went to check my oil today and man was i suprised to see that the bottom of my dipstick was missing!!!!!!!! i dont even know how much is missing...whats left of it extends about 2 inches after the part number.
it's curved at the end right before it's snapped too, almost like somethign grabbed it and yanked the bottom off, what the hell could have done this????? I just put a new motor in...it was a used crate motor out of a van, and when i swapped it i used the old dipstick from my LG4 becase the motor had a long *** filler tube on it when i yanked it from the van. all i can think is that it's wrong for the motor, but i wouldn't see how. the new motor is a 1 piece rear main though, and my LG4 was an 85 2 piece block. the p/n is 14045832 on the old dipstick. any guys w/ a 1 piece main motor please give me the p/n of your dipstick so i know what to get! i wish i had a digital cam to take a pic with, this is weird as hell....

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350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers

 

The crank got it. It normally goes in right in line with one of the bearing caps; evidently yours had enough of a bend that it vibrated over and got snagged. I've seen it happen.

The dealer doesn't sell just the dipstick, they service it as a "gauge and tube assembly". They're usually about $15 or $18. Just get the right one for our car. You'll have a great time getting the old tube out if the new one is different. If you don't feel like dealing with that, you could just calibrate your new gauge to your old tube. Just change the oil, put in 4 quarts, and mark the "fill" line; then add a quart and mark the "stop filling" line.

Your old one is either laying in the bottom of the pan or still stuck in the tube. To get it out if it's in the tube, magnetize the new one.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

Just be sure to prime the filter or run the engine after adding the four quarts before marking your new dipstick (if you use the old tube) otherwise you may be off by a quart or so on the stick.

 

General rules of thumb
Make sure of dipstick, dipstick tube, & oil pan compatability. Best way if unsure is transfer items from old engine to replacement engine. Also, if want to give it a try, drain your oil & try fishing out broken piece of dipstick with a magnet through the oil pan drain hole. Use a small magnet, like the type used to hold bolts in sockets. Put the magnet into a small diameter piece of vaccum hose & "fish" the pan.