Introduction
As all of us Rhino owners have realized, accessing the stock dipstick tucked away in the engine compartment isn't really that easy to get too. Lucky for you and I the folks down at MFS Performance Products made an extension that relocates the dipstick bringing it right up next to the passenger side seat mount and engine cover. This extension not only makes it more convienant for accessing oil levels but also helps keep that dirt and dust that accumulates around the stock dipstick out of the vital engine internals. Check out the picture below. This gives a great example for both accessing the stock dipstick but also shows some of the dust that accumulates around the stock dipstick. If your not careful some of that dust and grim can easily fall into the inside of your engine causing premature wear to the internal parts.
Typically with the stock setup you'd have to pull both seats out of the Rhino and then wrestle the engine cover off to get access to the oil dipstick. Not all that difficult really but more work than it should be, especially if you just want a quick look at your oil level before heading out for a ride. With the MFS extension installed you only have to remove the passenger seat and the dipstick's new location is right there (as shown below). The extension simply threads into the stock location relocating the dipstick between the seat mounting area and plastic engine cover. See the picture below.
MFS offers these dipstick extensions in three colors:
Natural aluminum
Blue Anodized
Red Anodized
"Product installs in minutes..."
Installation We went ahead and removed both front seats and set them aside. Then we pulled the engine cover so we could access to the stock dipstick location. For those of you that don't know where thats at, its located on the passenger side towards the front of the engine. The dipstick is exactly what you would see on a dirt bike or quad. Infact its exactly were you'd see it on a Yamaha Grizzly. (except Yamaha never addressed its location to make access in a Rhino more efficient) That is why this dipstick extension is necessary.
As mentioned before the engine compartment accumulates a lot of dust and grim. There was a fine layer of silty dust around the entire area on our Rhino's dipstick. Normally we'd have to clean off this area before pulling the dipstick out. Even at that we risk the chance of some dust or particles to fall into the internal engine parts. None the less this will be a problem of the past. After cleaning the area and pulling the stock dipstick, I recycled some of the oil residue on the dipstick to lubricate the rubber seal on our new MFS extension. This is recommended to ensure a proper seal between the extension and the engine case. Now lubed up and ready to go, the extension simply threads into place. Theres no need for any tools needed to tighten the extension, just a good hand tight torquing will do. Next we needed to attach the brace to an existing bolt on the side of the engine. Simply removed the bolt which had more than enough thread to allow for the extra bracket and then re-installed it. That concludes the install. Re-install the engine cover and seats.
Conclusion
This is a great little product that I am proud to show off on our Rhino. Its great innovative designs like this add the nice necessary touches to your ride. The best part about it them is the price. Retail on these go for $85 bucks! Not bad, Especially when you take into account what it probably cost to make. For this price you could even treat yourself to one without the significant other knowing...
For more information about MFS and there products or for ordering check out the MFS's website.
.jpg)
))
