Ive had a broken dipstick tube since the header install last year, it was slightly cracked around the mounting tab, anyways i had my wife that works for a gm dealership to bring me home a new tube, well the tube is to short, thats what i first thought, i stuck the dipstick in my original tube, and marked it. Placed it in the new tube she brought, and my mark was 2 inches past the end of the tube. Getting stranger.........so i got my part number off the dipstick itself, and it reads..12574888, and that pulls up as a L92 dipstick, WTF? It has always read correct, and this new tube is for my silverado, but it doesnt fit worth a ****, all the way pressed in, the tab is still a couple inches higher than the hole in the head...any ideas??

 

The piece below the O-ring could have broken off on one of them. It's very common for that to happen and sometimes the piece comes out when people are changing their oil and they wonder WTF it is. If you have headers, it can be a PITA to get the tube seated, and might require minor, careful bending of the tube.