Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Organism_ike · 01-02-2014, 04:39 PM

The 1/4" -20 hole in the block of my 305 that is used to bolt the dipstick tube to had the threads ripped out and won't hold a bolt anymore. As a result the dipstick tube is loosely sitting in its hole and isn't sealing well. I believe this is the source of the oil dripping down my starter (I'm sure this truck has quite a few more oil leaks then that though).

What would you guys do to hold the dipstick tube against the block now? I'd rather not have to go through the process of drilling the hole out for a bigger bolt or helicoil since it's hard to get to with the headers in the way.

dieseldawg142 · 01-02-2014, 06:03 PM

i had this happen on my k5. i took a piece of 18G sheet metal, wrapped it around the dipstik with a couple of bolts, then just bent the other end to another bolt hole.
i did put a big neoprene washer & some rtv around it to stop any leaks

mrolds88 · 01-02-2014, 08:05 PM

Use a 1/4 stud and some JB weld. Bolt it back in. Also look at an o ring at the bottom to

Organism_ike · 01-03-2014, 02:19 PM

I just use Ultra Black RTV and it always seals fine. The only reason the dipstick stopped sealing is because it moves around when I check the oil. I really hate doing anything with JB weld, especially on the block of my engine, but on the other hand I assume the hole is useless as it is now so JB weld won't hurt it any more than it is...

77c10 · 01-03-2014, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrolds88

Use a 1/4 stud and some JB weld. Bolt it back in. Also look at an o ring at the bottom to

x2

Organism_ike · 01-04-2014, 08:43 PM

Copied Dieseldawg142 and made a little bracket by wrapping some left over sheet metal around the dipstick then drilling a hole so it could be bolted to the block in the hole next to the original one that got stripped. Same size threads as original too, 1/4" -20
I bet the hole i used is used on other chevy dipsticks from different models.

01-02-2014, 04:39 PM	#1
Organism_ike Registered User Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Arkansas Posts: 55	Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped The 1/4" -20 hole in the block of my 305 that is used to bolt the dipstick tube to had the threads ripped out and won't hold a bolt anymore. As a result the dipstick tube is loosely sitting in its hole and isn't sealing well. I believe this is the source of the oil dripping down my starter (I'm sure this truck has quite a few more oil leaks then that though). What would you guys do to hold the dipstick tube against the block now? I'd rather not have to go through the process of drilling the hole out for a bigger bolt or helicoil since it's hard to get to with the headers in the way. __________________ 1983 Chevy C10 LWB 305 SBC bored .030 with cast dished pistons Summit RV Camshaft 204/214 .424/.444 416 Iron Heads Performer Intake, Quadrajet, and Flowtech Long Tubes TH350 2.73 10 Bolt Last edited by Organism_ike; 01-02-2014 at 04:48 PM.

01-02-2014, 06:03 PM	#2
dieseldawg142 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: back 40, bc Posts: 3,806	Re: Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped i had this happen on my k5. i took a piece of 18G sheet metal, wrapped it around the dipstik with a couple of bolts, then just bent the other end to another bolt hole. i did put a big neoprene washer & some rtv around it to stop any leaks

01-02-2014, 08:05 PM	#3
mrolds88 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: WV Posts: 946	Re: Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped Use a 1/4 stud and some JB weld. Bolt it back in. Also look at an o ring at the bottom to __________________ 72 GMC C2500 402/Th400 first truck (still have) 77 GMC C3500 CC dually Sold 70 C50 dump truck "Rusty" 87 K10 Suburban Sold 93 K2500 xcab 6.5TD 96 GMC K2500 Suburban 6.5 TD

01-03-2014, 02:19 PM	#4
Organism_ike Registered User Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Arkansas Posts: 55	Re: Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped I just use Ultra Black RTV and it always seals fine. The only reason the dipstick stopped sealing is because it moves around when I check the oil. I really hate doing anything with JB weld, especially on the block of my engine, but on the other hand I assume the hole is useless as it is now so JB weld won't hurt it any more than it is... __________________ 1983 Chevy C10 LWB 305 SBC bored .030 with cast dished pistons Summit RV Camshaft 204/214 .424/.444 416 Iron Heads Performer Intake, Quadrajet, and Flowtech Long Tubes TH350 2.73 10 Bolt

01-04-2014, 08:43 PM	#6
Organism_ike Registered User Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Arkansas Posts: 55	Re: Oil Dipstick Tube Bolt Stripped Copied Dieseldawg142 and made a little bracket by wrapping some left over sheet metal around the dipstick then drilling a hole so it could be bolted to the block in the hole next to the original one that got stripped. Same size threads as original too, 1/4" -20 I bet the hole i used is used on other chevy dipsticks from different models. __________________ 1983 Chevy C10 LWB 305 SBC bored .030 with cast dished pistons Summit RV Camshaft 204/214 .424/.444 416 Iron Heads Performer Intake, Quadrajet, and Flowtech Long Tubes TH350 2.73 10 Bolt



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