Oil galley plug (1 Viewer)

[Matty N]

So I am finishing up a first round of baselines on my "new" 91 Fj80 (219K).

So far: plugs, wires, distributor rotor/cap, PCV valve, fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, load tested battery

Tomorrow: Fresh fluid for diffs, tranny, transfer case, lube drive train & will test oil pressure manually cause the gauge appears wonky.

Day after tomorrow: I am planning on taking this puppy up into the Mts for its first real adventure (assuming oil pressure tests ok tomorrow)

The only serious concern is the oil galley plug. It doesn't appear to be actively leaking fluid. It is pretty hard to see (or photograph). This fuzzy pic is the best I can manage.

On the bright side it doesn't look near as bad some other pics I have seen in this forum (mostly on 60's). On the other hand it is a bit gooky looking on one side.

I thought I would let some more trained eyes have a look. Am I a fool to take this for a several hundred mile, serious elevation changing jaunt? (No off roading).

I have an appt with a Toyota guy who is completely familiar with this issue (no way I'm doing it myself) to have it tapped on July 8. Needless to say I will be kicking myself hard if it blows before then.

 

[Otter]

Your truck has 219k miles on it. What makes you think this thing is going to pop loose any time soon? I wouldn't stress out about the galley plug. The number of trucks that have had problems with it is incredibly small compared to those with no problems. If you had the head off for some reason, then fix it. Otherwise, drive it. It's not a ticking time bomb.


Edit: horrible grammar

 

[alltel05]

Got to admit it's the first time I am hearing of this issue. Mind you I haven't been a owner for all that long nor have I read every single post but I have really never heard of this.

 

[Matty N]

You're truck has 219k miles on it. What makes you think this thing is going to pop loose any time soon?

Other horror stories.

I wouldn't stress out about the galley plug. The number of trucks that have had problems with it is incredibly small compared to those with no problems. If you had the head off for some reason, then fix it. Otherwise, drive it. It's not a ticking time bomb.

I've had a hard time figuring out how common the problem actually is so I *really* appreciate your perspective. Thanks!!

Got to admit it's the first time I am hearing of this issue. Mind you I haven't been a owner for all that long nor have I read every single post but I have really never heard of this.

When I first got the truck, a few mudders mentioned the oil galley plug problem and then I started reading old posts. Yikes! I'm a text book over thinker. I'll probably still get it done in a couple weeks just for piece of mind.

 

[Otter]

I'm not saying "Don't fix it." It's a problem some trucks have had, and you're only going to see the horror stories on here. My galley plug was fine. It's since been replaced, because I had my rebuilt and the machine shop pulled all of the plugs.

If it's not leaking now, drive your truck. Get it fixed when it's convenient.

 

[maxamillion2345]

I'm not going to say it's going to happen or that it won't... But it happened to my engine around the 236k mark. I wouldn't worry about driving it in the mean time, just be mindful of your oil pressure gauge.

 

[Matty N]

I'm not going to say it's going to happen or that it won't... But it happened to my engine around the 236k mark. I wouldn't worry about driving it in the mean time, just be mindful of your oil pressure gauge.

Of course, nobody can promise me anything... one way or another. Just looking for opinions. Can't find many pics of leaky oil galley plugs on the 3FE (like I said there are lots of pics of the galley plug on the 2F that are terrifying).

Ironically my oil pressure gauge is not seeming to work very well. It just sits on the 2nd hash no matter what I do to the engine. I'm gonna check it manually tomorrow as I'm pretty sure its the gauge itself or the sender that is the problem.

Still the gauge is working well enough that I should certainly see a sudden drop in oil pressure. I'm also assuming there would be some other funky noises (and smells and probably even smoke) happening. All the oil gushing out of the engine doesn't seem like a subtle thing.

I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled.

 

[alltel05]

It's giving me some food for thought that's for sure.

 

[Otter]

Ironically my oil pressure gauge is not seeming to work very well. It just sits on the 2nd hash no matter what I do to the engine.

Eh, my gauge barely moves off of the next to the lowest mark. It's just below it at idle, and just above it at full throttle. Practically touching the mark the whole time. I don't think they are very accurate.

 

[SUMMIT CRUISERS]

I had to change one out (because of leaking) on a FJ62 I previously owned about 10 years ago. I didn't know about the fix/mod (tapping and plugging) so I just purchased a couple new ones and hammered one in. On our 92 with 350k it is still holding (ticking time bomb?, maybe). I'll make sure a spare one is in the tool kit for the big trips. I think the real concern is the block getting overheated causing the aluminum plug to leak then work its way out. Modded fan clutch, GTP hood vents and a 12" pusher fan have helped in that area.

 

[TrickyT]

...Can't find many pics of leaky oil galley plugs on the 3FE (like I said there are lots of pics of the galley plug on the 2F that are terrifying)...

I don't think they leak beforehand, they just come loose and get blown out along with all your oil. But like Otter said, your truck has 219K miles on it and has made it this far without problems. So enjoy your trip and have your guy fix it on July 8th.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
The only serious concern is the oil galley plug. It doesn't appear to be actively leaking fluid. It is pretty hard to see (or photograph). This fuzzy pic is the best I can manage.
...

I wouldn't loose sleep over it, inspect, be aware of it, but isn't likely to fail. All of them that I have seen pop out were after a head overhaul, likely the vat/cleaning process helps loosen, dislodge them? Not saying it hasn't happened otherwise, but it's not that common of a failure, largely overblown.

 

[Tools R Us]

Eh, my gauge barely moves off of the next to the lowest mark. It's just below it at idle, and just above it at full throttle. Practically touching the mark the whole time. I don't think they are very accurate.

What viscosity oil are you running? The older F type motors seem to run better on higher viscosity oil, not so much the viscosity, but they are flat tappet motors, so benefit from the protection of ZDDP that has been mostly removed from the newer "fuel economy" oils.

 

[Matty N]

Yeah. Someone else recommended this too. I currently have 10w30 but will be going to a higher viscosity (10w40 synthetic Mobil 1, maybe?) on next oil change.

On a bright note the oil pressure tests fine manually. That gauge in the dash is not working well.

 

[Otter]

What viscosity oil are you running?

I've been running the Mobil1 10w40 High Mileage. Any other recommendations?

 

[jonheld]

If this guy isn't planning on pulling the head to do the galley plug, then I would leave it be. It's not possible to prevent metal chips from getting into the oil galley any other way and I would be more concerned with that then the remote possibility of the plug blowing out.
Spend some quality time with brake cleaner and a small brush and clean the affected area. Slather the area with a healthy amount of JB Weld and get on with your life.
Any 10w30 is fine. I use Amsoil synthetic. 1980s technology tractor motor pumping out 155 bone crushing hp. You could pour beer into the fuel tank and urinate in the crank case and it'll run for another 100K miles.

 

[maxamillion2345]

Uh huh...

 

[surfpig]

I wouldn't loose sleep over it, inspect, be aware of it, but isn't likely to fail. All of them that I have seen pop out were after a head overhaul, likely the vat/cleaning process helps loosen, dislodge them? Not saying it hasn't happened otherwise, but it's not that common of a failure, largely overblown.

That's when mine failed, right after a fresh rebuild.