Got it done. Ya they design the dipstick tube to go to the bottom of the pan so it can be used as a way to suck the oil. It's really a cheap design when you are much better off using a valve on the plug and running a tube out of the boats drain plug. You leave more oil when sucking and it leaves...
Ya my Toyota tells me when to get a coffee on a long trip. It's such a nuisance having all these backup features to prevent catastrophic engine damage. I wish they would just drive themselves oh wait....
Mine wouldn't with the composite timing cover. There was three covers used from 93 till 2010 steel, magnesium, and composite. The composite is so thick that the balancer sit maybe a 1/8 engaged before it hit.
It sure would have been nice if Mercruiser would have been nice enough to added a low level indicator but I guess they would rather sell more engines :(. I did find a cool dipstick that was sold in the early 2010s called the Intellistick but they overpriced themselves into oblivion.
I'm doing a swap from a 93 4.3LX to a Longblock ATK Crate DMW4 4.3 I used a truck 2011 Harmonic Dampiner and trimmed the lip to keep the V belt setup. But you have to measure it. I bought a new Seira water pump from Oriellys and using the composite timing and valve covers. I used an edelbrock...
They are different the 4.3 has almost 6 versions and internal balancer shafts and belt drive type is why they changed things up with the dampners/balancers.
So I'm upgrading my 93 4.3 to a ATK Crate VORTEC4 .3. The biggest problem Im facing is the stock oil dipstick won't fit in between the manifold and valve covers. I seen someone had did this swap 7 years ago and that's helped me up until this issue. Anyone have any tips?
