Well in all my 55 years of working on things mechanical and wrenching on stuff I have always been vigilant in organizing and covering open engine parts when tearing down engines. This was just one of those things that catch you off guard.

The story: I was doing a three hole oil change, and drained all holes. Had finished putting the primary and engine oil in and filled the trans.

Had not checked the engine oil level yet but was checking the trans level. I was wearing rubber gloves and had oil on the finger tips, pulled out the trans dip stick and was looking at it and butter fingered it and it sort of did a little bounce and went in the engine oil hole. Some bad words learned over the years came out of my mouth and I know my Tri-Glide was laughing at me for what just happened.

What are the chances of that happening?? Anyhow, tried looking down the hole with a mirror and light and could not see it. I'm thinking, crap if I can't get it out I will have to pull the oil pan to get at it.

So I go fishing with my magnetic retrieval tool and hope the trans dipstick is magnetic and not some Chinese pot metal crap. Got lucky and felt it stick and carefully lifted it and got hold of it with my spring finger grabber tool.

Do not have an issue with posting or calling myself a dumbass when warranted if it helps someone else not to repeat the dumbass. It is always good to laugh at yourself and not take life too seriously.

 

Trust me CoolBreeze, I've done a ton of "Happenstance" things in my life that made me say, "What were the damn odds of that!!!" I would have no room to laugh at you about something like that, for sure! Those situations are only funny once the issue is rectified, lol. I'd be the first one to laugh at myself for doing it too! Again, glad you got it out easily enough.......

 

Yeah, I talked to him this morning and he said he tried using a grabber tool with no luck. he said he can't see the tape and the gears are in the way. I told him about the vacuum trick

 

Transmission oil is not hard to read, it's baffling to me why people find it so difficult.

Simply wipe the dipstick across a paper towel, you'll see where the oil line is

 

And if you put a piece of tape over the dipstick to see the oil, how would you read the dipstick.

 

I asked him the same thing. He said he used a small piece just below the full mark I would imagine just taping the crosshatch

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about a small bit of tape in the transmission. Likely, the oil will turn it to mush and a trip through the gears will finish it off. (assuming of course that it is just a small piece and not some big wad of crap...)

 

Maybe I missed it ... I didn't read that he got it out ???

 

not yet he said he was trying the vacuum