I've read all the oil galley plug horror stories and thought, "It won't happen to me!" Well, it happened. I drove the Cruiser on a few errands and noticed an oil puddle under the Cruiser when I went to get back in. I was only a couple of blocks from the house so I drove her home to investigate. There was oil all over the underside of the truck and when I checked the dipstick there was no oil showing. I threw a couple of quarts in it and started the engine. When I walked around to the right side of the engine I was horrified to see the oil jetting out of the galley plug area. I quickly shut the engine off and went to work. Thanks to the IH8Mud Forum I knew exactly what the culprit was. It was a one 
job but I only had a SAE tap and die set in my toolbox. A 5/16 tap filled the bill perfectly. I had to file down the crown of the bolt a little but it went in with little problem and the galley is now dry. Eventually I'll replace the bolt with an allen head and Loctite but for now it's okay.
I looked at the route that I drove and the plug must have let loose shortly after leaving the house. There is a distinct oil stream on the road that goes for four miles, then stops. That means I drove four miles back with little or no oil! Thankfully there is a strict 25mph speed limit here so I wasn't revving the engine over 1500 rpm or so. I'm also glad that I occasionally glance at the ground under the car to check for leaks, it paid off this time. There were no other warnings...no smoke, lights, and I don't recall checking the gauges for oil pressure. I'm very lucky - lucky that I caught it in time, and I'm lucky I drive a really tough truck. There's a reason why we chose to take this vehicle to Gitmo over something else...it's relatively trouble-free, and it's easy to fix.
Anyway, moral of the story: It CAN happen to you, be proactive and do the mods that the experienced 'Mud members recommend!
job but I only had a SAE tap and die set in my toolbox. A 5/16 tap filled the bill perfectly. I had to file down the crown of the bolt a little but it went in with little problem and the galley is now dry. Eventually I'll replace the bolt with an allen head and Loctite but for now it's okay.I looked at the route that I drove and the plug must have let loose shortly after leaving the house. There is a distinct oil stream on the road that goes for four miles, then stops. That means I drove four miles back with little or no oil! Thankfully there is a strict 25mph speed limit here so I wasn't revving the engine over 1500 rpm or so. I'm also glad that I occasionally glance at the ground under the car to check for leaks, it paid off this time. There were no other warnings...no smoke, lights, and I don't recall checking the gauges for oil pressure. I'm very lucky - lucky that I caught it in time, and I'm lucky I drive a really tough truck. There's a reason why we chose to take this vehicle to Gitmo over something else...it's relatively trouble-free, and it's easy to fix.
Anyway, moral of the story: It CAN happen to you, be proactive and do the mods that the experienced 'Mud members recommend!
Kind of 'splains why I didn't see an idiot light though.....
