| Author | Message | ||
     Reducati |
i was checking my oil using a thing strip of cardboard....and it fell in the swing arm,,,cant fish it out...what do i need to do..havent started the bike, thanks, dan | ||
| Fran_dog |
Try using mechanical fingers. You need to get it out. You could drain the oil, and it might be near the drain hole. Good luck. | ||
| Madsx |
Was your dipstick broken? | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Burn it out?  | ||
| Frausty12r |
I once heard cardboard was biodegradable... since oil is organic, it's possible in about 12 yrs it'll be decomposed.. (wonder if it's an octane booster like those mothballs I read about *grin) No get some mechanical fingers like fran_dog talked about, you can get em at most hardware stores for like 5 bucks.. they come in handy if you drop a nut/bolt/screw in tight or hard to reach places.. Again, tell us why you used a piece of cardboard... and WHY you didn't make it a foot long? *grin* gotta bash ya a little bit.. funny incident. | ||
| Reducati |
easier to read than the dip stick...i will try to get the mechanical fingers...is that the name of them, or is their a brand name? thanks in advance | ||
| Frausty12r |
Nope thats the name of them.. http://www.setools.com/mechfing.shtml | ||
| Captjim |
I know this dosen't help you now but. I was having great difficulty reading the dipstick. What I discovered over time was that I was not getting the stick dry enough before checking. Now I take the stick out and dry it real good with a paper towel. When the stick is real dry the shiny oil level is very easy to see. Onto your problem, be patient and fish around using the mechanical fingers. A dental mirror and flashlight might help also. You have to get it our of there. I am afraid it might clog oil flow to the engine. Good luck. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Instead of the shiny factory finish I scuffed mine a bit with a scotchbrite pad so I could get a contrast. Just a thought. | ||
| Opto |
I'd go for the drain the oil, and flashlight and mirror method, once you see it you can drag it over the drain hole with a piece of coathanger or similar wire, then a hooked paper clip could pull the cardboard strip out. Be careful about scratching the inside of the tank with a sharp edge on the wire in case the tank has some sort of special inside finish/liner. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I guess not everyone has heard about my dipstick mod:-( Just cover the dipstick with a little colored shrink tube. You can even try to match the color of your bike, ( Unless it is black:-)  Not perfect, but safe. Had it on for over 7000 miles. | ||
| Reducati |
you guys are the best...mechanical fingers did the fishing and i caught the mofo....thanks again for all your tips, and help....yea...and im gonna stick with the dip stick from now on...be safe. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Jon... I tried that, and when the oil was hot, the tubing got REALLY soft and gave me the heebie jeebies, so I pulled it off. Maybe I will try and paint it... | ||
| Captjim |
Congrats, I bet that was scary for awhile! | ||
| Cruisin |
I picked up one of these...looks great with the gold and it's easy to read:  It's stainless aircraft cable with clamped on beads for the high/low spots  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Frausty, don't feel bad. You should have seen me crawling under a leaned over SV-650 trying to figure out how to get 2 feet of nylon strapping back out through the drain hole. It seemed like *such* a good idea when I started, and the problem with the approach seemed SO obvious as I was there fishing for it contemplating how much it will cost to split the cases. Like in your case though, it all worked out after a tense hour or so. The same "application of logic" that dug the hole in the first place got me back out, but I could have lived without the drama... | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
cheep- Not sure that painting is such a great idea, as the sides of the dipstick touch the sharp edges of the dipstick opening, could release paint chips into the oil. Some guys have done it though. There are lots of different spec.s of shrink tube out there, the one I used, Napa 784653 must be a high temp one, because I know it doesn't get soft, even after track day use. The other things guys do, is just sand the dipstick so it isn't shiny any more, makes it easier to read. | ||
| Sparky |
What I have done with my car's dipstick which is shiny chrome is to just lay the dipstick down on a paper towel or newspaper. Even if the oil film is invisible on the dipstick it shows up plainly on the paper. YMMV of course, but at least the dipstick is the only thing going into the oil.  | ||
| Spatten1 |
Get a cardboard magnet. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Sparky- Damn! Why didn't I think of that?  | ||
| Metalstorm |
I do just like Captjim. I dry the stick thoroughly with a paper towel before dipping it. It makes it very easy to see the level. | ||
| Blake |
Sparky, that is a great solution! |
