Hey again, can't remember if I posted about this, I think I did on Reddit and no one had anything nice to say so I'm desperate for a real answer so I've come crawling here.

I had my water pump and thermostat replaced, and gallery gasket bolts retorqued in early 2024 and haven't been able to read my oil correctly ever since. Basically, every time I try and put my dipstick in it goes in 80-90% and hits something. There's this weird ledge or something before it fully goes in. I understand the front cover had to be taken off to do the maintenance but that's it. I've had to let the car sit for 10+ minutes every time I want to check my oil and I can only check it once. Replacing it will cause a ton of splash because it never slides in correctly. Any normal person would say who cares but clearly something's wrong and this was never an issue before. It makes doing an oil change take three times as long and all together a huge pain in the ***.

I immediately encountered this issue the second I checked my oil and noticed- they of course said it was normal.. Obviously it's not and I'll never go back to them for anything. But I've been so curious what could've possibly been screwed up? They shouldn't have been anywhere near the dipstick doing those two things? Yes the dipstick is facing the correct direction, no this was never an issue. It feels like it bends or twists slightly then clips a small ledge, that's the best I can describe it. Maybe the holster was bent? I haven't found anything on dipstick replacements for the G37 other than some part numbers.

Thanks for any future insight..

 

Sorry to say, but this sounds like you may have to disassemble the VQ37VHR to find the blockage. You don't mention WHO did the work, but clearly something is blocking the dipstick. Could it be critical issue? I don't know, but not being able to accurately check oil levels make me nervous.

 

Replying from my phone so formatting might be weird.

So it was a “reputable vq shop” that primarily tunes and works on these kinds of cars. They should've been more than capable of doing this work and when I told them and explained the exact issue they wouldn’t take accountability. (This has happened before with other things and many other people).

I can check my oil after 10-15 minutes because the splash makes its way back down the dipstick luckily, but obviously there’s something out of place and I mainly want to make sure it’s not critical. Luckily I always change my own oil and the fluid amounts have always been consistent.

I forgot to mention they also did an oil change when I specifically said not to- because like I just said I always always do my own changes with the fluid and filters I prefer.. Not sure how the oil change could've went wrong either but it’s worth mentioning.

 

If you have a borescope, or can rent one from a parts store/take your car to a local mechanic (most mechanics should have a borescope and can do this for you), stick it down the dipstick tube assuming you have a scope with a small enough diameter. You should also borescope the crank case to get to the upper oil pan and into the lower portion of the front timing cover via the oil drain plug during your next oil change. That'll let you see if anything is protruding from the crank case into the dipstick tube and give you concrete proof if anything is in there that the shop could have caused. Could be a piece of old gasket, silicone used to reseal the timing cover, a dropped bolt or nut, etc, or the dipstick tube itself may have been pinched during reassembly and is crushed at the exit point. Either way, I'd get a scope in there and see what's going on. If the tube isn't crushed and something is blocking it, it's a matter of time before whatever is blocking it dislodges or causes some other issues.

The fact you have to wait 10-15 minutes to get the dipstick back in and drained suggests there's something expanding in there with heat, and it contracts as it cools down making space for the oil to flow back to the pan. My money is on the dipstick tube being pinched at the end.

 

Sorry for the late reply, my mind completely slipped on the borescope method! I bet it's that sealer they used on the timing cover, they definitely used a liberal amount. If I remember correctly you can see it around some of the edges. I might've worked it wrong, but whether the car was running or sitting, I can only get one good reading. A second reading results in a lot of splash, that's why I have to let it sit, and why an oil change takes so long because it all needs to settle.

Just ruins my day knowing a shop created an issue they won't take accountability for, and would absolutely charge me if I went back and complained about it. I trust these shops less and less every day I swear.