dipstick tube won't stop leaking... help!

[fck]

for the love of all things...

i've replaced the dipstick tube seal more times than i ever want to again and again and again on this car,
but it continues to want to leak.

i've tried sealant with and without the stock seal,
but always have had the washer.

am i not seating the seal properly somewhere?
is there more than one seal?
am i using the wrong dipstick?

arrrrgh!

1.6l idi out of a stock motored mk2.

any advice?

[8v-of-fury]

Does the oil leak between the tube and the block? or the stick and the tube? It could be that the vacuum line that runs to the brake booster is sucking air in to the block and pressurizing oil out of the holes.

Check to make sure this isn't the problem.. because if it is.. it will also drink the oil too by pressing it past rings and up through the crank vent. 

[Rabbit on Roids]

what washer are you talking about? ive never seen a washer on there before. my dip stick tupe seats right down in the block with a little rubber oring around it. block->oring->dipstick tube.. never had a problem with mine, except for when i was running a stock 1.5 dip stick on a boosted engine, the oil just flew out the dipstick hole. and never before have i laid hands on this stupid washer you are talking about.

[fck]

Does the oil leak between the tube and the block? or the stick and the tube? It could be that the vacuum line that runs to the brake booster is sucking air in to the block and pressurizing oil out of the holes.

Check to make sure this isn't the problem.. because if it is.. it will also drink the oil too by pressing it past rings and up through the crank vent.  

hmmm.  the dipstick tube and the stick are the same thing to me? i'm not sure what the difference is you are getting at?
*edit: i think i'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down.
it's leaking at the block where the tube meets it.  there isn't any being forced up at the dipstick holder (orange dealio), but perhaps the block is getting additional pressure, as you mention.

i will definitely need to check the vacuum line there, it's probably original to the car. :laugh:

know where i can find a replacement?

what washer are you talking about? ive never seen a washer on there before. my dip stick tupe seats right down in the block with a little rubber oring around it. block->oring->dipstick tube.. never had a problem with mine, except for when i was running a stock 1.5 dip stick on a boosted engine, the oil just flew out the dipstick hole. and never before have i laid hands on this stupid washer you are talking about.

well, i've got one that came there from the factory, and it's listed in etka...
but maybe if this is a vacuum issue, then i might not have the leak problem. :beer:

thanks guys!

[8v-of-fury]

know where i can find a replacement?

Any plastic/rubber line that is rated for withstanding vacuum will work. ETKA does not list a part number for the hose.

The washer you speak of, I do not find anything on the mk2 1.6 IDI ME block when looking at ETKA. To differentiate between dipstick tube and dipstick.. The dipstick tube is stuck in to the block, and you pull the dipstick out of it to check the oil level. Its leaking at the tube and block seal right? It shouldn't even be leaking there as it is only a pressed fit I'm sure.. and the oil level is well below that.. so you must be having an issue with the block becoming pressurized.

[fck]

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/quincypunx77/003000.png

40,41,and 42 are the dipstick tube, seal, and washer, respectively.  this particular kind of dipstick get's it's "hold" into the block by attaching to the underside of the IP.

i'm still hoping for vacuum leak. 

thanks for the help, y'all.

[wolf_walker]

My A2 motor (with the taller dipstick) in my A1 chassis did this as well after I pulled the stick out to clean stuff when swapping motor.
Short of patience for stupid problems after the 2nd time it did not seal with cleaning, new o-ring and some sealant, it got JB WaterWeld-ed to the block.  Don't leak now.  Crankcase not pressured, btw.  The later design is iffy in my book.

[dennis]

Got an 85 TD engine in the Caddy. Fixed mine with high temp RTV (orange)

[Rabbit on Roids]

i dont like the late dip stick tubes.. they suck. the ones that have about a 3" tube work the best in my books. i used to have the tall one, from my 84 TD, and it even puled oil. i built my own dip stick and tube if anyone cares...

[fck]

wel, just to be safe,
how much oil pressure is "safe"?

i will definitely splooge a bunch of sealant in there, too.

[8v-of-fury]

careful on the amount of sealant. If it makes its way in to the pan and in to the pickup.. it could block something, and that may be catastrophic.

sorry don't know proper oil psi.

[wolf_walker]

Dipstick isn't pressurized, unless something is amiss.

Oil pressure can be quite high on these things, especially cold.  I think 80psi or a bit over was normal on my last
one with a real gauge.  Goes down when hot of course.  I had a TD with worn intermediate shaft bearings that
held a solid 4psi at hot idle for many years.
That was sub-par of course.

[fck]

***related issue, perhaps?***

occasionally, as i'm driving down the road, the oil warning light will glow dimly/continuously, and then sometimes come on to full light intensity, but be on continuously, not flashing, nor will it make it's buzzing noise, as when you are low on oil.

does this have any particular meaning?

i've also mostly only noticed this at night, as it's too bright out during the day to notice it when it's dimly lit.

also, sometimes, with the lights on and the oil light dimly lit, hitting the brakes (brake lights on) will cause it to turn off.  bad ground?  or oil pressure/level/pump issue?

[dennis]

Probably a ground. My glow plug light does the same thing.

[Smokey Eddy]

The oil light does not merrit a warning for low oil level but low oil pressure.
And the buzzer and light should come hand in hand.

So yes, sounds like a strange grounding problem. You might want to remove the cover under the steering wheel that goes back to the pedals and dig around for the
"star ground" which i still have yet to find i have no clue waht it is or what it looks like for i've never seen a picture of it. but i did find a grounding block below my fuse box on my mk2 and that should have a good ground and likely my dash grounds to it.

More than likely a grounding issue that is gauge cluster specific. no need to look further than the firewall.