LOL!, Need some suggestions please...

[DIY]

hopefully you only laugh for a few minutes then maybe help me out with something constructive

went to go change my oil today in regular fashion
jacked up the car, put down a sheet of plywood, got drain pan start unwrenching drain plug, drainplug comes loose, spins forever.... DUH! I've just tightened it and stripped the threads

heres where you laugh.. now I need some help

Good news: plug isnt leaking doesnt come out when I pull it takes some effort to even spin

Bad news: gotta change the oil sometime

heres what I'm thinking to do...

force it out drain the oil, go buy a reamer and tap and make it fit a slightly bigger oil plug

since I dont have the time to just lift the engine and swap a new oil pan...

As I already have the oil, and its not leaking, if I throw some gasket maker on it (for security) and take it to a shop to do(school sucks), would you think it would cost me under $100 for them to retap and fit a new drain plug? /try and tell me I need a new oil pan

or is there just a better way?

[BigD]

EDIT: nevermind, I first thought you broke the plug... they're normally hollow so if you overtorque them, they break instead of stripping threads. Yeah try to get it out and tap for a bigger thread, or maybe helicoil it. Changing the pan is such a pain that you should try all else first.

[T.Dot_E30]

Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey!

[El Gato Liso]

Originally Posted by T.Dot_E30

Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey!

unless its the clutch fan

[DIY]

Originally Posted by BigD

EDIT: nevermind, I first thought you broke the plug... they're normally hollow so if you overtorque them, they break instead of stripping threads. Yeah try to get it out and tap for a bigger thread, or maybe helicoil it. Changing the pan is such a pain that you should try all else first.

Thats a good point .. i'm gonna be honest I dont know wether ive broken it or stripped it... I guess I could have done a bit of both at this point

[Axxe]

Originally Posted by El Gato Liso

unless its the clutch fan

Or vanos bolt

[iignite]

Tap a bigger hole, use a bigger plug.

[Roysneon]

Drill and tap bigger hole is a good idea, I bet you can find one at CDN Tire.

[Trekz]

You could temporarily put in a repair plug

Im pretty sure CT or partsource sells them.

[frankie591]

if you tap it without taking the pan off the motor there's no way you will keep metal out of the pan. id be careful cause running chips through your motor would be a hell of a lot worse than lifting the motor to change the pan properly.

[Bullet Ride]

Originally Posted by frankie591

if you tap it without taking the pan off the motor there's no way you will keep metal out of the pan. id be careful cause running chips through your motor would be a hell of a lot worse than lifting the motor to change the pan properly.

This is the first thing I thought of. I had to drill out and re-tap a bleeder screw on a brake calliper that snapped off. I thought I did a good job flushing it out... about a month later the calliper seized up

It's not that hard to remove the oil pan. Just unbolt the motor mounts and jack the motor up enough so it will clear the oil pump, if you still have the bracket that the AC mounts to that's a nice spot to jack it up. Also be cautious to unplug any electrical connectors that might get stretched as your jacking the motor. And if you have a strut brace make sure to remove that first. When I went to change my motor mounts this year I was like WTF! I can't jack the motor high enough to get the mounts off.... then I was like oh...strut brace

Just do it on a weekend because it will be an afternoon job if it's your first time. And make sure to get a new oil pan gasket.

[E30M42cab]

I have a pan



in my trunk



right now.

[DIY]

I think what I'm gonna do is goto steve (325isStephen) to get it swapped, he offerd me his pan already, thanks Scott

[Bullet Ride]

Originally Posted by DIY

I think what I'm gonna do is goto steve (325isStephen) to get it swapped, he offerd me his pan already, thanks Scott

He's definitely experienced with swapping smashed M20 oil pans

[E30M42cab]

No problem. I've been looking for an excuse to not ship it to a guy in the states. Less hassle for me, but no worries.