Daysi Tragesser

This is a subject I could not find anywhere on the web, I suppose its not often that an owner of a circa 1966 Jaguar, maybe the 3.4ltr or 3.8ltr, even the 4.2ltr engine finds that the dip stick will not come out of its tube into the lower side of the block?

Click on any picture for a larger image, which shows a Jaguar dip stick in one piece and also in two pieces and with the tube that fits to the side of the engine block. The cross bar it a pipe flaring tube.


In the case of the engine I was working on, the dip stick broke off about four years back when it became stuck, how to remove the tube it fits into was the question. Since then I just changed the oil every so often, the engine uses very little oil, so this was not an issue.



With the rear exhaust manifold in the way there is virtually no space to work in and while vice grips may do the job, they will be too large to fit in the space where the tube fits. I instead used a copper pipe flaring tool, the thought that I may squash the tube came to mind but its very thick walled and that was not an issue. I found I could move the tube from side to side, then as I did that and pulled on the tool, the pipe finally came out and with it the lower end of the dip stick!


Why the dip stick tube was bent is a question for another day, the thing was could I remove it?


The tube is hand made and has been machined down to fit the block.

When straightened in a vice I found the spare dip stick would still not quite slide through the tube, using a 7mm drill bit and electric power drill sorted that problem out.

How hard was that!

Roy