Yanmar 2GM20F dip stick

[psteele235]

Access to the dip stick on my engine is very limited due to the cabinet work - withdrawing the dip is OK but getting it back into it's hole has me on my knees muttering.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a sleeve that can be attached so tha a longer dip stick would be easier to work with?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Roy M]

I have a 3GM30 with the same problem, the dipstick is right up against the centerboard trunk. I went to my friendly local autoparts store and bought a dipstick for some unrecalled Chevy engine. I took the dipstick and inserted it into the Yanmar hole to see how much needed to be cut off. Then I cut a length of 3/8" OD copper tube and slipped one end into the dip stick orifice. I still haven't secured the upper end, but it works great. Simply rescribe the oil levels on the new dipstick.

[psteele235]

Thank you Roy. May I further demonstrate my lack of knowledge and ask what the OD in ' 3/8" OD copper tube' means? And where I would find it?

[Therapy]

Three eighths of an inch, outside diameter.

[Roy M]

Thanks, Therapy, several times. What I did was measure the diameter of the rubber seal of the original dipstick that seats down inside the Yanmar's dipstick tube. Then I measured the width of the blade of the Chevy short block dipstick replacement. I found a short length of copper tubing that would both fit inside the dipstick orifice, and accomodate the actual new dipstick. Then I decided where I wanted the handle. Measuring the distance from the oil orifice to the desired height of the handle base, I added the actual engine dipstick length to that extension measurement, marked it on the new, out of the package, dipstick from the bottom end of the knob (where it seats on the top of the copper tubing), and cut the dipstick to this length. Then I marked, on the new dipstick, at the bottom, the exact oil level marks of the original. Lastly, I measured how far I could insert the copper tube before it felt securely seated. I added the seating length to the extension length to get the sum for the copper tube. I cut the tube to the right length, inserted it into the oil orifice, slipped the new dipstick all the way to the top of the copper tube and compared the oil level on the new dipstick with the level obtained from the original. Exactly, the same. One of these days I should get around to making a top support bracket for the copper tube extension. At the moment, it feels pretty secure, though. I hope that was clear enough.

[psteele235]

Thank you both.