Oil pick-up pipe / sealant

[Pesky jones]

1) Pick up pipe - who replaces the pipe and who just cleans it? Took me twenty minutes last time to clean it out with petrol, and if I compared the cleaned one vs a new one I don't think I could tell the difference. Its just a pipe with a gauze.

2) Sealant - I got worried that I put too much on last time, plus it was a bit of a pain being so rushed to get the two mating faces together quickly, and cleanly. Is there an alternative gasket available?

3) Sealant - is there an alternative gasket that could be used? Do people use genuine sealant or a off-the-shelf sealant?  I seem to remember the OEM sealant being quite pricey. Also is this still the part number for the sealant -  SD1 764 04A 2 ?

[pudding]

For the price of it, I would just replace the pickup personally. 

Price for the bits as of a few years ago:

SD176404A2 = SEALANT  RRP £17.05+VAT
06F115251A = OIL PICK UP  £21.76+VAT

An alternative to the sealant is this stuff for a tenner - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DQFPYVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Pesky jones]

For the price of it, I would just replace the pickup personally. 

Price for the bits as of a few years ago:

SD176404A2 = SEALANT  RRP £17.05+VAT
06F115251A = OIL PICK UP  £21.76+VAT

An alternative to the sealant is this stuff for a tenner - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DQFPYVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah I think im going to go with the Dirko stuff - heard its the exact same as the VW stuff.

"For the price of it, I would just replace the pickup personally."  This is what im referring to - why? Just because it is "only" £30 therefore replace it? I understand this philosophy when it comes to parts that may not show an obvious loss in integrity (cam followers etc). But when the difference between the two really is negligible to the point of there being no physical difference - why? I feel like a lot of people might just go with the flow - no pun intended

EDIT: unless of course paying £30 is deemed preferable to cleaning the pipe lol

[pudding]

Well, speaking on my behalf of myself, it's because I'm too feckin lazy to sit there scrubbing something for 20 minutes when I could just bung a new one on in <1 minute 

There is no reason why you can't, and shouldn't, clean it though.  It has no moving parts.

[rich83]

Loctite 5920... thats what we used on a fellow forum members sump last year.

[r5gtt]

Dirko is the one you want peskyjones

[skard]

I just bought a new pickup pipe for my PD engine (£12 new 'old stock' from a dealer online) and also have the Dirko sealant. It was about £7 delivered on eBay

[grey golfster]

Take it that the pickup is "new old..." Not the sealant?

One reason i wont buy cheap sealant from unknown sources is that it ages very differently depending on storage conditions as well as time. Performance as a sealant then becomes unpredictable.

My pipe was close to £40 recently, no reason to not clean it, rather than renew it, other than I had been suckered into buying one before opening the sump. Waste of money.

[Dan_FR]

If it can be cleaned, then clean it.

I only replaced mine as we did it late Saturday evening at my cousins garage when nobody was open should I have needed to replace it. To be honest mine didn't even need cleaning but since I had the new on I just chucked it in there.

One thing I would also suggest everyone do at some point is replace the dipstick. They're only a tenner or so but as they age the plastic bits on there go brittle and can fall off, down the tube and in to the sump.... which can (partially) block the strainer.... Has happened to me

[ducman77]

the plastic bits on there go brittle and can fall off, down the tube and in to the sump.... which can (partially) block the strainer.... Has happened to me

Happened to me too

[Pesky jones]

Makes sense! Cheers for the heads up

[fab5freddy]

the plastic bits on there go brittle and can fall off, down the tube and in to the sump.... which can (partially) block the strainer.... Has happened to me

Happened to me too

I'm on my 3rd one 

[Lewo]

Not me yet but I'll order one cheers 

[Flyingscotsman]

Thanks for dipstick heads up. Sounds like a good bit of preventative maintenance.

Why do they have plastic at the business end? Back in the day these were all metal parts.

[Dan_FR]

Its the little plastic ball half way up and the bit at the top with the o-ring that went on mine