Well, I haven't had alot of confidence in my oil pan's drain bolt ever since I bought the car & did the first oil change. Well, about a year later, the threads gave out at last. So, I bought a "self tapping" single oversize bolt & put it in. Upon installation, the cheesy plastic washer it came w/ broke into about 4 pieces, so I bought a stainless washer from the hardware store, and it still has a drip going on. Not bad, but after about an hour of sitting cold, it will have formed a single drip ready to fall from the pan. Why isn't it sealing all the way? the oversized bolt actually snugs up to the pan tighter than I thought i'd be able to. The only thing I can think of is to drain my 4 1/2 quarts of brand new oil back into the containers, clean out the threads really well, and JB weld one of those "piggyback" oversized bolts in (you leave the larger bolt in once it's in there, and you change your oil via a smaller bolt that screws into the top of it. anyone else have any other suggestions on how to seal that drip up w/o dropping the pan??

 

buy a used oil pan
those threads are getting into your oil pump and thats not good
the strainer can only screen so much and the filter is after the pump.

jb weld is a bad idea

just get a used pan from ebay, etc.

i use the FRAM suredrain so i dont even need to jack the car to drain the oil, and u dont have to remove the bolt either, i think its great since i change my oil every 3000 miles, which is about 28 days for me.

~kris

 

This FRAM suredrain sounds like a gift from god
how does it work?? where can I get one & how much is it?

 

i didnt pay for my suredrain but id imagine its under $10

oil pan on ebay

~kris

 

My threads were stripped too, and the oversized bolt fixed the problem for me. One suggestion I would have is to ditch the stainless washer in favor of a copper crush washer. Assuming that you can tighten the oversized bolt properly, the softer copper washer should provide a much better seal than a hardened steel washer. You can pick some up at any car parts store, they're designed specifically for oil drains.

 

You don't jack your car to change oil? Awesome! But how often do you change the filter?

 

hah i change the filter every 3000 along with the oil, mobil 1 full synthetic. but my point was that the drain doesnt require tools, just remove the cap and screw the spout on, when the spout starts to seat it opens the valve so there is no mess.

i think its great but i obviously do jack the car to get to the filter.

~kris

 

oh ok, sweet though. Good day!