# Paper towel and tape in my engine **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** oil-changes\ **Created:** [August 23, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324 "2019-08-23T20:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/21 "2019-08-23T23:27:33Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > Tom: Ain’t nobody screening these calls??? 🙂 I don’t believe he used the “word” ain’t . . . I think his exact words were “Doesn’t anybody screen these calls?” Then again, I might be wrong, because it’s been several years since I even heard a Cartalk rerun on the radio ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/22 "2019-08-23T23:30:58Z")
Good point. The “Ain’t” is mine, not attributing it to anybody else. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/23 "2019-08-24T13:48:20Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > If that happened to me I’d just listen for any weird noises, and if nothing unusual heard drive gently for a few days, then not worry further about it. Same here. I’d try removing the dip stick tube, I’d drain and replace the oil, then I’d drive. And pray… ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/24 "2019-08-24T14:03:23Z")
> [@shanonia](#): > > but water would probably do little harm YIKES!!! ---
**Author:** ![CapitalTruck](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capitaltruck/32/16592_2.png) [@CapitalTruck](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapitalTruck)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/25 "2019-08-24T14:05:17Z")
Just as a spectator watching: I think he cut the tape down to the width of the dipstick. ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/26 "2019-08-24T14:56:43Z")
This thread should not have progressed past the precise and excellent advice of Mr @db4690 as the solution to this issue was in his response. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/27 "2019-08-24T17:03:28Z")
But I apparently posted my advice AFTER op had already started the engine It just shows that I’m not a very good reader after all, considering I missed an important detail 🙁 ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/28 "2019-08-24T23:56:50Z")
Perhaps… but my money would have been on that piece of material to be close to its initial entry point so… who knows. lol ---
**Author:** ![37chev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/94ad74/32.png) [@37chev](https://community.cartalk.com/u/37chev)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/29 "2019-08-29T00:23:01Z")
If you insist on trying to get the material UP the tube use a piece of “piano wire” available at a hobby shop ( model airplanes) . My vote would be to pull the dipstick tube however. I work on old Chevy’s: easy . Don’t have a clue about newer cars. but they have to be a separate part most likely pressed into the block. ---
**Author:** ![CapitalTruck](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capitaltruck/32/16592_2.png) [@CapitalTruck](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapitalTruck)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/30 "2019-08-29T02:44:21Z")
Oil suction pump. Sold all over the internet as an alternative to taking drain plug off to do oil change. Maybe suck it up the pipe. But man, if it were my car, having driven it, I would install an aftermarket oil pressure gauge, keep an eye on it, and call it a day, ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/31 "2019-08-29T03:55:05Z")
Dipsticks extend beyond the dipstick tube by a few inches. It is likely that the paper was scraped off the dipstick as it entered the bottom end of the dipstick tube when it was pulled out. If not it was probably pushed into the oil pan during the next three times the dipstick was inserted. ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 10:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/32 "2019-08-29T10:57:48Z")
You can also have pretty dern good luck watching that piece of paper fly out the bottom of the pan when you pull the drain plug. If it doesnt come out thata way… use a piece of wire to “circle” the inside of the pan, my money is on you catching it and pulling it out. Lets say you cannot get it out without dropping the entire pan, what happens? It gets pulled up against the pickup screen on the oil pump…and it just sits there…doing not much of anything. It surely wont stop all flow and starve the engine of oil. Got an oil pressure gauge? No? Install one…it will probably be reporting proper pressure and if it isnt…then you have a nice Saturday Oil pan dropping job coming up but I doubt it will come to that. The problem, in its entirety really is not too big of a deal. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve pulled out of oil pans in my day…and you would have never known that surprise was even in there. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/33 "2019-08-29T16:01:45Z")
Personally, I wouldn’t even worry about it. The oil screen is fine and any teeny bit of paper that did make it through is going to get caught in the oil filter. ---
**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/34 "2019-08-29T19:14:36Z")
If would be interesting for OP to make an experiment of trying to “boil” a piece of scotch-tap from the same roll to see if oil would dissolve it. If it is the case - no harm would be done at all, as paper will simply get stratified eventially and end up on the [paper-based] oil filter media and the tape would vanish. ---
**Author:** ![danielparker10\_156597](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@danielparker10\_156597](https://community.cartalk.com/u/danielparker10_156597)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/35 "2019-08-29T19:36:09Z")
The car has been towed to the shop, finally. The tow guy said it should be in the bottom of the pan. I talked to mechanic and they said they would drain the oil and if it didnt come out then theyd have to drop the pan. Dropping the pan requires partial frame disassembly. ---
**Author:** ![danielparker10\_156597](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@danielparker10\_156597](https://community.cartalk.com/u/danielparker10_156597)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/36 "2019-08-29T19:36:53Z")
Good idea, ill have to try that. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/37 "2019-08-30T03:52:16Z")
Unless you put a whole paper towel in there, I think I would have just left it alone. Now what if they pull the pan and it’s not there? ---
**Author:** ![danielparker10\_156597](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@danielparker10\_156597](https://community.cartalk.com/u/danielparker10_156597)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/38 "2019-09-04T16:48:24Z")
it was in the screen filter. everything is out ---
**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324/39 "2019-09-04T18:09:08Z")
Congrats on getting it resolved! [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/paper-towel-and-tape-in-my-engine/147324.md?page=1)