DA40-180 Oil Dipstick: Lycoming MSB 612

[DaveS1900]

Well, thanks to this thread getting bumped to the top -- I checked and have the old dipstick. Just purchased the DA40 earlier this year. Nice to have a place to go for information, great forum with active members.
Thanks --Dave S.

[TAILspin38]

Just came across this old thread looking through the archives. I have looked over my books and can't find any record of the oil dipstick being changed. Nothing under the SB list of things either. Rich, I saw you documented a great photo of the difference between the two sticks. Mine looks like the right one as the 4qt mark appears to be several inches from the end. Is this adequate proof that it is the right one as I don't see a serial number stamped on it?

[Rick]

Anthony,

I don't think there are part numbers on either dipstick, but it's pretty easy to tell. The OLD one has nearly linear spacing between the 4, 6, and 8-quart markings. The NEW one has much less space between the 4 and 6 marks than between the 6 and 8 marks. Also, on the OLD one, the 4-quart mark is almost at the end of the stick.

Here is a picture I took when I switched mine, with the OLD one on the top, and the NEW on the bottom:

Note that I had lined up the top of both sticks in my picture, too (just like Rich's), so you can see how different the levels are between the two sticks!

[Rich]

Anthony,

I don't think there are part numbers on either dipstick, but it's pretty easy to tell. The OLD one has nearly linear spacing between the 4, 6, and 8-quart markings. The NEW one has much less space between the 4 and 6 marks than between the 6 and 8 marks. Also, on the OLD one, the 4-quart mark is almost at the end of the stick.

Here is a picture I took when I switched mine, with the OLD one on the top, and the NEW on the bottom:New Dip Stick.jpgNote that I had lined up the top of both sticks in my picture, too (just like Rich's), so you can see how different the levels are between the two sticks!

The part number is stamped on the upper part of the dipstick. It is vertical. Mine looks like this:
L
W
-
1
4
7
6
0

[Rick]

The part number is stamped on the upper part of the dipstick. It is vertical. Mine looks like this:
L
W
-
1
4
7
6
0

I stand corrected, then - I'll have to look closer at mine next time I'm at the airport! That would make more sense, that they'd put a part number on it somewhere...

[TAILspin38]

Thanks for all your help DIAMOND 5's!!

[dmloftus]

Had my DA40 in for annual this month and turns out I still have the old dipstick. I'm the third owner and bought the plane June of 2020, so the first I knew of this was seeing this string on DAN. Southtec contacted Lycoming and they want $394 to replace it. Called Lycoming today myself and they said their warranty replacement period expired 5 years ago and that I would have to buy the replacement. I argued that this is a serious safety of flight issue that they created by installing the wrong dipstick. This should be similar to an automotive safety recall that does not distinguish between in and out of warranty vehicles. The tech support person said I can try to make a warranty claim after I purchase the new one, but did not sound hopeful. To me it's not the $400 but a matter of principle. They screwed up by putting the wrong dipstick in a $65,000 engine. They should replace the part whenever someone discovers they have the wrong one. Has anyone been successful getting a replacement after 2018? Any suggested contacts at Lycoming?

[mhoran]

It's on Spruce for $218.95 with $6 shipping to NYC. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... -16498.php

I ordered from them originally (within the warranty period) and they handled the warranty claim. You might be able to get some more leverage going through them.

Or perhaps contact an overhaul shop and see if they have one lying around.

[dmloftus]

It's on Spruce for $218.95 with $6 shipping to NYC. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... -16498.php

I ordered from them originally (within the warranty period) and they handled the warranty claim. You might be able to get some more leverage going through them.

Or perhaps contact an overhaul shop and see if they have one lying around.

Thanks Matt, I ordered from Aircraft Spruce and they will file the claim. It will be interesting to see if Lycoming pays it.

Lycoming's position is that all owners should have swapped them when they opened the warranty window in 2016, and that every A&P and IA working on Lycomings should have known about this MSB and have checked every dipstick for every IO-360-M series engine they worked on. In my 2+ years of ownership, I've had my DA40 serviced by 3 separate Diamond-certified maintenance facilities in NY, NC, and TX. None of them ever checked and my current shop doesn't seem to have any knowledge of this issue. Something is broken in the communication path.