repair (at the high pressure oil line) which occurred right after the rear main seal and oil pan were installed. And then it would not go back in. Tried to rotate it, nothing doing. I’ve called them and waiting, and will ask about this tube adapter o-ring , thanks so much for the suggestions and that picture / diagram … guess I will hear back tomorrow. Will update.
While taking a look to see if there might be a difference between the pan on a 2WD and a 4WD I noted that AutoZone carries 3 different pans. One of those is a Dorman (a large supplier of aftermarket parts) and the Dorman pan carries a service note about indexing the filler tube 25 degrees on the forward notch. The other 2 pans do not show this as applicable.
So you might ask if that pan is a Dorman and if so maybe this indexing procedure was unknown to them at the time of the replacement.
Thank you very much for that info, I will find out this morning. I appreciate your time 
Good morning, so the dipstick tube did have a kink into it, and also there was an issue with the way the adapter seal (?) or o-ring was aligned (?) on the oil pan. Shop has replaced the dipstick tube, and an aftermarket dipstick is thinner (still flat) metal that does go in but you have to really work it, and it is also shorter, which changes the oil reading on the dipstick. I’m a bit concerned about all this, at least the dipstick can be fully inserted now and can get an “adjusted” reading. It is a Dorman dipstick and reportedly a Dorman oil pan. Thank you,
As well you should be. You shouldn’t need to operate your truck with the wrong dipstick and guess whether the oil level is correct. Keep after the shop until your truck is fixed correctly.
Thank you. And the “kink” in the tube? There was a place that was “mashed” for lack of a better way to describe it, looks like it was struggled with when it was re-installed and then got bent … and then of course the dipstick could no longer travel through it… also even with this shorter dipstick with the thinner flat metal construction (which I’m going to address first thing tomorrow) it still has to be just exactly right to go through, the shop indicated that adapter o-ring seal may need adjustment. I have one other question and will start a different post because it doesn’t have to do with the dipstick or oil pan, etc. Thank you again.