That's what I thought. So both are now only available on a wreck, or aftermarket, and then probably in the later style only.

 

You are certainly welcome. This forum is absolutely top notch......

 

Many thanks to Mr. Black!!!!!

 

If the later dipsticks fit but are 2" longer, why not just cut 2" off and mark the metal where the oil should be? Maybe I'm a dipstick for suggesting this but...

 

The problem with the newer style is that it has more curves. The old style is much straighter. The problem with a dipstick that has fairly tight bends (as compared to the early style) is when you remove the stick the first time to wipe it clean, then reinsert it to remove it the second time, you'll find that the first time you pulled it, it left oil in various spots inside the tube. Now when you reinsert it, and pull it the second time (which is the way most of us have been taught to check the oil level), you pick up oil on the stick that was deposited in the tube from the first time you pulled it, making an accurate check of the oil level more difficult at best, and giving a false reading at worst. In my case, I sometimes see oil 2 and 3 inches above the full mark, and it never seems to go the entire width of the stick. With the straight (er) tube, when you pull the stick the first time, very little, if any oil, is deposited in the tube. So the reading you get is easier to see, and is all the way across the stick. Hope this is clear enough. Anyone who has ever used both dipsticks will probably know exactly what I'm talking about. I never had a problem with the early stick. What you're suggesting isn't necessary if you always buy the complete dipstick assembly, the tube with matching stick, which you should always do. To complicate matters further, GM also changed the recommended oil capacity on later C5s, with, you guessed it, the newer stick. '97-'00 oil capacity was 6.5qts, and the later '01-'04 models were 6.0qts, IIRC.......