Which after market dip stick is best for an FE?

[robroy]

Good morning!

Since I don't have a dip stick for my new FE engine I'll need to pick one out.

Summit has a Lokar ED-5012 in stock for $52.



This dip stick doesn't have any locking mechanism.

They can also order Lokar 1220117 dip sticks, which have a locking mechanism, for $80.



Here are my questions:

1. What's the benefit of that locking mechanism? Is this truly an important feature?
2. Does anybody know of another brand/type of dip stick other than these Lokar sticks from Summit that I should look in to? I'm looking for quality and Made in USA before price.
3. Do after market dipsticks typically need oil level calibration of some kind, or are they ready to install and use immediately? Or is this calibration only necessary for "universal" dipsticks?

Thanks for the great advice!
Robroy

[convincor]

here's another- http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-AUTO ... ccessories
I've never used anything but OEM so can't answer you other questions.

[fordman]

18 inches long is the original length from the tip to the cap on the bottom of the handle.

[robroy]

Convincor and Fordman, thanks for replying!

Convincor, thanks for letting me know about the Autoloc product--I wouldn't have found that without your help. It should be interesting to compare it to the Lokar stuff, although at first glance I don't see any benefit that it offers over the Lokar product. Still great to know of all the options I have.

Fordman, thanks for the info on the dipstick length! I'll keep that in mind when evaluating these 'sticks.

So does anybody know what the benefit of a "locking" dip stick is? I saw something on the Lokar site about it preventing the dipstick from being pushed up by oil pressure. Is that really an issue that some people run in to?

Thanks!
Robroy

[fordman]

i have seen dipsticks work thier way up out of the tube. i don't remember what it was on but it was somethign i drove. i was always pushing it back down into the tube. it was only the one car that i ever seen do it.

[robroy]

Hey Fordman, thanks! It's good to know that it does indeed happen then.

Since they offer that one in a black anodized edition, I might go for it.

Thanks Fordman!
Robroy

[robroy]

Welp, I slacked on ordering the dipstick right up until I was ready for it, so I ordered the Lokar ED-5012 instead of one of the fancier, locking kinds. It seems pretty nice though!



I poked it in to the hole just to make sure it would fit, and it looks like it'll work! Later on I'll figure out exactly how to route the dip stick tube around the header.



Robroy

[robroy]

The dip stick shaft fits a little loosely in the engine block; I hope I didn't widen the hole when I went to clean it out!

At any rate, I tried a few things to get the bottom part to stick in that hole. Finally I put some blue RTV on the end before shoving it in the block (I made sure none actually got in the end of the tube). Hopefully that will do the trick!



Has anybody else had problems getting a 4x2 dip stick tube to fit snugly in the block? And does oil ever leak from around that opening?

In the photo it looks like I bent up the bracket that holds the tube to the header bolt, but that's actually the way it's bent from the factory--it just looks funny!

Thanks very much!
Robroy

[fordman]

most of the 2wd oil dipstick tubes are hard to get out when they are old. but they seem to slip right back in once they came out. so i am unsure if thats good or bad.

[robroy]

Hey Fordman thanks for replying!

Yeah that's just how it seems. I couldn't get my old one out at all, but this one fit kind of loosely.

The RTV I put all over the area where it goes in to the block did the trick--it's now in there nice and solidly.

Thanks again for your reply Fordman,
Robroy