Great and necessary upgrade

I did suck air at the price, then when it came and I saw the precise engineering and the quality...well it felt like looking at fine jewelry! All of a sudden, I understood the price. My husband installed it, (DO REMOVE THE STARTER)...THE LEAK IS GONE! He loves his ol 7.3 diesel and he has another in his service truck. So...we WILL be buying another one in the spring. THANK YOU ...STRICKLY DIESEL for the fine work on this one!

I always used to be the guy who thought that hour or two project that saved me a few bucks was worth it. Then I lost two fingers in a work accident. Then I realized the "hour or two" was never just an hour or two even when I had all my digits and problems could easily transform into another day or two. This product was a part of my "getting back to it" process and the first real project I did with my new found lack of abilities. Take it from the guy with 8 fingers, if you get frustrated easily and every time you try to do the cheaper option it comes back to haunt you, this is worth the extra money to just be done with it and get your rig back running.

Like many of you, I had the dreaded oil dipstick adapter leak. Pulling the engine isn’t an option right now. This product is on the expensive side, but it works. It took 30 mins from begin to end to complete the repair. $300.00 is cheap when you realize how easy and effective the repair is.

I noticed I had the dreaded dip stick leak and decided to do the cheap route and use the gasket patch method. After wasting $45 on that kit (I ended up with a leak work than I started with), I went ahead and bought this overpriced part. Yes, it is overpriced. However, there is NOTHING else on the market that does what this product does. It wasn't that hard to install, however here are some tips to help with it.One, go ahead and order your a 45 caliber bore brush and some safety wire. I tightly wrapped the wire around the bore brush and shoved it down the dip stick tube. It's a very solid fit and prevents the old adaptor from falling down into the oil pan before you are ready.Second, go ahead and drain the oil before you do the install. It's tempting to not do it but you want to be sure it will fall into the correct spot once you reach that point.Third, get some small needle nose vice grips. Use these to hold onto the old dip stick adaptor until you're ready to drop it.Fourth, there are two screws that tighten the new adaptor. One of the screws has a small weld bead on the end preventing it from backing out completely and causing a big issues during the install. I found the easiest thing to do was to screw the welded screw in completely then use my ratchet to force the internal piece to rotate all the way around. Using a flashlight, I could locate the second hole and finally thread in the second screw.Fifth, buy a cheap inch-pound torque wrench. Don't complete the install without it and go by feel only. It's not worth it. You can find one on amazon for $15-$30.Great product just overpriced. Then again it worked perfectly so in the end I'm happy.

I love this product for its ease of install and weekend saving simplicity. Not thrilled with the price, but without it I am left with only 2 painful options: fix in place (my failed initial option) or drop the oil pan.Had I not initially attempted the least expensive option of replacing the seal without removing the oil pan (which requires pulling the motor up several inches to allow said pan to be removed), I may not be such a delighted advocate of this SD product.My review is more about describing my adventure with both products, the first being NOT the SD Adapter and what I refer to as “The Kit”, and secondly the lackluster install of the SD Adapter. I have included 3 pictures for your viewing pleasure (and hopefully I describe in the order they are placed in the review).1) Strictly Diesel (SD) product installed.2) the point at which I’ve given up my attempt at placing just a new O-ring and new outer nut, AKA The Kit, and3) a side by side of the badly stretched and worn original O-ring and old greasy nut vs a new O-ring and new nut (this is mostly so you understand the root cause of the problem (worn O-ring) and also the predetermined (presupposed?) nature of the battle that would be my downfall (POS designed factory nut) and why The Kit includes a new nut.Prior to purchasing the SD adapter, I spent over $50 on The Kit that allows an individual to replace the old seal and nut with new items. The Kit comes with new O-ring, new nut, a wire bottle brush to be used as a holding device, and new fiber washer. Could be forgetting an item or two but I’ve listed the main components. Before checking out, I also purchased (bringing the total closer to $90 after tax and s/h) the thread fixer “file” and extra thread-locker/washer sealant that were “recommended” for those buying The Kit. Figured I wasn't about to spend half the day under my truck only to find out I needed one, or even both of those additional items in order to complete my project. Plus, I figured why else would they have created and offered them as add-ons if they weren’t needed at least occasionally during this adventure, er, project right?No matter the product being utilized, battery cables must be disconnected and the starter must be removed. Those can be projects in and of themselves depending upon the condition of the cable end bolts for the battery portion, and the selection of tools available and dexterity (read thick and fat) of ones upper extremities for the starter removal. Multiple shop lights (clamp, magnetic, etc) as well as a creeper become very helpful while working underneath vehicle during this project.Setting aside an entire Saturday for what I assumed would be my one and only necessary attempt at repairing my leaky adapter with The Kit, I hoped I would be fortunate enough to get everything right on my first attempt. But just in case, I set aside the entire Saturday cause I know how this can go. With confidence high, since I watched several YouTube videos and read the instructions multiple times, I doubted the need for any additional reference or clarification on any steps of this project.Well.Foreseen, not a lot of working space. Day is spent lying on your back, trying not to drop the OEM adapter into the oil pan, yet getting it clean and keeping it clean, making sure the new o-ring is seated well, adapter back into correct (original) slot. All anxiety inducing but doable, and I was succeeding. I had done my homework. I have worked on motorcycles and cars since I was 12 (some 40+ years of basic backyard mechanic experience).It was all going well enough that I was heading down the home stretch. I was thinking this was really gonna work, and possibly before the sun sets.Nope. I had spent the better part of my Saturday on the obvious part. Unbeknownst to me, next came the do or die portion.It took all of 3 hours to lose my sanity, but I did. It was gone. During those waning hours I had invented new curse words, thrown tools far enough that they were never to be retrieved, and went so far as to barter with myself on multiple occasions, most similar to this example, “if you can contort just the right way, achieving the optimal necessary angle, while simultaneously maintaining enough torque in your grasp to sufficiently rotate the nut enough to get that first portion of thread to catch hold...but wait, do not risking cross-threading those jewelry fine threads made from material the strength of, oh I don’t know, lip balm...then you can spend your entire Sunday on the couch, drinking beer, ordering delivered pizza...and 100% guilt free”.Alas, it wouldn’t screw on.I had tried everything including the thread-chasing file. Somehow those threads got buggered and no way, no how, was I gonna get that new nut screwed onto that original adapter.So I threw in the towel (difficult to do in a straight jacket) and figured I would now try the SD Adapter as a last resort for DIY repair.Not thrilled with the price. Not thrilled with the notion of dropping the original metal adapter down into the bottom of the oil pan to remain forever, unneeded but hopefully never again heard from.But I bought it.The SD adapter install day began with me sipping coffee in the early morning while watching the sunrise above the Sierras. I then changed into my freshly pressed tuxedo and slid my Rolex onto my wrist. While the orchestra played from the grassy knoll down the road, I drew a sip from my mimosa and effortlessly installed that adapter.So the fluffy details of the install day are fiction, the SD adapter install truly was easy and painless. Other than the sticker shock, it really is a no brainer. But when I consider the alternative of my wasted Saturday and all the anxiety it caused, the SD Adapter is inexpensive.I assume The Kit has worked for many, and had potential to work for me, but I had that one deal breaker that just made it an impractical solution for me and my situation. Knowing then what I know now I would’ve just sent SD my money, installed the adapter and moved on. Would not have experienced the evening of frustration and in my case wasted money that could be been applied towards purchasing the SD adapter.I doubt I will ever have to personally go thru this adventure again, but if I do buy another similar Ford truck in the future or if a friend needs his repaired, I will bypass all other options and begin immediately with the Strictly Diesel Adapter.I’ve had it on for several months and only about 400 miles, but not a drip, not a hiccup, and never a worry that anything will happen going forward. Heck I forget that shiny piece of billet aluminum is even down there, and that’s exactly what I wanted.5 stars.