dipstick tube

I'm right in the middle of changing the timing belt on my daughter's 98
Civic (VTEC). The job is going pretty well as I did my 95 Civic's timing
belt this past spring. I'm trying to not destroy the oil dipstick tube
which must be removed on the 98 to be able to remove the lower timing belt
cover. I have removed the clip that holds the tube against the motor, but
it does not want to come out of the bottom of the engine. It's also kind
of wedged into the side of the timing belt cover. I have the factory book
for the 95, but only a Haynes Book for the 98. On page 2A-11 it says:
remove the dickstick tube from the front of the engine?
Any hints or help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

This is odd. I have the Honda manual for the '98. There is absolutely no
mention of the oil dipstick tube at all in the procedure for removing the
lower timing belt cover, and I have not personally encountered any Honda
model that required this.

Are you quite certain that the lower cover will not budge with the dipstick
tube in place? I highly suspect your (gag) Haynes is highly incorrect.

 

Thanks Tegger, I will remove the upper motor mount in the AM. It's
possible (I guess) that the oil dipstick tube does not need to be removed.
Many thanks.

 

-------------------------------

I had to remove it when I did the TB on my '95 Odyssey. Could be the
author of the Haynes book is mistaken.

'Curly'

 

Looks to me like the dipstick tube has to come out. I can't budge the
lower timing cover, even with the upper motor mount removed. The tube is
almost completely notched into the front corner of the the lower timing
belt cover with a bolt behind it that I am slowly working out.
I will try a little PB Blaster where it goes into the engine. That tube is
really stuck tight. The notched cut out where the tube fits in the corner
of the cover is keeping me from wiggeling the tube more than a sixteenth
of an inch. Curley, how much of a pull did it take for you to remove your
dipstick tube? I'm afraid of crushing the tube if I try to clamp on it
with anything. Anyone out there ever pulled a dipstick tube on a 96 -
2000 Civic EX to get the lower timing cover off? I may be missing
something here? Any assistance in this matter is VERY greatly
appreciated.

 

Honda-tech.com has the following report on removing the
dipstick on a 98 CR-V:
" it's pressed in. back and forth motion will get it out"

"grab the dipstick with a pair of vise grips at the bottom
wrapped in a rag and turn left and right while lifting up.
this will usually do the trick."

Other reports at honda-tech indicate the tube does seem to
pop out on its own fairly often, supporting the contention
that it is just "pressed in."


http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=220571
(Registration, if needed, is free. I have had no email spam
problems with this site.)

 

It seems that the 91-93 Accords (among other Honda models)
require removal of the dipstick tube during a TB
replacement. See for example
http://media.honda.co.uk/car/owner/media/manuals/AccordManual/400/5-36.pdf

Step 10 says to "Remove the dipstick and pipe." The
instructions direct the technician to replace the dipstick
tube O-ring.

The archives support this for this Accord and IIRC some
other models.

The site below likewise also appears to include an excerpt
from a factory service manual for a VTEC Civic and also
directs the technician to remove the dipstick tube:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060805191339AAkfsKJ

Autozone's free online manual ("just" a Chilton's/Haynes)
for this year Accord also directs removal of the dipstick
tube:

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0c/f7/06/0900823d800cf706.jsp

Unfortunately Autozone does not have the manual for a 98
Civic.

Seems like this may be unique to Honda VTECs.

For the record, Chilton's these days often contains excerpts
from the factory service manuals. I have noticed that very
old Chilton's, printed in the 1980s say, tend to be generic
and were not very good. But the Chilton's printed more
recently are very detailed. I disagree that today's
Chilton's are useless.

 

Elle, what can I say except, thanks a lot. Now, back to the mission.

 

Which I've never worked on, hence my ignorance.

 

I thought the Ebsco site ("Auto Repair Reference Center"
cited at your FAQ site) said some interesting things on
this. The 98 Civic's "timing belt cover and seal" section
direct only that the accessory belts and crankshaft pulley
be removed to remove the lower cover. By contrast, the
"timing belt and sprockets" section says to "remove all
necessary components to gain access to the cylinder head and
timing belt covers."

Of course, with any manual, there is some reading between
the lines that is necessary for the layperson. Removing the
dipstick tube might be implied above.

On the VTEC's, that's just my guess based on the paper chase
behind my remarks.

I can't tell much from the online parts drawings of the
dipstick tube, other than the bottom of the tube does seem
to be cramped in there, as duckbill pointed out.

 

Thanks for all your time and effort guys. The close quarters where the
tube goes in the block is keeping me from being able to try to twist much.
So far, the tube has not moved at all. If I pulled the AC compressor and
mount, I would have some breathing room. The tube (about half way to the
top) has a lip where it's deeply imbedded in the corner of the lower
timing cover. So I can't twist it or lift it. Twisting at the top and
bottom is restricted (I think) because the tube has a slight bend to it. I
suspect the lip on the plastic timing cover and the lip on the tube right
next to each other ensures that the tube will not exit the engine. And
there are 2 timing cover bolts behind the tube. One is removed and I
going to try to get the second one out. That way the lower cover may
shift just enough to be able to work out the oil fill tube? This is very
likely not a big problem, once you have done one. I'm trying not to break
anything here. The good news is I have the car thru next Sat. So I do have
a little breathing room. Again, thanks for all the help.

 

It's out...I think the PB Blaster helped. I got it to turn slightly from
down below. And then it was able to be wiggled quite a lot from the top.
Then it took a small pair of vice grips clamped to the bottom of the tube
hit upwards with a small hammer and it broke free and twisted out. It
looks like a strong tube. Many thanks for all the support and advice.

 

Way to persist! PB Blaster does totally rock.

I will keep an eye peeled for how the rest of the TB job
goes.

 

Well Elle, the new O ring was never stocked by one Honda Dealer and the
second one carried just one for the dipstick tube. That tells me changing
them is not a big priority. It should be; my old one was severely
deformed. I almost had a perfect match using an AC O ring. I thought it
was perfect until I got the new Honda one which is a little bit fatter.
Part # 91302-GE0-000. Cheers.

 

Seemed like the archives had a fair number of reports of the
dipstick tube lower joint leaking, too. (Typically folks
suggested JB Weld? Not sure if every model has the O-ring.)

 

Elle, thanks again for all the help, your the best! For how tight the
dipstick tube was, I thought it was pressed in. But such was not the
case. When I re-installed the tube with a new Honda O ring, with oil on
it; it just fell right in; no effort required. The old O ring was what
was holding the tube in. Hard for me to believe?

 

Interesting. Good info for the archives.

 

When I did the t-belt on my 98, I removed the dipstick tube. It interfered
with something.

Didn't have any problems getting it out, unclip and pull.

t