dip stick plug / changing location from front right to back left

  • #1

    dip stick plug / changing location from front right to back left

    I haven't seen this before. I rebuilt a vg30 "T" that I believe came out of a maxima or something not a z31. The pan was reversed, but had the return tube for the oil out of the turbo on the correct side. also the water fill from the radiator to the thermostat didn't have a fill cap but had a couple sensors threaded in. Also the dip stick was front passenger side not the rear driver side. the question is how to go about getting the plug out of the back driver side to put the dip stick in the correct location. It shouldn't be that big of a deal but thought I'd check here before I start taping it with something on the edges to get it to dislodge enough to grab it with something and pull it out..
  • #2
    You have to swap oil pans right? when you do that, tap it out from underneath with a punch or Phillips head screwdriver. Use the original z31 dipstick dipstick tube in that location.
    Use a pair of channel locks or gentle pressure on a set of vice grips and rotate the tube left/right while pulling up. They are a pres fit, like the plugs.

    iirc, if you use the maxima dipstick in the z31 location with the z31 oil pan, it is too long and the crank will shred the end of the dipstick into little fragments of steel wire that you definitely do not want in your oil pan.


    84 AE/Shiro #683/Shiro #820/84 Turbo
  • #3
    Yes to all of the above. I actually had it running and drove it to San Diego. No dipstick, no speedo , no fuel gage. (Nothing to worry about there). Ha ha Noticed the dipstick hitting the crank. It didn't push down enough to hurt the d stick. Or my lightning fast reflexes pulled it back just in time. Wink I'm off work now and going to see what I can do. Not pulling the pan though. That seems like a great way. I'm going to make a long sharp punch. (Like about a foot) so I can get past the exhaust which makes for a tight work space, and bend it toward the center. Then maybe get a screw in the top to yank on it if I do get it to move… I'll let ya know how it works out. Hell I can always pull the pan.