steel wool to clean dipstick

[lukejo]

I had even tried gasoline once before, but nothing cleaned the varnish/discoloration off my dipsticks like steel wool...scrubbing with dish detergent/water. The metal is actually bright now. Makes checking oil levels in less than ideal lighting soooo much easier to see. Before I had to hold at different angles and in varying light to get a good read, especially if the oil was still fairly clean looking.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I'll try it but with sandpaper.

 

[TallPaul]

I had a 2005 Mountaineer and the dipstick was black colored from the factory. I took sandpaper to it and made it a nice silvery color where the oil is checked. Worked a lot better then.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul

I had a 2005 Mountaineer and the dipstick was black colored from the factory. I took sandpaper to it and made it a nice silvery color where the oil is checked. Worked a lot better then.

LOL great job by mercury!

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: lukejo

I had even tried gasoline once before, but nothing cleaned the varnish/discoloration off my dipsticks like steel wool...scrubbing with dish detergent/water. The metal is actually bright now. Makes checking oil levels in less than ideal lighting soooo much easier to see. Before I had to hold at different angles and in varying light to get a good read, especially if the oil was still fairly clean looking.

brake parts cleaner & scott "pro" shop towels worked for me, even though the varnish/discoloration I have only had once on the dipstick, which was a used car I just recently bought for my sister.

 

[eljefino]

^ This is also a good thing to do to a used car you're trying to sell-- hey, look, no varnish. Even though half my buyers don't check the stick.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Shouldn't you be asking yourself, why is there varnish on my dipstick? What does rest of engine look like? Look down through oil fill cap hole. What oil and OCI are you using ?

 

[lugNutz]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt

Originally Posted By: TallPaul

I had a 2005 Mountaineer and the dipstick was black colored from the factory. I took sandpaper to it and made it a nice silvery color where the oil is checked. Worked a lot better then.

LOL great job by mercury!

Ford in general. My '05 EX has the same black dipstick.

 

[leeharvey418]

My 3 has a FoMoCo dipstick with a bare metal finish on the business end. Of course it still has a depression in the read area, so the ridges at either end of the depression wipe any oil off the inside of the dipstick tube and deposit it in the read area, thus requiring one to insert and withdraw the dipstick a couple of times to get a decent reading. Different design by Ford, but still idiotic.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Shouldn't you be asking yourself, why is there varnish on my dipstick? What does rest of engine look like? Look down through oil fill cap hole. What oil and OCI are you using ?

no some engines the dipstick is off the front of the engine and the oil vapors etc condense on it really easy. No relation to the rest of engine. 2010 accent that gets syn and 5000 mile OCI.. and its good for putting a thin coat on it every winter. Its slightly worse when I used napa syn than brand name... but all did it. Even PP, G-oil, and M1

 

[lukejo]

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Shouldn't you be asking yourself, why is there varnish on my dipstick? What does rest of engine look like? Look down through oil fill cap hole. What oil and OCI are you using ?

I could ask, but why bother. Look at my signature. Although the Ford was just added, the 3 Toyota's have high mileage and none of them use oil between the 5k OCI's, usually with Mobil 1. The '97 will hit 325,000 this week and I've never added a drop of oil between OCI.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Originally Posted By: lukejo

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Shouldn't you be asking yourself, why is there varnish on my dipstick? What does rest of engine look like? Look down through oil fill cap hole. What oil and OCI are you using ?

I could ask, but why bother. Look at my signature. Although the Ford was just added, the 3 Toyota's have high mileage and none of them use oil between the 5k OCI's, usually with Mobil 1. The '97 will hit 325,000 this week and I've never added a drop of oil between OCI.

You didn't include your signature with your first post. Now I see, I agree, why worry.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: Rand

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Shouldn't you be asking yourself, why is there varnish on my dipstick? What does rest of engine look like? Look down through oil fill cap hole. What oil and OCI are you using ?

no some engines the dipstick is off the front of the engine and the oil vapors etc condense on it really easy. No relation to the rest of engine. . . .

This happens routinely on older Volvo white blocks. Condensate collects all the way up the tube and attacks the top of the stick. I wound up replacing a stick on one after the original has gotten rusty and filthy beyond recovery. And we are beyond meticulous about maintenance on them. It did take 15 years, though.