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My oil dipstick tube became dislodged and when I put the dipstick back in it missed the tube and ended up dragging on the ground. When I discovered it, a lot had been ground off. I am trying to locate one that is long enough and would like to know if anyone has a 1999 Safari Sahara 3550, with Cat 326B, that could tell me how long the dipstick is. Also if anyone knows where to find one that would be of great help.

Dean,

I would suggest looking in an RV salvage yard like Colaws, they have plenty of Safaris, and even if it is not the exact model, you can always calibrate the dipstick at your next oil change. Also, I really doubt there is much difference, if any, between dipsticks of same model year Sahara, Serengeti, or Continental, as long as the engine is the same, which most are, with the exception of the Panther model. Also the service by is pretty much the same, so it is likely that the factory bulk purchased dipsticks all the same size to save money. By '99 SMC was really penny pinching.

John, I tried the surplus yards without success. I did get two lengths from a post on the FaceBook Safari site and there was a 10" difference between them. I did some searching on-line for a long one that I could cut down, but that wasn't successful since there was little info on lengths and no specs on the diameter and width of the blades and most did not have a twist to them. One outfit did tell me that the CAT was delivered with the tube and dipstick and said the specs matched my estimated length, diameter and width and provided the part number. I found one on Ebay (half the price of CATs) and ordered it and will soon find out if it works.

Dean,

So what you are saying is your engine oil dipstick is very similar to your transmission oil dipstick???

If your dipstick and dipstick tube is located in the service bay, can you please provide a good photo of your service bay?

John,
My oil dipstick is smaller than the transmission dipstick and they are located beside each other in the top right corner of the service bay. From the input I received from two suppliers, Cat provided the oil dipstick and tube to Safari and they provided the Cat part number as 158-4439. One of the suppliers said that this dipstick meets the dimensions that I provided but they didn't have on in stock. I ordered one on Ebay and will received it in next week and will post whether it is the right one.
Dean, 1999 Safari Sahara 3550.

John,
I just received my new oil dipstick and it is the right one. It is 68" long and the CAT part number is 158-4439. An aside, I read in someone's blog to use dishwashing detergent to clean holding tank sensors. I tried it and mine are working great. My tank just showed full and I dumped both and they both went to empty. It's been over 10 years since they worked properly, the gray tank staying on full.
Dean, 1999 Safari Sahara 3550

deanshaw wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 10:47 am John,
I just received my new oil dipstick and it is the right one. It is 68" long and the CAT part number is 158-4439. An aside, I read in someone's blog to use dishwashing detergent to clean holding tank sensors. I tried it and mine are working great. My tank just showed full and I dumped both and they both went to empty. It's been over 10 years since they worked properly, the gray tank staying on full.
Dean, 1999 Safari Sahara 3550

Dean, thank you for the update and posting the part number, I'm glad that it turned out to be easy to source the part.

What kind or brand of dishwashing soap did you use?
Is this actual detergent for automatic dishwashers, or regular dish soap to wash dishes by hand???

John, the soap I used to clean our sensors was Automatic Dishwasher Soap. I don't know the brand, but I bought it at Dollar General around the corner from our current camp site. This type soap made sense since it rinses well in dishwasher, not leaving residue on glasses. My screen shows me as signed in now as it did last time and everything seems to be working properly.
Dean

Thank you Dean, I will have to give that a try.

With the new engine oil dipstick.

Next oil change, a STRONG SUGGESTION: Calibrate the dip stick rather than assume it is correct.

It is free to do-- if you need "blow by blow", let us know.