Difficult to reach oil dip stick

[rav3]

Is it me or my truck, but I find it very difficult to reach the yellow dip stick handle & I'm 5'11". Maybe I just have short arms or something. Does anyone have a trick to do this short of carrying a step in the truck. This is on my '17 Silverado 1500 w/5.3l V8

 

Anyone have a "hack" for fix or aid getting it out. Got to some engineer out there with a fix!

[2018GMC]

Is it me or my truck, but I find it very difficult to reach the yellow dip stick handle & I'm 5'11". Maybe I just have short arms or something.[emoji849] Does anyone have a trick to do this short of carrying a step in the truck.[emoji848] This is on my '17 Silverado 1500 w/5.3l V8

Yep. I’m 5’11 and approaching 5’10” or less as I age. I blame gravity.

If I body slam the driver fender I can just reach it. Careful the “high strength” steel is thin! Don’t even breathe on the roof or it will dent.

Either find something to stand on or climb on the tire. The HD’s have a nice step built into the front bumper where the half tons have plastic.

[JimCost2014]

24 minutes ago, rav3 said:

Is it me or my truck, but I find it very difficult to reach the yellow dip stick handle & I'm 5'11". Maybe I just have short arms or something. Does anyone have a trick to do this short of carrying a step in the truck. This is on my '17 Silverado 1500 w/5.3l V8

It is not you, dipstick is in a hard to reach place.

 

I understand it is a truck, but really a PITA to get to.

[Grumpy Bear]

I'm 6'2" and shrinking and Pepper is lowered and I still bought a two step plastic stool I keep in the box for that and window washing. 

[BigBlueLB756]

Also adding a filler neck extension to the valve cover will help trying to get all of those eight quarts of oil into the engine and not all over everywhere.

 

 

[rav3]

6 minutes ago, BigBlueLB756 said:

Also adding a filler neck extension to the valve cover will help trying to get all of those eight quarts of oil into the engine and not all over everywhere.

 

 

Already ahead of you on this one. My filler tube is longer to make up for the short dip stick.

 

 

[BigBlueLB756]

Ah, I see you have been shopping in the Adult Toy department at Wallyworld!!!

 

Remember, after four hours you gotta go to the ER.

[VanguardK2]

Already ahead of you on this one. My filler tube is longer to make up for the short dip stick.[emoji16]
 
 

Hey did you have any fitment issues on your long tube dipstick? I had got mine and its loose and doesn't really seal like the shorter one you at mentioned. Figured I'd ask, also what was the part number? Mine didn't have any markings or gm numbers on it, I was wondering if yours was the same

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[rav3]

8 hours ago, VanguardK2 said:

Hey did you have any fitment issues on your long tube dipstick? I had got mine and its loose and doesn't really seal like the shorter one you at mentioned. Figured I'd ask, also what was the part number? Mine didn't have any markings or gm numbers on it, I was wondering if yours was the same

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Yes, the "oil fill tube" is somewhat loose/wiggley but it snapped in & I can not remove it now. I do not get any check engine light, so I will assume that there's no air leaking around it. I ordered it here https://www.gmpartsnow.com/oem-parts/gm-filler-tube-12691785

Filler Tube - GM (12691785)

I've posted add'l pics out of the box. You can see the snap feature that locks it in. My existing cover cap fits fine. It would be nice if some on with a '19-'20 Silverado would check theirs & post pictures.

 

[VanguardK2]

Yes, the "oil fill tube" is somewhat loose/wiggley but it snapped in & I can not remove it now. I do not get any check engine light, so I will assume that there's no air leaking around it. I ordered it here https://www.gmpartsnow.com/oem-parts/gm-filler-tube-12691785

Filler Tube - GM (12691785)

I've posted add'l pics out of the box. You can see the snap feature that locks it in. My existing cover cap fits fine. It would be nice if some on with a '19-'20 Silverado would check theirs & post pictures.
 

Ah, thanks for posting! Yeah mine snapped into place and I didn't know why I couldn't get it off and I broke off what must have been the lock tab. I'll have to get another one later cause I'm not crazy about how mine sits on the valve cover now. Tha ks for your response, exactly what I needed to know

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[UnlimitedMatt]

16 hours ago, rav3 said:

Is it me or my truck, but I find it very difficult to reach the yellow dip stick handle & I'm 5'11". Maybe I just have short arms or something. Does anyone have a trick to do this short of carrying a step in the truck. This is on my '17 Silverado 1500 w/5.3l V8

 

Anyone have a "hack" for fix or aid getting it out. Got to some engineer out there with a fix!

An upside down milk crate works for me.

[Salsa De Piña]

47 minutes ago, UnlimitedMatt said:

An upside down milk crate works for me.

"Warning: Use by other than registered owner punishable by law."

 

We're going to need to see your papers for that milk crate.

[JimCost2014]

1 hour ago, Salsa De Piña said:

"Warning: Use by other than registered owner punishable by law."

 

We're going to need to see your papers for that milk crate.

He will have to look for it in the folder with the tags that he has removed from all the mattress through the years.

[16LT4]

I dunno, I’m 6’-1” and never had an issue reaching the the dipstick in my 4x4. I can reach it easily. If you want to talk annoying, try pulling the heads on a lifted version of these things.  I had to have a stepladder when I pulled the cams on my lifted F150, now that was annoying! 

 

If the reach is too far, just drain the air out of the tires. Bring the vehicle to you.

[rav3]

18 minutes ago, 16LT4 said:

I dunno, I’m 6’-1” and never had an issue reaching the the dipstick in my 4x4. I can reach it easily. If you want to talk annoying, try pulling the heads on a lifted version of these things.  I had to have a stepladder when I pulled the cams on my lifted F150, now that was annoying! 

 

If the reach is too far, just drain the air out of the tires. Being the vehicle to you.

@16LT4.....You must have long legs & long arms stacked up on the 6'1". If I body slam the fender with my side, stand on my tippy toes, reach under the master brake cylinder, I can barely grab the ring of the yellow dip stick, and that's without being able to see the darn thing. Getting it back into the tube is an altogether another issue; then once it's started in the tube & trying to screw it in, as it will not just push in due to the twist in the flimsy thin metal, which wants to bend. Trying to pull it out from the front is impossible for me. Maybe at my age, I've shrunk more than I thought.

Now, as you suggested, I can just see me at a gas station filling up. The guy next to me will look at me letting the air out of my tires to gain access to the dip stick, check the oil, then try to get it back in, & then get an air pump out to fill the tires again. With a smile, he's say, "You should of gotten a Ford!"

Maybe I can attache  a string to it that's fastened to the hood so every-time I open the hood it pulls it out of the tube. 

The engineering group at GM had to be basketball players.

LOL! I'm just playing with you.....