Dodged the biggest bullet ever, today....
I changed the oil today and when I went to check the oil level with the dipstick, the lower portion snapped off!!!! Pontiacs have three combined dipstick tubes that insert sequentially into each other to direct the dipstick into the sump area. I felt something odd and when i pulled the dipstick out, the portion containing the "full" mark and the entire section below it was gone.
The 1973's used the stupidest design you could imagine. They deeply stamped the letters and punched small holes at the various level marks. These all serve as major week points in the metal. When I stuck the dipstick back in it must have gotten bound up for a second and fractured at one of the holes.
I then had to unbolt the A/C compressor and all the brackets to be able to remove the upper tube in case the fragment was still inside it. After an eternity I got the upper tube out. No luck. The fragment was not inside it. I tried using the broken dipstick at that point to gently feel my way down in the middle tube but since the fracture was so sharp, it simply dug it the sides of the tube. I carefully filed the broken edge to make it smooth and tried again. Nothing. The broken section had to be somewhere in the engine.
I drained the fresh oil and found an extendable magnet pickup tool in the toolbox. And after triple checking that the thing would not pull apart once I stuck it in the drain plug hole, I went fishing. An hour of grid searching every square inch of the inside of the oil pan finally resulted in success.
I could not imagine having to pull the engine and drop the pan in this car for something this stupid. Ugh. I need a drink.
Now, does anyone have another 1973 Pontiac dipstick with the deep stamped letters? I don't know if other early years used this dumb design but I compared the 1973 stick to the 1975 dipstick from Gramma's car. The measuring points, length and handle are the same but the font, text and stamping are noticeably different.
