Transmission dip stick rust

KAttkisson wrote:
Does anybody out there have a cure or a method to lessen the amount of rust forming on a E450 with 5 speed auto transmission dipstick. I clean it off but it comes right back. I'm afraid it will eventually rust off and drop down. Thanks in advance.

Yes, rub the stick with Marvel Mystery Oil. That will annihilate the rust! It should not come back and safe for transmissions.

Struggled with this myself. Interesting that some toyotas have a clip that holds the dipstick down, perhaps to keep it sealed up a little bit better, but no help if it is only from condensation... I have cleaned the dipstick and coated (lightly ) with grease. Coating with ATF won't last....

samven1 wrote:
This must be a Ford V10 thing. I have a dodge pickup a ford fiesta and the chevy rv and none of mine have any rust at all. Very strange.

I've seen corrosion in this area both on the V8's and the V10's. The V8's can be worse to an extent with corrosion flaking all up and down the interior wall of the dipstick tube.

This must be a Ford V10 thing. I have a dodge pickup a ford fiesta and the chevy rv and none of mine have any rust at all. Very strange.

I took mine out last year and cleaned and painted with rustoleum paint.It looks like it did after i painted last year only painted about 4 inches down well below the rust on mine.

They all rust, primarily due to limited use. Although they can get a bit crusty, the particles will not cause any operational issues with the trans. The only way to fix is to replace the dipstick at regular intervals. Sanding, steel wooling, coating with trans fluid, etc. will all prove futile...rust will reappear shortly after reinstalling.

Take it out and scrub it good with a fine steel wool and wipe it down with tranny fluid. Then dont start the engine unless you are taking it out. The tranny fluid will not get hot enough to burn off condensation unless you drive it for awhile and it will condense on the upper part of the stick (cold metal) and start the rust again.

Next time, wipe the excess fluid from the end of the dipstick UP, to coat the whole thing. This should provide some rust proofing.