OK this may be a quibble, but what is with the drain plug on my new-to-me 07 Expedition??? Seriously- an o-ring 3/4 up the threads?

Prob is, after 7 years of changes, mostly at the dealer for the previous owner, the threads are somewhat stripped on the head side -probably due to the last section of threads being poorly seated as the o-ring snagged threads...

After inspecting the plug, I was fearing the pans threads to be half dead, and after a quick trip to the local auto parts store I got a replacement generic plug, albeit without the mid-thread o-ring and it fit ok- a little loose in the thread...

WTH was Ford thinking?? Or is this one off oil pan drain plug not factory??

 

 

Mine doesn't look like that. Someone put that on there to stop the leak.

 

Thanks Bopper. Yea I was wondering if it wasn't OEM...
So what can that plug do that one with a good green oring can't do??
And just what was/is the cause of the leak anyways?
Anyone?

 

Ok so after some surfing I see that it is a Smart-O F3 plug, designed to "fix leaks.
In all honesty, I've never had a leaky drain pulg on any of the 20 or so vheicles I've owned.
So what is different about the Ford 5.4's sump plug/threads??

 

The question isn't what's unusual about Ford's threads, it's what's unusual about your vehicle or the previous owner. It isn't a Ford part, it was added aftermarket for some reason. Maybe he crossed threaded it at some point. I have half a million miles in Fords and never a leaking pan nut.