Headers = now how do I get the dam Dipstick in.

[Boston]

I've got a 90 F250 4x4 XLT lariat 7.3 diesel and I just put some headers on it. Was a whopping pain in the ass. Now I'm just going through and cleaning up all the little stuff and I notice there's not a snow balls chance in hell that Dipstick is going back into the same location. Hudini himself couldn't squeeze a stick into the original location.

What are my options

Can I move the bung fitting to another location and plug the original? Thing looks like it unscrews from the block. If not what have some of you guys done to get a dipstick on this thing. If so, where's my best shot at it. I'd prefer to aim at the drivers side cause I've got plenty of room over there.

If I can't get the dipstick on it, is there some other way to check the oil. Is there a pan with a fitting I can fit onto this thing. Gotta be a solution.

Thanks guys

Oh and one more while I'm at it
whats the loom called that goes across the front of the motor, it attaches to a heat sensor the several to the IP, one at the end does nothing and several to the alternator.

Cheers and thanks for the help
Dan

 

[towcat]

dan-
can you take a pic of the right side of the motor where the dipstick tube is supposed to go to? i can't imagine how they can overlook suck and important item.

 

[Boston]

No way, I could barely get my hand in there to feel around for the bung fitting. There's just no room for it. Even If I took the starter off and the wheel well out although you might be able to see it, its still buried behind the pipes.

I'll be down at the shop again tomorrow and I'll take what pictures I can but all your going to see is stuff in the way. No prayer of bending up a tube in so many directions and then jamming it between all those pipes, thing would have to made of rubber. Besides its a 3/8 tube and there's no 3/8 between the pipes. That and you'd have to do an s bend to get through them if there were. I'm not the "it can't be done" kinda guy but in this case I'm really not seeing it.

I'm thinking its going to be challenging enough just to get that bung out and a bolt in without taking the header off..

Gotta be another solution.

 

[towcat]

there must be something I'm not seeing with the header setup. perhaps the pics tomorrow will help. see pics below on what I see. i can understand a header flange and having to move around it but there "should" be room between the tubes. again....post pics

 

[Boston]

You must be registered for see images attach

Thats the little jewel I'm trying to work around. If you notice the longer of the two, thats the passenger side. See how that pipe in the front goes under and behind the next two. That effectively makes it impossible to get the dipstick back where it went. The next trauma is that On most of these you have to grind out maybe 1/4" off the frame flange to get the pipes past with maybe 3/16 to 1/4 clearance, its that tight. No prayer of going outside the headers, you'd have to drill a hole in the frame and even then your not going to make the bends necessary to catch the bung fitting.

I hate to be a defeatist but I'm not seeing any way around this one. Dipsticks gotta move. I'd like to move it to the drivers side but I looked for a similar feature in the block to put the bung fitting and didn't see one. Am hoping I just missed it and I'll look again tomorrow. Either way I've got to remove the fitting from its present location and plug it.

Thanks for all the help Cat
Dan

 

[dagreendeville]

did you ever work this problem out i have headers on my truck they look like these but not as nice and clean lol dipstick is in the original location on mine and i must agree pain in the ass to install

 

[91idi]

I was able to put my dipstick between the rear two pipes and it fit great with my headers

 

[dagreendeville]

yea i believe thats what i did i dont even remember takin my tube out not sure tho it was a long night lol

 

[Boston]

nah not yet, I my keyswitch fell apart the instant I pulled it out of the shop, so I'm out in the parking lot with the column all torn apart at the moment. Its been quite a ride. I'll double check but I'm pretty cure I'm relegated to a flexible stick rather than the stock unit.

 

[dagreendeville]

i have factory setup in mine! i think i slid my header down over the tube leaving it in the block

 

[Boston]

no clue how you guys might have accomplished getting a stick through those pipes, the space is about 1/8 to 1/4 and the tube is 3/8. but then again I think we have established that I have some pretty poorly built headers. One wild card that might be screwing me up and you guys might not have had to deal with is that my engine is offset a tad in the whole. Its definitely not centered with the passenger side being the tight side. So no way to go to the outside of the pipes. Hell I even ground a tad off the frame to get the 3/16 or so I do have.

 

[dagreendeville]

ill try to remember to get some pix for ya tomorrow

 

[david_lee]

why not pull the header and massage a little clearance into one of the pipes with a ballpeen hammer? would ugly it up a little bit, but it seems to me as though thats your easiest option.

 

[Boston]

yah I'm not really a beat it with a sledgehammer till it fits kinda guy.

 

[OLDBULL8]

If it don't fit use a bigger hammer, as the saying goes.