Club 80-90 Forums

I have a 1.6d (cs) panal van, and i cant find the dipstick! I have looked everywhere! i cant even see where it would be meant to fit! and it is really starting to do my head in! someone must know where my dipstick goes!

I dont even know what it looks like! wouldsomeone please be kind enough to point me in the right direction?

I have looked from the top, from the bottom, through the funny flap behind the number plate it just cant be ther!!!!!

It has to be behind the "funny flap" (if your CS engine is indeed a CS and not some other transplant )

On early Cs engines the dipstick was integrated into the oil filler cap, later ones have a separate one ...a little wire ring sticking out of a small tube should give it away.

are you sure its not behind the number plate
put your hand in and feel around it should be at the top with a loop at end

Forgot to say, its a 1984, standard cs diesel engine as far as i know.

i definatley cant see it behind the no plate. does it go into the sump? through the engine case? will take some photos tonight when i get home!

blue 67 the number plate is fitted to a flap , a little puller bit at the top of the numberplate pull hard and the flap will come down , it's on springs so don't snap your fingers in there it hurts .

If you still can't see it I'll go take a pic and post it for you

puller above the 8 on the numberplate



flap open and you can see the oil filler and coolant top up tank the dipstick is to the left of the filler on mine pics a bit dark to see it but you can't miss it , as someone else mentioned yours may well be incorperated into the filler top , hope that helps

Still can't find it! ! !

As promised some pictures of my engine bay:









I even thought if it was part of the oil cap maybe it had just fallen off into the oil fill pipe . . . it wasn't there either!

Can't beleive that a dipstick could stump me like this ! ! ! !

How about this ? Folow the joint where the sump joins the block, uppermost edge, about two thirds along you should come to it, either a reccess with a hole or hopefully a tube which is the dip tube. If your dipstick has fallen out look for a very oily patch Good pics, is that belt a tad slack though ? Another option would be to take it to a friendly garage and tongue in cheek ask them to check your oil (and watch very closely) Dont feel too bad mate, I had mine for 6months and I thought the coldstart thing on the dash was something to do with the heating ! ! Live n learn eh.

peteabbott wrote:How about this ? Folow the joint where the sump joins the block, uppermost edge, about two thirds along you should come to it, either a reccess with a hole or hopefully a tube which is the dip tube. If your dipstick has fallen out look for a very oily patch Good pics, is that belt a tad slack though ? Another option would be to take it to a friendly garage and tongue in cheek ask them to check your oil (and watch very closely) Dont feel too bad mate, I had mine for 6months and I thought the coldstart thing on the dash was something to do with the heating ! ! Live n learn eh.

I dont feel to bad, I kinda think it is really funny! i have welded, rewired and painted my bug aswell as rebuilt the engine twice (2nd time to do i right) and the location of a dipstick has me well and truley baffled!

If i look just to the left of where the oil fill pipe goes to the sump there is a bolt/plug, is this what your refering to?

i have another photo - is it here:

Noooo, that there is the sump plug. We could all put a cross where we think the dipstick is on the pics like spot the ball.
Follow that joint around to the right as you look at it then about two thirds of the way along towards the bellhousing BINGO.
I can send you an old one to cable tie on somewhere if that would make you feel better.

in your first group of 4 pics the last one shows the over head view the hole for the dip tube should be straight behind the alt and just infront of the engine mount about an inch above the sump...if memory serves that is

Early engines had a plastic dipstick in the oil refill pipe.
Afaik the refill pipe was also routed differently. Maybe you have an early engine that was fitted (for whatever reason) with a late refill pipe and hence really no dipstick.

weldore wrote:in your first group of 4 pics the last one shows the over head view the hole for the dip tube should be straight behind the alt and just infront of the engine mount about an inch above the sump...if memory serves that is

there is no hole here!

peasant wrote:Early engines had a plastic dipstick in the oil refill pipe.
Afaik the refill pipe was also routed differently. Maybe you have an early engine that was fitted (for whatever reason) with a late refill pipe and hence really no dipstick.

How would i know if i had an early engine? could i fit the early pipe, cap and dipstick?

blue67 wrote: could i fit the early pipe, cap and dipstick?

My guess would be that finding one might prove to be difficult.

I'll try and find some pictures/drawings of early and late engine blocks this evening ...as far as I remember there were different flanges used or blocked off depending on where the filler/dipstick was connected to.

I've seen pics before, just can't remember where right now.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3679/dipsticklarge.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

so, there you have it, showing both the old and new arrangement, apparently 8/82 was the watershed (doesn't tie up with the year of your van though)

old: no 18 and attached bits = filler tube
no 23 = integrated dipstick

new: no 20 and attached bits = filler tube
no 24 = dipstick

So the shape of the filler tube should give the game away, on what you should and shouldn't have.

PS: from the angle of the filler tube in your picture, I would guess that you have an old type filler tube ...for whatever reason. That still doesn't explain what happened to your missing dipstick. Maybe somebody put in an older engine / older sump ?