Dipstick: work, check and price

The dipstick measures the engine oil level in the crankcase of your vehicle. Thus, it is an indispensable tool for checking the engine oil level or draining it. It also serves as a lid for the oil tank located under your hood.

💧 How does the dipstick work?

The oil level indicator is present in oil collection engine of your car. Thus, it allows accurately measure the level machine oil and it is very important to be able to top up your account. Indeed, at the end of the scale minimum and maximum benchmark... The distance between them is on average one liter of engine oil.

This will place the dipstick at the very bottom of the oil pan. It goes through a tube labeled as measure well... There is a hook on the outside, which also serves as a stopper for prevent the release of oil vapors and a handle for easy reading of the oil level. It is often yellow in color, on some car models it can be red or blue.

When tested, the dipstick is a wearing part of the vehicle. Between significant temperature fluctuations, engine vibrations, or even chemical compounds in the oil, it will weaken and may loose tightness.

On most modern vehicles, the dipstick is equipped with automatic system allowing the oil level to be measured each time the engine is started.

🌡️ How to check the oil dipstick?

If you want to check the oil level in the engine with the dipstick, you will need to do this when the car is parked. on a level surface and wait for the engine to cool down.

First you need to take out the dipstick and then wipe it down with a clean cloth. Then it will take replace the probe in the housing and delete it again. Thus, in the second stage, you can observe the oil level on the dipstick between min. and max. marks

If the engine oil level is too low, more must be added, observing the viscosity recommended by your manufacturer in the service book.

It is generally recommended that you perform this check every 5 kilometer... Take the opportunity to check the level of other fluids required for the vehicle to function properly, such as brake fluid, coolant, or windshield washer fluid.

Why is engine oil leaking from the dipstick?

When you measure the engine oil level, you should also check the condition of the dipstick. If you observe engine oil coming out of the dipstick, especially on the handle, it means the dipstick is no longer waterproof. It has deteriorated over time and with use and needs to be replaced quickly.

If you do not change it, the engine oil indicator will light up regularly because the loss of the seal will result in oil leakage and you will need to top up more often.

👨‍🔧 How to remove a broken oil dipstick?

After several years of use, the pressure gauge will fail and, in the most serious cases, break. In this situation, it can leave debris inside the stilling well and they will need to be repaired as quickly as possible before they can damage other mechanical parts.

There are currently 2 effective methods for removing broken ends of calibers:

• Use a plastic tube : it must be inserted into the end of the probe and then inserted into the body to remove the parts that have come off. It is advisable to take a tube that is smaller than the tip and cut it a few centimeters to make it easier to grip.
• Removing the oil pan : If the first method does not work, you will have to proceed with a complete disassembly of the oil pan located under your vehicle. This will allow you to repair the ends stuck in it.

💸 What is the cost of replacing the dipstick?

The new dipstick is a very accessible part: it sits between 4 € and 20 € depending on models and brands. However, if you need to replace the dipstick because the previous one broke in the crankcase, you will have to calculate price of one emptying machine oil and much more.

On average, this intervention is billed between 50 € and 100 € depending on the garage and depends in particular on whether the oil filter has been replaced or not.

The dipstick is an important tool for checking the engine oil level and adding oil when needed. If it starts to wear out or leaks, you can buy one online or from a car dealer. If an oil change must be done by a professional, use our online garage comparator!