Oil Hose broke inside dipstick hole

Hi,

I have a brand new Honda Outboard Engine 8HP LH. Few days ago I noticed that the oil level was too high. Following local mechanics advice, I tried to remove some of the oil using a manual oil extractor pump through a dipstick hole. When I was removing the oil hose from the dipstick hole, a large part of the hose broke and is now stuck inside. I'm a bit confused because I was removing the hose quite gently.

Anyway, I would really appreciate any advice.

Thank you very much.

If it is stuck in the tube, maybe you could fashion a long stiff wire with a hook on the end and go down through the tube and the hose...hook it...then pull it up.

If it is no longer in the tube, then you might get lucky by draining the oil and fishing it out through the oil drain...if the hose is smaller than the diameter of the hole.

Either way, stuck in the tube will not harm anything...as long as it stays there and the dip stick fits down the tube.

If it is in the oil pan, then you should get it out, so that it does not get sucked up into the oil pickup and cut down your oil pressure.
That would involve removing the powerhead.

I know you did not want to hear that last statement.

If you have access to a bore scope that will go into those openings, at least to could verify where it may be.

Mike

Hello,

Sorry to hear you're having problems.

It does sound as if part of the hose is lodged in the dipstick tube. Correct? If so, Mike's stiff wire fashioned with a hook at the end idea sounds like a good one.

I just wanted to add that, if you can see it in there with a bright LED flashlight, you may also be able to "hook" in to it with a suitable "pick". Harbor Freight sells packages of "dental picks" that are inexpensive but pretty tough. I use them all the time to reach and poke into things that are in tight places. You may have to sort of straighten one out to make it fit down into the tube and do the job but, because they cost so little, if you happen to break one while doing so it's is no big deal.

With either method, however, there is a risk you want to avoid. Try to not break off any of the remaining tube and have it fall into the crankcase. If the pieces are small enough, they will come out with an oil drain. But, introducing anything foreign into the crankcase is not advisable if you can help it. Use a great deal of care while "fishing" the tube out and you should be OK.

Good luck.

Hi,

Thank you for you replies.

However hose is not in the dipstick tube, it fell down to the oil pan. I could not hook it out so I decided to take the engine to local Honda mechanic.

Anyway, thanks for your support and I guess I'll avoid removing oil through a dipstick hole in the future.

Well, I hope you found a good tech to help you with your engine. Having someone you can count on to fix your outboard is as valuable as a watertight hull.

The old suction hose broken off in the dipstick tube is actually quite common. You are not the first nor will you be the last to discover the "oil change shortcut" isn't so short. Plastic, rubber and hot oil just don't make good bedfellows.

Good luck with the repair and let us know how you make out. We are pulling for you to have a good outcome.

Luckily 8hp outboard is not so heavy. With help from my friends I take the ouyboard from boat to mechanic quite easily.
He charged me around 50 dollars to take the hose out.
The engine is now back on the boat, ready to run.
I'm quite new to all pf this, so at least I learned something new.
Thanks everybody and greetings from Zadar, Croatia.

Great outcome Zadar! Congratulations on getting your outboard "fixed" and...more importantly....finding someone that could help you at a REASONABLE price.
Thanks for letting us know how it turned out.

jimmyd...Southern California..U.S.A.