Fiat fitted with incorrect dipstick from new!

[Fishie]

Hi guys,
I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue? My 2014 2.3lt Ducato has been dealer/garage serviced since new, but as its not traveled far of late I thought I’d change the oil this time. Didn’t seem to be a lot of oil in the tray, so I measured it to find only 3lt had come out despite it being on the full mark.
Upon refilling with 6.5lt and checking the dipstick, it was over the high mark by about 25/30mm. So I marked the stick, and popped around to my pals who has a van with the same engine. Upon comparing the dipsticks, mine was considerably longer, meaning when it was on the full mark it was in fact just above the minimum! Put his in and it read full.
if you take a look at the picture you will see the scratch mark on my stick where it should be.
Just looked on eBay and found a new one for £146!! I wonder how I’d get on contacting Fiat customer service with a seven year old van?

 

[John Barrett]

Hi guys,
I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue? My 2014 2.3lt Ducato has been dealer/garage serviced since new, but as its not traveled far of late I thought I’d change the oil this time. Didn’t seem to be a lot of oil in the tray, so I measured it to find only 3lt had come out despite it being on the full mark.
Upon refilling with 6.5lt and checking the dipstick, it was over the high mark by about 25/30mm. So I marked the stick, and popped around to my pals who has a van with the same engine. Upon comparing the dipsticks, mine was considerably longer, meaning when it was on the full mark it was in fact just above the minimum! Put his in and it read full.
if you take a look at the picture you will see the scratch mark on my stick where it should be.
Just looked on eBay and found a new one for £146!! I wonder how I’d get on contacting Fiat customer service with a seven year old van?

As it's been garage serviced shouldn't the apprentice changing the oil have noticed this apparent discrepancy before you did...?

 

[JJ]

Interesting!

A similar thing happened when I was an apprentice mechanic at Cockshoots of Manchester in the mid sixties.

An Austin 1800 came in misfiring with smoke and oil coming out of the exhaust. The car was brand new. The owner had just topped up with oil. The foreman checked the out level.

Perfect.

They were going to strip down the engine for an examination but, as the mechanic (Sprog) drained out the oil, it overflowed his drain tray.

Yep.

An incorrectly marked dip stick...

I always remember it... I had to clean up the oil.


JJ

 

[Lenny HB]

If it was that low I would have expected it to show up on the electronic gauge on the dash and warning light come on together with the warning buzzer.

 

[Stealaway]

I far as I remember my 2012 2.3 engine had an electronic 5 dots oil level on the start up screen - what does yours show?
Is the top of the dip sticks the same?

What about this one - loads cheaper

Pardon our interruption...

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[donkey]

My Peugeot Boxer has the same 5 dots, but no explanation in handbook. What exactly are they indicating?

Geoff

 

[Emmit]

Once bought a crashed repairable Dolomite and one of the things that had disappeared prior to the repairers getting their hands on it was the dipstick.
They replaced it with a Toledo's gauge (much shorter)

I was sending smoke signals to everyone as the pistons were awash with 20-50 until I sussed it.

 

[Fishie]

Sadly Stealaway it’s also an incorrect stick.

 

[Landy Andy]

Have you also measured the dipstick tube that it goes into?

Surely the stick is only the wrong length if the tube it goes into is the same.

 

[Fishie]

Well as pals stick reads correctly in mine, and the quantity in sump is known and correct.
Plus mine reads the same (incorrectly) in 3 different 2.3 engines and is also a longer stick, so I doubt its the outer tube. Unless at some point they fitted a different inner and outer. But that still means an incorrect pairing fitted.
I'm gonna try my luck with Fiat customer services tomorrow.

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[Stealaway]

My 2.3 is 745 mm long

 

[Stealaway]

I was reading recently about the French car makers making vehicles for the German army. They purposely made the dip stick longer and left balls out of ball bearings.

 

[Badknee]

When your happy with the quantity of oil in yours cut a line on your stick with a hacksaw.

 

[Fishie]

Thanks Stealaway
Just measured mine from tip to the lip on the top that sits on the tube, and it’s 775mm!
I must admit I didn’t measure the difference between the ones photographed but reckon that’s about what it was.
So that’s four vans measured the same as yours, looks like I got the Friday night/Monday morning van that week!
Just need to convince the war office it’s a good reason to look for a new van now!!

 

[Fishie]

Yes I’ve filed a groove in the sides Paul. I wouldn’t be happy selling it on, with the wrong one when it’s time.

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[WillH]

Just mark the stick you have at the correct level, sorted.

Too slow. If you're selling it doesn't matter.

 

[bertiebasset]

Could it be the apprentice servicing yours one time placed your dipstick next to a n other and picked up the wrong one on completion. Maybe someone is running round with a full engine

 

[Fishie]

Very good point Bertie, hadn’t thought of that. Many years ago when servicing an HGV fleet I found most of the guys didn’t check the dipstick, as their philosophy was, I know what’s gone in and never been wrong yet.
I always worked old school, in case I was interrupted by an apprentice or tea break!!
I did wonder about Lennys comment on the warning lights etc. As I’ve never had anything like that on mine. So after having a play with the settings, I’ve come to the conclusion that as Lenny has a Hymer, the base vehicle spec is probably higher. My pal has a Burstner, that has hill assist on his Comfortmatic, but mine doesn’t.
Or is the oil warning light a post 2014 upgrade?

 

[Lenny HB]

My pal has a Burstner, that has hill assist on his Comfortmatic, but mine doesn’t.

Hill assist is a no charge option with the Comformatic but it has to be specified by the buyer, the converter in the case of a Motorhome.

 

[Fishie]

Thanks for the Lenny. Just the sort of thing the Hymer group would pickup on for their customers.
Not sure why all wouldn’t do that? Not a thing I have missed, as I had it on a couple of cars, but not atm. Probably more useful in the MH though.
I will be looking at the base spec more carefully next time, or just go the gin palace route and get a Hymer.
Oddly enough that was what we were looking at before we went the new route!

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[Lenny HB]

Hill hold works very well on a Motorhome, too well sometimes, holds the van firmly then as it comes off the van suddenly lurches forward if you give it too much welly. By contrast with my car it makes up its own mind if it wants to work or not.

 

[bertiebasset]

I did wonder about Lennys comment on the warning lights etc. As I’ve never had anything like that on mine. So after having a play with the settings, I’ve come to the conclusion that as Lenny has a Hymer, the base vehicle spec is probably higher.

Not sure if Lenny HB means the 5 ?? lights that show oil level. My 55 plated van had it but my 10 plate does not although not sure. We were in Spain once when I am sure they started to show. May be something to do with Service reset. Mine goes to local garage who do not reset as it seems to be a Fiat Service Centre thing.

 

[Lenny HB]

Not sure if Lenny HB means the 5 ?? lights that show oil level. My 55 plated van had it but my 10 plate does not although not sure. We were in Spain once when I am sure they started to show. May be something to do with Service reset. Mine goes to local garage who do not reset as it seems to be a Fiat Service Centre thing.

Yep, my 2014 van had it so does my 2017.
Also when the oil got low on my 2014 van going round a roundabout a warning light would come on and "Low oil Warning level" text would come up on the dash.

I didn't know the oil level bars on the dash wasn't standard on all models but I would expect the warning light and message is.

 

[bertiebasset]

Lenny HB I am fairly sure they are. I believe that it is reliant on the service interval being reset. On earlier models this was done on the cab buttons but my 2010 Autotrail Fiat needs resetting by Fiat at a remarkable cost. Have ask various garages to reset but they seem unable to do it. I feel my levels came on in Spain once,, maybe on an annual type time basis.

 

[pappajohn]

Looking at the two pictures they both have the same flat steel bit but the right hand one has a shorter upper spring.
Presumably, the left hand one is yours?
Probably is an automated manufacturing process fault.

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[Lenny HB]

Lenny HB I am fairly sure they are. I believe that it is reliant on the service interval being reset. On earlier models this was done on the cab buttons but my 2010 Autotrail Fiat needs resetting by Fiat at a remarkable cost. Have ask various garages to reset but they seem unable to do it. I feel my levels came on in Spain once,, maybe on an annual type time basis.

Only ever had mine serviced by an independent.

 

[Bessy765]

I will now check ours, 2019 Burstner on the Fiat 2.3 150 Comformatic. I get either the low oil level warning light come on sometimes or the low pressure warning light not working?

 

[Blackadder]

Not sure but I think I read about this in MMM mag last year sometime - if my memory isn't totally defective then Fiat changed the sump a few years ago but didn't change the dipstick for a month or three. But don't quote me on it.