TrustyAutos

The ATF dipstick was the old, original part that did not fit well.
Consequently a bit of ATF fluid would spill out (checked that ATF level is within tolerance).

I bought the superseded ATF dipstick and it fits much more snugly.
There's an arrow on the dipstick, and when I try to make it fit as snuggly as possible, it seems to fit the most securely when it points to 2 o'clock (reference: standing at front of vehicle, facing cabin, arrow points to 2 o'clock).

Is that correct?

Thank you!

ezone

The hole is round, the seal is round. Place it in there however it's most convenient for you.

JMO

TrustyAutos

Thank you ezone, I will orient it based on subjective tightness.

However, as a scientist I am still wondering, why stamp an arrow as a visual frame of reference if it is of no practical significance?

ezone

IIRC, the arrows (dipstick and brake res lid) are supposed to point directly forward.

Personally--- I don't think it matters much, because they are round.

Some transmissions use an alignment tab for the trans dipstick, but this is not one of them.

ezone

In your owners manual, I don't think it specifically says anything about the arrow.

I looked at an 02 owners manual on page 220-221 and saw no mention of the arrow.

TrustyAutos

Cool, thanks ezone, I will set them to point to the front!
[Also, I will note, based on your experiences, it probably doesn't matter though.]