Dropped solid debris down dip stick tube. HELP! :(

[DanishDiesel]

I was trying to change oil via the dipstick tube and 5 inches of plastic suction hose/tube broke off. What now? This is on a 2005 Passat TDI PD engine. I can’t see anything down the tube, so there looks like there is nothing to fish out. I didn’t start the engine. Is it as simple as dropping the oil pan and pray it is there or dose the dip stick tube go into an oil passage? Help. Please. It is my Father’s dream car and I think I just killed it. I feel like crying.

Thanks,
Nick

[Quantum-man]

Can't believe the dipstick goes anywhere other than into the oil in the sump. Nothing wrong with paranoia; but let the votes roll in and you'll be reassured

[surfcam]

You have to drop the oil anyway. You may get lucky and it may get pulled over to the drain as the oil drains. If it's a long piece it may get stuck. In that case see what you can see with a mirror and LED flash light. If you spot it get yourself a spring loaded claw grabber. They look like a choke cable. If that fails it's time to take the pan off.

4BTA 3.9 Cummins Stepvan
86TD Golf
91TD Jetta

[duffer]

Get a piece of very thin wire (like piano wire)

and see if you can hook it back up through

dipstick tube.

If not, then, push the piece of tubing all the

way through the dipstick tube, remove the oil

pan and retrieve the offending piece.

[idhoho]

Plastic tube eh? So what- You have been offered some great pointers but I feel that you are a bit baffled by the plastic shielding attached under the TDI. Just get the right bit and an electric drill/screwdriver and zip the center cover off. They are easy to put back on also and then you can inspect the CV boots (spray them with silicon) and everything else under there. Those little oil removal pumps are a joke.

I'll bet you can snake the plastic out of there without removing the pan. A bit of soft vinyl plastic in the oil pan is probably not gonna really hurt anything anyway. It would be nice to have it out of there though!

Put the car on jack stands before you crawl under there!

[libbybapa]

The risk to running the engine would be that the hose would get chopped/ground up and then plug the oil pump pickup screen and drop the oil pressure to zero. Certainly important to remove the bit of hose.

Andrew

[DanishDiesel]

I agree that changing the oil via the dipstick tube is not ideal. It went against my grain to try it in the first place but I read about people having such good luck with it, that I thought I would give it a try. I now know that one should ALWAYS listen to one’s gut instinct. I knew this would be trouble. ;(

The oil changer was a 12V Smith brand that is intended for boats. I believe the tube is softer then the one found on Pella brand and when inserted into the oil became even more pliable. What I thought was normal resistance, while withdrawing the tube, was actually the tube braking. Perhaps the soft plastic got caught on some rough castings.

So, the fixing. Not good. I think it is going to be very expensive. Looks like the whole subframe/ front suspension has to be dropped out inorder to removing the cross member found on the Passats, to get to the oil pan. This is what one mechanic told me and he wasn’t will to take on the job. I’m now trying to find someone in Louisville, Kentucky that would be up for the challenge. I fear what the dealer may charge. Is there a better way to drop the oil pan with out removing the subframe? Would it be easier to take the engine out through the top to get to the pan? I tried the grabber tools through the drain whole. No luck, as there is a shield immediately in side the drain plug.

Thanks to all for the great advice and support. You have all been a great help and cherish this site and forum. You can trust that I will never change my oil this way again….or at least with out first finding out how hard it is to remove the oil pan.