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Need some advice. Got an oil pan that keeps leaking from this odd drain plug. Not sure if the threads were stripped or what I'm really looking at.
Its got a 17mm outer nut with a 14mm inner bolt. The bolt almost looks self tapping. I will get a pic tomorrow.
Anyway before i go nuts and just buy a new pan can i just tap a new hole and fix it? Or replace with a larger oil pan bolt?
My first thoughts are about the 17mm nut & 14mm bolt. I'm not aware of any metric fasteners on 6th gen Ford trucks. We need more info. Do you have a late model engine swapped into your truck? Aftermarket oil pan?
As for tapping a new hole, I doubt that's an option. Oil pan sheet metal isn't thick enough to tap. You could possibly drill the existing boss to a larger diameter, and tap it. Or weld in a new threaded boss.
Yep that bolt nut dont sound factory to me either.
Do you have a plastic washer on the bolt before it is installed in the pan?
I have seen some bolts that do look like self tappers but dont know if they were or not?
I would see if I could get a replacement bolt with washer first before I went changing the oil pan.
Back in the day they made a rubber plug that was hollow in the center you could install if the hole threads were stripped out.
It took a bright green tool to install and remove. Think of the tool as a stubby screw driver and you just pushed the plug into the hole.
To remove the tool had little nubs on either side up near the top by the handle. The nubs if into parts on the plugs washer face.
When you pushed the tool in it would streach the rubber and you hook the nubs into the washer face and pull the tool with plug out to drain the oil.
I looked and could not find it but Google came up with a bunch of others that might work?
Dave ----
Worst case scenario you have to pull the pan and weld a new nut behind it.
As long as the plug you have screws in tight that's all that matters. next time you change the oil let it drip for a day or so then clean the plug and threads in the pan good and put TRS on everything and tighten it up. if that doesn't work that means the nut welded inside the pan has oil coming under it . normally the silicone will stop that too. don't be afraid to smear some around the plug.
You don't need to remove the larger hex, but if you don't hold it with a second wrench it will loosen and leak. It is a self threading oversize fix. Might be it just needs a new sealing washer.
Have you tried a 5/8" to hold the outer hex still, and a 9/16" to loosen the inner hex on the actual plug bolt? Might be a better fit?
I typically cross drill the hex of my drain plugs first change, and safety wire it so I don't feel like I need to tighten it real tight and risk stripping a pan.
I have a thing I do with transmission pans, involves welding a 1/2-20 nut to a piece of steel, then threading them together, then fastening the steel with a couple 1/4-20 grade 8 bolts and nuts, and piening the nut so that bolt never loosens, after sealing. Once the 1/2-20 bolt is tight, no leaks, and plenty of thread.
On my '77's pan, I just inserted a bolt and threaded a nut inside to touching, then a spot of weld to the pans inner threaded piece, the "align tap" it.
I didn't have a pic of an oil pan. Where the two welds are on the pan next to the drain is where I use 1/4-20 bolts, It would work for oil too.
