I have been doing some detailing under the hood and inadvertently pulled the oil dipstick housing / tube out of the block of my 318 Poly. It seems to have come off flush with the block and I can’t figure out what was holding it in to begin with? The good news is that now I can sandblast it clean - the bad news is I don’t know how to re-attach it!
Does anyone know the fix?
“Oldschool is cool”
The oil dipstick tube fits tightly into the small machined hole in the block, there is a small bracket that holds the dipstick tube firm, and it’s fastened to the fuel pump mount by one bolt. Hopefully your tube did not break, or the small piece in the block will need to be removed before installing another one.
—John
Thanks John.
I was afraid of that. I thought it was odd that nothing was supporting the tube - no bracket on mine connecting to the fuel pump.
Any tricks out there for removing the broken piece from the block without major surgery???
Ernie
“Oldschool is cool”
If there is a piece of the dipstick tube broken off in the block, the best way to remove it is to take a large sheetmetal screw, and thread it into the broken piece. Use a small slide hammer to knock the screw upwards, and generally it will pull the broken piece out. If a slide hammer is not available, you may be able to knock the screw head upwards using a long screwdriver and hammer from below.
Worst case scenario, and these tricks do not work, find a rod that will just barely fit the hole in the block, and knock the broken piece into the pan. This piece will rest on the bottom of the pan, it will not get sucked up by the oilpump or cause mechanical damage.
—John
Good deal - thanks again.
Anyone one got a spare dipstick tube for a 318 laying around??? 
Ernie
“oldschool is cool”
I’m sure that I have a good used one available. If you still need it, please let me know.
—John
John,
I haven’t tried the tricks yet to remove the broken piece but I know I will need a replacement. If you do have one - great! Let me know how much you want for it and what it will cost to send it to Orl Fla. 32837. I’ll get a check in the mail.
Thanks again!
Ernie
“oldschool is cool”
Hey John,
I received the dipstick. THanks again for hooking me up…
Ernie D.
“Oldschool is cool”
Hey guys,
I’m glad I found a thread, where somebody already had the same problem before.
My oil dipstick tube broke off a couple of weeks ago (I haven’t been able to take care of the matter since then). So it broke off right above where it comes out of the block. I now stuffed it with a pice of wood just to make sure nothing gets spilled out.
Would you be so kind to tell me in detail how to get the old tube out of the hole?
And I have to ask again just to clarify: Once I got the tube out of the hole (I thought about trying to use a concrete nail with an anchor), can I just stick the new tube into the hole or is there anything else I have to think of besides the correct position of the tube?!
Finally: If somebody still has a spare dipstick tube lying around, I’d highly appreciate to hear from you!
Thanks in advance,
Sebastian
Sebastian, we’ve got a complete extra 318 that should have the dipstick! I am currently in the USA but I will check as soon as I get home (September 6th).
I must be there so I’m pretty sure I have one for you
The tube is simply a pressfit…some sort of ring near the base engages a groove in the block.
To remove the busted piece, try wire-nosed pliers or a fat screw to grab the tube, then yank it out.
Thanks for the explanation, Roger! Matthew will try to hook me up with a spare dipstick tube and then I’m going to fix it. Should be doable 