Don't be a DipStick!!!

 

Exactly!

As long as it does its dipstick job, which it does just fine.

What else can these armchair engineers complain about next?

 

my 01 is a two piece also.

it may be a two piece so ford can use the top peice for all cars and have different bottom lengths and designs for other motors.

 

I hope you your not taking it as an insult to your own truck. I think these trucks are built very well...Love mine. But I think (although minor issue) that the two piece dipstick riveted together is crappy engineering.

Although I'm not going to fret about it, I mainly just wanted to find out if this was the norm for the 5.4L.

I'm sure the armchair engineers demanding better is why the F-150 is such a nice truck. Or maybe we shouldn't complain and we could still be dealing with spark plug issues.

 

I've seen a new 2011 xl V6 with no transmission dipstck at all ...the manual says it doesnt need it

 

The rivets are to make the LONG dip stick more rigid. If it was that long and didn't have the two piece & rivits, it would be super flimsy. The rivets are actually good engineering, not cost cutting.

 

None of the 6 speeds from 09+ have an easily accessible dipstick. You have to get under the truck and pull a plug on the tranny to check and fill it - or use an exchange machine.