Hypothetical question:

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It may act like an open PCV systen and draw in unfiltered and unmetered air since modern engines are essentially a "sealed" system. I've seen some engines change the way they idle if the dipstick is out. Most noticable at idle.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
He didn't say it was a motor oil dipstick, now did he. There are at least two other common dipsticks found on most cars more than a few years old.


It's the motor oil forum, so assuming he's talking about an enine oil dipstick seems logical.
 
I would imagine some odd noises from under the hood and perhaps some oil splatter around the open tube area. Eventually the engine would probably get low on oil if run long enough without the OIL dipstick. Unless you're driving in a dusty area, I honestly would not worry too much about unfiltered air entering the dipstick tube.
 
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On an engine old enough or crude enough to have a non-sealed dipstick and no PCV system (e.g., my Chevrolet below), it would make no difference.
On an engine with PCV system that draws in unmetered air (e.g., my Mazda below), it would make no difference, except more airborne dirt might enter, and oil might splash out occasionally.
On anything newer, what ZeeOSix said applies.
 
2013 through current Nissan Altimas come from the factory with no dipstick. Instead, they just have a cap on the tube...

.. why they have a tube without a dipstick just strikes me as stupid, but they do it. I'm buying a dipstick for mine.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Check the nut behind the wheel.


Don't you mean it's a loose nut behind the wheel? We also use to throw out that it's an ID 10T error.

Originally Posted by SirTanon
2013 through current Nissan Altimas come from the factory with no dipstick. Instead, they just have a cap on the tube...

.. why they have a tube without a dipstick just strikes me as stupid, but they do it. I'm buying a dipstick for mine.


Mercedes can be worse. They do the same thing for their transmission fluid. You can also buy a dipstick, but the dipstick doesn't fully fit in the tube so after you use the dipstick, you have to remove it. At least they sell the replacement cap in a 5 pack.

At least be happy there's a dipstick. Some newer cars don't even have a transmission dipstick anymore, got it figure out the temperature before you can add fluid and once it overflows, that's when you know you have the right amount.
 
The engine will self-destruct, and...
The earth will stop spinning on its axis, and...
The laws of gravity will cease to apply, thereby throwing everything we know into total disarray, and...
Reality, as we know it, will no longer exist...at least in this dimension, I cannot speak for any of the other 10...

In other words, leave the dip stick alone, unless you are willing to bring us all to an untimely end...Hypothetically speaking, of course.
 
I wouldn't be worried about the actual O2 since it will evacuate via the pcv system. However, that is unfiltered O2, so it most likely will introduce (ingress) contaminants.

On the flip side, an oil dip stick that keeps popping out could be a sign of a clogged pcv or excessive blow by.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by SirTanon
2013 through current Nissan Altimas come from the factory with no dipstick. Instead, they just have a cap on the tube...

.. why they have a tube without a dipstick just strikes me as stupid, but they do it. I'm buying a dipstick for mine.


Mercedes can be worse. They do the same thing for their transmission fluid. You can also buy a dipstick, but the dipstick doesn't fully fit in the tube so after you use the dipstick, you have to remove it. At least they sell the replacement cap in a 5 pack.

At least be happy there's a dipstick. Some newer cars don't even have a transmission dipstick anymore, got it figure out the temperature before you can add fluid and once it overflows, that's when you know you have the right amount.

What do you think I'm talking about? 2013 and onward Altimas don't come with them from the factory, and they don't intend for them to have them. The transmission has two plugs - one to train and one to 'level set' to check fill level when doing a drain/fill.

The only way to actually get a dipstick for one of these is to buy a 2012 model dipstick from the dealership and put it into the fill tube, after removing the cap that comes on it.
 
OP here, what happened is Daughter and SIL bought new car about a month ago. They are not sure what happened, but found dipstick in place but not pushed down and not sealing. The dipstick top was resting down (uncentered) from the center of the tube, so it was offset about halfway.

They drove about 1500 miles like that -- we say hypothetically, -- because no one knows exactly when it occoured. No CEL, no unusual idleing, no nothing as far as we can see. I think they are OK. Push dipstick in and drive on is all I know to do.
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
OP here, what happened is Daughter and SIL bought new car about a month ago. They are not sure what happened, but found dipstick in place but not pushed down and not sealing. The dipstick top was resting down (uncentered) from the center of the tube, so it was offset about halfway.

They drove about 1500 miles like that -- we say hypothetically, -- because no one knows exactly when it occoured. No CEL, no unusual idleing, no nothing as far as we can see. I think they are OK. Push dipstick in and drive on is all I know to do.

Yep... there's not much you can do about it at this point. If the oils dispersants are still working, the oil filter should capture any contaminants that may have entered via the dipstick tube. I honestly wouldn't lose any sleep over it.. unless they make it a habit of not pushing the dipstick all the way down.
 
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