I guess I was thinking that the replacement plug that the dealership used would be considered an upgrade over the factory one. Until today, I assumed that it was an actual plug designed not to come out and was surprised to see what appears to be an aluminum plug hammered in. Sounds like I've been living in denial. Thanks for the wake up.
I did the oil plug fix written up here a few weeks ago, and it’s holding tight after a couple of hard overlanding trips. I used 3 set screws: 1 long one buried all the way just short of where it would intersect with the head bolt, and 2 shorter ones jammed against each other, flush to the outside. All of them Loc-Tited.
Having a compact right-angle drill to ream out the hole is a must. Getting it to the correct tap drill diameter minimizes the chance of breaking a tap. I used a 5/16-18 dipped in axle grease to pick up the shavings. Nice and slow, 1/2 a turn at a time.
I also agree this was a well done write up. My galley plug stared leaking a while back so I took the plunge and fixed it as well. I used a M8 x1.25 tap and allen plug 12mm long. I did however use Toyota FIPG seal packing in place of the locktite. I have had great success in the past with this stuff. (near daily) I will be much more confident on my upcoming trip up north now.
I'm from Michigan (gone 20 years but my whole fam is still there) Every time someone here says "We're going to Tahoe" I think... If I were back home we would just say "we're going up north" Of course Tahoe is really east but whatever.
Came across this thread today just doing some reading. I have always had an oil leak in that area. I have replaced every gasket and PCV stuff. I decided to take a look at the oil galley. My plug was gone!
Thanks to this thread i went to Lowes and got a new tap, bit, set screw and plugged the hole. Couldnt believe mine was gone and it wasnt pouring out oil.
Mine blew out in 2007 luckily less than a block from my apartment. Amazing too because it was at the end of a 25-mile commute that it let go. Talk about a stoke of luck. I never did find the plug, but I was able to follow the trail of oil on the road after getting it all fixed. Also lucky was that I lived walking distance to the nearest Home Depot at the time and was able to go get everything I needed to do the fix. So I did it using the plug and some thread sealer, and it's been just fine since, as if it never happened. Lot of lucky coincidences going for me that day, I tell you hwat.
Is there a downside to replacing a plug that is designed to pop out with a threaded bolt that won´t pop out? I´m assuming Toyota designed it this way for a reason, so it can pop out in a particular failure scenario where the alternative would be something else giving way in a more drastic manner?
5 years later....I'll just close this line of thought up. This galley is not a design feature to do with safety or head operation. Its a remnant from the manufacturing process and creating the necessary passage ways in the head casting. Passages like this are common and interference fit plugs are often used to seal them with no intended scenario for them to pop out. Plugs are fast and cheap compared to things like welding or tapping and threaded inserts.
This is a wonderfully informative thread. The oil galley plug on my '77 FJ-40 recently failed catastrophically, but I was fortunate enough to notice the loss of oil (and subsequent loss of oil pressure) right away and shut her down.
Anyway, I'm mid way through completing the fix described in this thread. I successfully tapped the oil galley bore (M8 1.25mm) last night.
Several contributors to this thread have suggested using JB Weld as a thread locker....but *which* JB Weld? JB Weld offers a lot of products. My stainless steel set screws have a tiny bit of wiggle/free play, so I'm thinking something more substantial than Loctite would help snug things up. JB Weld Steel Stick seems like it might work...or should I stick with JB Weld Original?
Did mine today. Awesome instruction here. I’ve been looking for a reason to buy that right angle drill. Less that $100 with drill. I used tape to set the depth of 3/4”. I’ll be using the zip tie and cloth trick again. Brilliant.
Got all done and putting away my torque wrench when I saw my mistake. I want to leave it set for 24 hours but I parked it right in front of the shop door. I can only hope this was my biggest mistake I made.
