jyacoba2009

I changed my oil last month for my very first time, along with filter and aluminum crush washer.

mind you this was last month and I noticed a spot under my car, smelled it, Yup oil. I than proceeded to find the culprit and I ended up tightening my drain plug. but.... when I went at it, I knew it was stripped because it would go tight to a point than become loose again.

how can it get stripped like this from such a long time after I even touched it? I felt the threads and they were good, but I couldn't see if my oil pan was stripped. or could it be the crush washer that I got?

SpeedoKing

this happened to me a few months ago a guy at the dealership i world at changed my oil and over torqued the bolt. The reason your drain plug is fine is because the drain plug is steal and the oil pan is aluminum. your probably just tightened down the bolt too much, what i ended up doing is finding a new pan on the marketplace i think i payed $50 but someone told me you can get a new one at o'riley autoparts for $50, a new OEM one from the dealership is around $275 for just the pan then you have to get the gasket which i think is 40ish.

jyacoba2009

i called up o'reilley and their pans are 94.99!! i looked up their website and found which one it was, a dorman oil pan which was steel. quick search on google and found one for $70 free shipping.. and i gotta wait 2-3 days for o'reilleys, so why not save $25 for a few more days of waiting?

well enough of that, since its steel vs aluminum.. would the threads be harder to strip on the dorman pan vs an aluminum?

Ci-v-iC

before you go into the pain of changing the pan buy a new plug- it may fix your problem...also, make sure not to reuse the current washer.

jyacoba2009

i never reuse the washer.. but thanks though, ima see how much it'll cost me to re-tap it vs buying a new one

Ci-v-iC

That's the idea...new OEM plug will do the tapping

jyacoba2009

you sure? its my oil pan thats stripped, not the plug..

EJeff8

^A new oem one won't. An oversized plug from NAPA and such might.

Ci-v-iC

It's not necessarily stripped...for the price of a new plug, you are not risking much but standing to gain if it works...long time ago when away from home an idiot cross threaded the plug on my Prelude and it leaked. New plug did the trick-I don't promise it will work for you but it's worth the try.

EJeff8

^It's a good idea to try, but he should go with an oversized plug, not one of the same size. That wouldn't solve the problem if that is it.

jyacoba2009

i've never done something like that before.. what kind of plug should i look for? the one i got is a 14.1.5.. so do i got to a 15/16.. wont it not fit in at all? or do i have to tap it for it to fit in?

EJeff8

^Just buy a self tapping oversized plug from Autozone/ NAPA/ Advance.

jyacoba2009

sounds good man, thanks

SpeedoKing

sorry about the prices that was just what i recalled people telling me, as for re-taping the old pan i dont think you can re-tap aluminum you have to drill it out then take it to a shop who will put in a thread sleeve (i think thats what its called) i talked to the tech's at the mazda dealership i work at when mine happened and they said you can't just re-tap aluminum like you would a steel pan because it is to soft and wont hold the threads, I may be wrong i would ask around. as for using a bigger plug to re-tap it i would go to auto zone and i think they rent out tap kits with carbide steel taps i would use that it is free.

Ci-v-iC

Thread Sleeve works...but it costs- it's a threaded male/female that will fit in the oil pan orifice with a new plug fitting the female. Clear as mud? :-)

EJeff8

I'm pretty sure a self tapping bolt plug will do just fine.

This isn't the first time this has been attempted, damn.

jserman

Funny me and my buddy just had a conversation about this...

DON'T GET A SELF TAPPING BOLT PLUG...

Your oil pan is aluminum and if you use a self tapping plug there is a chance shavings can get into the pan and then your pickup then BOOOM... new motor... This just happen to one of his clients who went to one of those quick lube place and they put one of those over sized plugs in...

Just man up and get a brand new OEM oilpan and plug and call it a day... This way you never have to worry about it again...

EJeff8

^What if he taps it, runs the old oil back through to grab up the shavings?

EDIT: He can also drill it in, then take off the pan and clean it.

It's a simple fix if a problem at all.

jserman

That's exactly what happened they tapped the pan and ran oil through it and to clean it out but you can't guarantee you will get everything.

If your going to pull the pan and all that why not just replace it??

don't get me wrong yea you could prob tap it and it will be fine but YOU NEVER KNOW.

For my piece of mind i would just replace it and call it a day...But that's just me

EJeff8

Because a new pan would be $80. That's ridiculous.

jserman

Cheaper then a new motor.....

EJeff8

That $80 can go to a new ENGINE when he wants to do a swap from his reliable D ;]

jyacoba2009

so many answers! lol

but I am saving up to pull my d, so this little fiasco is hurting my pockets. would it be better to buy a steel pan? least likely to strip those buggas

300whpej

in all honesty, do another oil change and grab an oversized drain plug for your car. if you need help, the person behind the parts counter can tell you which one you need for your pan. ive had to use them before, and no issues.

jyacoba2009

so what plug should I get, oem is 14x1.5, should I go with a bigger thread count or head size? I'm thinking thread because how can you even fit a wider bolt in a smaller hole without drilling it?