At 11:47 AM 12/4/2000 -0500, Larry Cogan wrote:
>I have a 59 MGA with the original 1500 engine. .... In looking at the Vicky Britt and Moss catalogs I see two diff dipstick versions. A straight stick for earlier cars and a stick with two 45 degree bends for later cars. .... I also note that the catalogs show the straight stick without any "stop lug" to set the depth of the stick into the sump. Not so concerned about originality as much as having a properly calibrated dipstick.

Except for the double bend in the top of the later model, the two dipsticks are functionally identical from the bend down, and neither one has a collar stop. There is a small indentation (about one inch across) in the bottom corner of the oil pan directly under the dipstisk. The dipstick bottoms out in the oil pan with a nice metalic clunk. The MIN mark is 1-11/16 inchs from the bottom end of the stick. The MAX mark is 2-1/16 inches from the bottom of the stick. Nothing else matters, except for the appearance and the top seal. The MGA seals the top of the dipstick tube with a LARGE (much larger than necessary) rubber boot that is a tight fit on the stick. You put the boot part way up on the stick, and then push the stick into place until it hits the bottom of the pan. In the process the boot lands on top of the tube and is pushed up the stick to exactly the right position. Next time you put the stick back into the engine the boot just touches the top of the tube at the same time that the stick hits the bottom of the pan.

>Questions:
>Does it make any difference or should I be obsessing about more important things (like that strange noise between 2400 and 3100 rpm)?

Incorrect oil level makes a HUGE difference. I personally have butchered the rod bearings on a nearly new engine by autocrossing it when one quart low on oil, as the oil pressure disappeared in a hard turn. I know someone who did a couple of extra engine overhauls because of excessive oil consumption and a terrific amount of smoking and blowing of oil out the tailpipe and out the tappet cover draft tube before discovering the wrong dipstick had the oil level at least a quart too high. I'm still thinking the last two overhauls were unnecessary and a waste of money, caused only by ignorance of the wrong dipstick.

>I realize that I could simply drain the oil, put in the specified amount and "recalibrate" the wad of tape to that level, but that seems quite inelegant.

Or just file new marks on the dipstick in the appropriate locations, as noted above.

Barney Gaylord