I'm pretty sure my oil pan drain plug hole is stripped. I changed the oil the other day and as I was re-installing the drain plug, I noticed the telltale "tighter, tighter, thighter, LOOSER, tighter, tighter, tighter, LOOSER" feel. I backed out and inspected the plug--looked fine. I then re-tightened and being an optimist, rather than attempting to torque to 30#, I left it in a spot where it felt "tighter" and filled her up. A few days later, and yep, it's definitely leaking bad. Re-tightening confirms it will just turn indefinitely with varying resistance. Last oil change was "professionally" done, meaning someone probably ugga duggad the drain bolt in.
I'm inclined to replace the oil pan. Looks very accessible, but a new pan is $200, kinda lame. I haven't used helicoil or time-sert much, but I imagine that would be a much cheaper way to get it done, but I'd still want to remove the pan to make sure I didn't get any shavings or anything in there. And not having a lot of experience with the product, I'm also a little nervous I would screw it up. I also have a tap and die set and could try just chasing the hole with the correct tap and hope the result holds. That would also still require dropping the oil pan to make sure I don't leave any shavings in there. Whichever way, I want a solution that ends up with a standard stock sized hole and thread pitch so I can "keep it stock" and install a drain valve if I want.
What would MUD do? Any options I'm not considering?
I'm inclined to replace the oil pan. Looks very accessible, but a new pan is $200, kinda lame. I haven't used helicoil or time-sert much, but I imagine that would be a much cheaper way to get it done, but I'd still want to remove the pan to make sure I didn't get any shavings or anything in there. And not having a lot of experience with the product, I'm also a little nervous I would screw it up. I also have a tap and die set and could try just chasing the hole with the correct tap and hope the result holds. That would also still require dropping the oil pan to make sure I don't leave any shavings in there. Whichever way, I want a solution that ends up with a standard stock sized hole and thread pitch so I can "keep it stock" and install a drain valve if I want.
What would MUD do? Any options I'm not considering?
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