how do i tell if its broke?

[big dan]

how can i tell if i have a broken piston or ring? i did a search on my problem of oil coming out of the dipstick tube. i doesnt happen very often and not very much at a time. all the results of my search say that i have broken either a ring or a piston. there is no gas in my oil, it doesnt have any dead cylinders, doesnt smoke and i had the motor apart about 6 months ago and none of it was cracked or broken. is it possible that my loose fitting dipstick tube just leaks oil? i prefer to not have to break the motor down or do a compression test but if it comes to that i will.
thanks guys

 

[BROKEN-ONE]

some checks to do

have you checked the pcv valve to see if it is clogged ? or the vac line to it ? this will slme times be the problem . if that does not work try the compression test there is no tear down for this , just remove one spark plug at a time . and uplugg the coil so not to let the motor run . hope this helps .

 

[Leper]

I prefer a leakdown test to a compression test. You must have access to compressed air to use the leakdown tool.
buy another dipstick and try it.
Agree with the pcv comment also.

 

[BROKEN-ONE]

tests

but he could use a compession tester to get an idea of which cyl , is giving him the trouble . but i would check the easy stuff first . most times it cheap easy to fix . pcv , vac lines , inlet to the carb , oh and check the intake along the edges ,sometimes the gasket gets pushed out .