Do you Lube 0-rings on oil cap and dipstick ?

[zeroptzero]

I am doing an oil change today on a new vehicle. I was curious if you lubricate the o-rings that are on the bottom of the oil cap and on the dipstick ? I know you need to lube the o-ring on the oil filter.

I wonder if the o-rings on the oil cap and dipstick should be dry for more "grip" to prevent going loose, or if you lubricate them with oil to keep them moving easily ?

 

[tcp71]

There is always residual oil on the cap and dipstick...no need to add more.

 

[AZjeff]

They seem to be self-lubing. Only BITOG!

 

[Kira]

They seem to be self-lubing. Only BITOG!

Condescending sarcasm on a Sunday morning?
Perfection in lubrication is what we seek! [translate into Latin and stitch it onto our flag]

I once had a Volvo dipstick handle break off in my hand as its O-rings, lower on the handle, had fused themselves to the interior of the dipstick tube.
Yes, plastic weakens with age, etc.
But, cleaning the involved part of the tube and some lube on the O-rings could've prevented the situation.

 

[zeroptzero]

Not really self lubing unless it splashes onto the surfaces as you check them, the dipstick oil ring is at the very top of the dipstick where oil doesn't get that high, the oil cap seals dry unless oil drips on metal as you remove the cap.

 

[demarpaint]

I make sure they're dust and dirt free, no additional lube needed for them.

 

[JohnnyG]

They seem to be self-lubing. Only BITOG!

Agree. Kinda like soap is self cleaning!

 

[zeroptzero]

Condescending sarcasm on a Sunday morning?
Perfection in lubrication is what we seek! [translate into Latin and stitch it onto our flag]

I once had a Volvo dipstick handle break off in my hand as its O-rings, lower on the handle, had fused themselves to the interior of the dipstick tube.
Yes, plastic weakens with age, etc.
But, cleaning the involved part of the tube and some lube on the O-rings would've helped the situation.

Thanks for the reply and for your lack of sarcasm I've seen some older engines pop off the dipsticks as things wore down and changing the oil dipstick 0-rings helped, and on my Honda S2000 oil caps would fall off as the oil cap o-rings wore down , flattened /got brittle.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I clean them and re-lube them during an OC.
Need a good seal for the PCV system. I probably shouldn't lube them, as it attracts sand and dust.
Gotta put Just a little oil ...

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The ape boys at the Subaru dealer twist the oil cap 90 deg past factory seating and ruin that. Messes with me big time.

 

[billt460]

Yes. I wipe them clean, (oil cap & O-Ring on dipstick), then wet my finger with some fresh oil from inside the jug, and coat the O-Ring and surface around it.

I also wipe and oil the contact surface for the oil cap. It makes the cap much easier to remove. After being exposed to heat for several months, I find they're much easier to remove. It you put the cap on dry, and tighten it, it can be a bear to remove.

 

[AZjeff]

Condescending sarcasm on a Sunday morning?

Not at all. There’s probably nowhere else on the interwebs where dipstick o-ring lubing is discussed and considered. It’s what we do.


Better?

 

[wings&wheels]

I wipe them and put a wipe of very little oil on the fill mating surface and dipstick o ring....as with others, I've had the misfortune of a broken dipstick handle.

 

[shortyb]

The debate for BITOG shouldn't be IF you oil/re-oil them, but WHEN you do it. Like do modern oils allow for a much longer ORCI (o-ring change interval)? Is Euro oil, with higher HTHS better for the cap ring bearing surfaces? What about oils that fight sludge and deposits on the rings? Should we be using VRP now to clean them up? Gotta go much deeper than if .

 

[Urshurak776]

When I pull the dipstick and "wipe" the oil onto a paper towel, i use some of that on the o-ring at top of dipstick. Always have. Same with o-ring or rubber seal on the 710 cap.

 

[AZjeff]

And BTW unless a person takes great care to not allow the last 2 inches of the dipstick with oil on it to touch the inside of the tube when removing they are self-lubricating.

 

[Thebigm]

I am doing an oil change today on a new vehicle. I was curious if you lubricate the o-rings that are on the bottom of the oil cap and on the dipstick ? I know you need to lube the o-ring on the oil filter.

I wonder if the o-rings on the oil cap and dipstick should be dry for more "grip" to prevent going loose, or if you lubricate them with oil to keep them moving easily ?

Never heard of this

 

[ls1mike]

I have to ask the folks who break oil dipstick handles. How many miles? How long between oil changes? In all the maintenance I have done on all my cars a dipstick's O-Rings or the fill cap are just not something I lube. I am pretty anal about maintenance coming from a submarine background, but man this is a new one to me.

 

[incognito_2u]

When I preform an Oil change, after my last wipe/reinsert/check, I put a small dab of dielectric grease around the o-ring with my finger, then wiping off the excess before reinserting the dipstick………..it’s just what I do!

 

[factorytuned2012]

I am doing an oil change today on a new vehicle. I was curious if you lubricate the o-rings that are on the bottom of the oil cap and on the dipstick ? I know you need to lube the o-ring on the oil filter.

I wonder if the o-rings on the oil cap and dipstick should be dry for more "grip" to prevent going loose, or if you lubricate them with oil to keep them moving easily ?

I never did in the past but I had just recently put a thin amount of silicone paste on the oil fill cap it was bound up tight and felt dry but on dip stick no.