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Lokar Flex Dipstick

2K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  eric32 
#1 ·
I just installed one of these on a 'glide and in my case the the stick was off by half an inch too long. That means it would have said FULL and would still have been low on fluid.


I marked it where it needed to be, then took the handle off (uses a set screw) and cut that much off the cable. Be careful to keep the cable from unwinding or you'll never get it back into the handle. Once I had it back together, rechecked it and it was dead on.
 
#4 · (Edited)
This looks to be an improvement over the older offering. Have this for the trans. Where this one has a cable, mine has the profile of a stock dipstick.

What happens, taking a reading after adding ATF. The inside of the dipstick tube would still have some fluid residue. The dipstick being flat would scrap the sides of the tube inserting and removing. Deposit that on the hi-lo register.
Readings were always indicating full over full, and never trusting read results.

The only way to acquire somewhat of an accurate reading was to let things sit . Go out pull it and then it might/would give a good reading.

However, really extends the time for a check and top off, hours latter:smash:

I am glad to see what appears to be an better mouse trap, thanks for posing.

Car has been on the road as of 99, so I am really glad to see new and improved.

Pep
 
#8 · (Edited)
This looks to be an improvement over the older offering. Have this for the trans. Where this one has a cable, mine has the profile of a stock dipstick.

What happens, taking a reading after adding ATF. The inside of the dipstick tube would still have some fluid residue. The dipstick being flat would scrap the sides of the tube inserting and removing. Deposit that on the hi-lo register.
Readings were always indicating full over full, and never trusting read results.

The only way to acquire somewhat of an accurate reading was to let things sit . Go out pull it and then it might/would give a good reading.

However, really extends the time for a check and top off, hours latter:smash:

I am glad to see what appears to be an better mouse trap, thanks for posing.

Car has been on the road as of 99, so I am really glad to see new and improved.

Pep
Old thread... but I just wanted to add that the cable design is just as bad as the wide plastic blade type, maybe worse, well at least in our case.

I just replaced the, circa 1997, Lokar blade type transmission dipstick on our TH350 with the new cable style dipstick. Actually, the cable style seems to pick up more residual fluid in the housing while being retracted than the plastic blade style. But, since it's a cable it's hard to push through the housings flexible tube, and the cable feels like it's sawing into the tube also.

You can see the permanent set the plastic dipstick has for our Model A. It's gradual curves, nothing crazy tight at all. The housing mounts to the back of the right side cylinder head and down to the transmission.

Ugh... I'll just put the plastic one back in. $27 bucks spent for nothing. ($17.00 Dipstick, $10.00 Shipping)

If I had known this back in 1997 I would have taken the time to modify the stock GM steel tube and steel blade dipstick. OEM is far superior to the Lokar dipstick design.

(I should have put a 4 speed Muncie in it....)

Anybody found an aftermarket dipstick assembly that works better than OEM?


616941
616942

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#5 ·
I found the biggest issue with the Lokar is keeping the base ATF tight, Permatex 81180 ATF Gasket Maker on the O ring is a big help. The next is keeping ATF on the dip stick so the level can be seen, for that I roughen up the lower part with some 400 wet/dry to give some tooth the slick surface.

Bogie
 
#6 ·
I'll have to keep an eye on that issue. The way it's mounted in the trans case, it doesn't look like it'll come loose - that washer/bar should keep it from turning. It's also got a flat area with a crisscross pattern on it between the marks and so far it seems okay. This thing is approved as a locking stick to pass tech so I don't know if it's like the older model in that respect or not.
 
#9 ·
I had one of those Lokar style dipsticks before of the cable variety but for my oil pan, and since day one it was a pain to get and would get so hot that you could not even touch it and was very hard to read on the dipstick with a fresh new build and also had problems with the cable wanting like you said to dig into the housing part of it. Was hard to read so I had enough after about a month using it and went out and got a oil dipstick tube from a factory chevy 5.7 vortec and have been fine ever since with a custom made bracket to hold it to the side of my cylinder head and keeping it in place.

I was going to use on on my 350 turbo many years ago but I stayed with the factory oem original dipstick and am glad I did. Nice car by the way.
 
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