mjcampb

I went a different route, which was to have a dedicated light source under the hood so I could see what the hell I was doing. I attached a LED keychain light to a spring clamp thingy under the hood. Its got a on/off switch (so you don't have to press it all the time) and all I do is position it so it lights up the dipstick area. So far, no problem melting. The light was $5 from K-mart. Blurry photos attached.

SpinninAgain!

Regarding the melting possibility, let's not forget that the foamy dipstick TSB provided by Mazda includes a long plastic tube that gets fitted INSIDE the metal dipstick tube.

It appears to be made of something like teflon, so somewhat heat resistant, but Mazda must think its going to remain well below its melting point. There must be teflon funnels around somewhere.

Rick

I wonder how long it will take for the funnel to fill up with dust and dead bugs?

1.3L

The funnel has now gone a bit over 4000 miles and it has stayed remarkably clean and has shown no signs of melting. I keep the funnel positioned about 1/8" or a bit more below the top edge of the dipstick tube so if anything should happen to collect in the funnel, it won't drop into the engine when I pull the dipstick. Also, I check for debris before pulling the dipstick. Works for me. :D

1.3L

JeRKy 8 Owner

1.3L make me one I'll buy it off you