For a while the little plastic handle on my car's dipstick has been broken, some of the handle is still on the stick. Today as I was changing my oil I tried to get the dipstick out but couldn't, after some tries I accidentally chipped off a bit of the plastic, causing the dipstick to slide down 1 inch into the tube. I have read that this is not necessarily a problem, but I'm still worried. I tried extracting it by super gluing one end of a small rod to the dipstick but have had no success. How can I extract the dipstick without having to see a mechanic?
Try getting some needle nose pliers and pull it out from the top that way. You could also try using one of those magnet on a stick things.
Most dip sticks will unbolt or loosen from where it attaches to the engine block and you can remove the entire assembly. Hopefully it is stuck inside and you can pull it out the bottom. If it is not there, then you will have to remove the oil pan and go looking for it.
A lot depends on how the car is put together. On some you can pull the dip stick tube to get it out. I doubt a magnet will do the job or that it can be grabbed with long nosed pliers. So take a careful look and make a choice on the subject. Because loosing oil can be a very bad thing, it might be better to pay some one who will make sure they do not make matters worse then they are now.
The actual tube the dipstick goes in will come out of your engine. If you can try to follow it down and see if there is a clamp holding it in. Some are just pressed in tho. Once you remove the clamp If there is one spin it back and forth while trying to pull it out. It may take a lot of force but try to do it with just your hands. You don't want to mess it up too. Once its out, before removing it all the way reach down to the bottom of it and feel for the dipstick. Hold a finger against it and remove both of them at the same time. It won't hurt leaving it like it is as the dip stick will just hit the bottom of the oil pan and won't go any farther, you just can't check your oil. That's reason enough for me to fix it tho. Hope this helps.
