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BJ8 Dipstick Broke

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Fanigbo

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Hello. My BJ8 dipstick broke at about an inch beyond the bottom of the guide tube and I’m sure the missing piece of it is somewhere in the oil pan. I plan to get it out of there one way or another but wonder if there’s any risk of damage to engine internals by driving the car.
 
If the intake screen on your oil pump is intact I doubt the piece of dipstick would get picked-up by the pump or elsewhere; if you really overfilled the sump you might aerate the oil enough to get if off the bottom (but I doubt it). But, you'll never feel comfortable knowing it's in there; esp. on longer trips. I'd say you can drive some but drop the pan when you get a chance; it's not a terribly tough job, unless the pan was sealed with some strong adhesive sealant like Right Stuff (there's a thread on this on this Forum somewhere). Not a bad idea if you haven't had the pan off in a long time to check for sludge, (other) metal bits, etc.
 
I wouldn't risk a piece of metal near a rotating crank shaft. If you can get a large magnet, once the oil has drained, move it along the bottom surface of the pan, heading toward the drain hole. You might get lucky.
Good luck, Bob
 
Get it out!
 
I’d do it sooner rather than later, there is no good that will come from waiting��
 
British_Recovery said:
I wouldn't risk a piece of metal near a rotating crank shaft. If you can get a large magnet, once the oil has drained, move it along the bottom surface of the pan, heading toward the drain hole. You might get lucky.
Good luck, Bob
Click to expand...

The broken piece is likely in the bottom of the sump, where the pump pickup screen is; how is the crankshaft going to hit it? I wouldn't feel comfortable with it in the pan, but if the car needs to be driven a few miles to a shop with a lift I think he'll be OK.

Edit: In fact, the piece is probably near the strange tab in the pan, which some have suggested is a stop for the dipstick:

Pan Tab.jpg
 
Well U ALL:

"
you'll never feel comfortable knowing it's in there;,that's for sure, ,
I wouldn't risk a piece of metal near a rotating crank shaft., Me neither , Seems no one is comfortable with it in there so!​
Get it out! " Yeah that sounds like a good idea---Keoke--LOL​
​
 
Ya could have dropped the sump retrieved the piece welded it back on and had her all back and running by now with all these posts . Dropping the sump etc is a couple of hours work tops .
Just get on with it .
 
Thank you all for your very helpful responses. I’ll put the car up on a lift as soon as I receive my new sump gasket and remove the sump. It looks like a straightforward job.
 
Just wondering .. How did it break ?
 
Fanigbo said:
Thank you all for your very helpful responses. I’ll put the car up on a lift as soon as I receive my new sump gasket and remove the sump. It looks like a straightforward job.
Click to expand...


Wait!:

How about getting a replacement PART before U START??
 
Not entirely sure as the car belongs to a friend who just got it a week ago. He called to tell me there was no oil in the car so I dashed over to find that the dipstick was significantly shorter than it should be. Ten inches shorter! My guess is that it was forced putting it back or taking it out without proper orientation. I know it was okay on the day we bought the car and got it home to his garage.
 
I’ve ordered everything I believe I’ll need and don’t plan to do anything besides look. Gasket for the sump, oil change kit, new dipstick.
 
Are you sure it is in there? Try putting another dip stick in to see how far in it goes. Also the tube the dip stick goes into can be remove to give you another 6(ish) inches of access.
 
I removed the guide tube (which the owner had said came off while he was pulling the dipstick out) and inserted a stick from my classic mini. The mini stick is shorter but long enough to confirm I have sufficient oil and also long enough that it would have touched the broken off piece of the Healey stick if that were still in the way. Since the broken piece wasn’t noticed whenever it broke, my assumption is that it broke while being forcefully pulled and the rest of it is laying at the bottom of the sump. There’s no other place it would have gone.
 
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