Dip stick?

[Jim Byrne]

Snyder's sells a oil dip stick kit, so you don't have to go under the car and open the petcocks to check the oil.
Do any of you have experience with one?
Are they accurate?
Any recommendations for or against installing one?
At 83 I don't like crawling under the car any more than necessary.

[paul schaefer]

I have 5 model Ts with them. They work great.

[TXGOAT2]

My car has one. It works just fine and has caused no problems.

[Norman Kling]

If you want to check, go under and open the petcock. At least one petcock should be found there. Then compare with the reading on the stick.
Norm

[mbowen]

The dipstick tube attaches to a right angle fitting that replaces the lower petcock, so if theres any oil on the stick (and the car is reasonably level) there’s sufficient oil in the engine. For a better idea of how much oil is in the engine, add oil until it drains from the upper petcock and note the level on the stick.

Mine didn’t fit perfectly right out of the box and I had to adjust the bend in the tube several times with a tubing bender to get it to align with the fitting while not interfering with the hogshead and come up close enough to the firewall to use the provided clamp. Note that all the bending in the tube must be in one plane, as the dipstick itself can’t accommodate a compound curve.

[TXGOAT2]

I used a small file to mark mine at the low level, the high level, and halfway between the two. I run the car with the oil on the halfway between mark. With aluminum pistons and modern rings, my car uses very little oil, and most of that is probably leaked. The oil stays clean, probably due to the use of an air filter, a transmission cover screen, and the better sealing of the modern rings, as well as the Kevlar transmission bands. I use 10W30 synthetic oil, and change it about every 2,000 miles.

[Mark Gregush]

There is one on eBay now.