[durangod]

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well i went to change my oil today like i have allways done, easy right?? i went to put the oil drain plug back in and it would not tighten up so i took it out and a long strand of all the forward threads came out with it :?, ok so i managed to sit there dumbfounded without throwing my socket wrenchas far as i could and just asked myself ok what now :baffled:....

i took the front engine cover off and im taking it down tomorrow to see if they can retap it to larger plug bolt or they might have another cover laying around, ill know more tomorrow.

questions are: is there anything i should do while i have it off? i have about 82,000 miles on it now.

is there any trick to putting it back on correctly? i have the manual but to be honest its very bleek when it comes to the cover.

a shop told me i should make sure to clean the parts on the engine side of the cover, wow theres alot of parts in there, looks like wankas choc factory :cheeky1:in there. do i just spray them down with something like wd 40 or something

any help would be appreciated, thanks dave

 

[durangod]

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i did order a new complete casket kit 22 bucks and i think i just need to get the pink antifreez right.. non silicone if i remember correctly

 

[sandiegobrass]

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"non silicate" is what you need..... and it isn't pink... usually blue or green, but color is not an identifying characteristic.. read the label...... if you go with the dexcool (orange), be sure to flush the system well before using it as it isn't campatable with most other antifreezes including what was probably there before....

 

[durangod]

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it was orange that came out when i drained it, was not blue or green so maybe thats what was in there already, ill ask the prev owner what he put in there.

 

[JBz]

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if i remember correctly there is a little nub where the threads end inside and it is threaded pretty far back. A helicoil might be a better fix than a retap. I got the same job to do on a 82 also when i get time. a can or2 of brake clean at walmart should clean your cover up pretty good.JB

 

[durangod]

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yeah there are still threads in the back, whats a helicoil

nevermind im watching a helicoil video on youtube lol

 

[Kit Carson]

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It is not hopeless. Take your existing plug to Napa and obtain an automotive drain plug just a little bit larger. Once you know the thread size you can then obtain the correct drill bit size and tap for the new plug, just drill it out and re-tap it.

A heli coil in that application, may, allow a leak, hard to find a crush washer large enough to seal past the coil and still be small enough on the inner diameter to seal around the actual plug.

Look carefully at the old mold boss and if there is plenty of material , just drill it out and fit a new automotive plug.

Aluminum is soft and likes to grab the tap and tear, so use lots of tapping oil while making the tap.

Kit

 

[Foosman(5)]

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Also, they make a over-sized self-tapping drain plug.

Check your automotive stores. The end of the plug has a flute that acts reamer/drill and cut in the new thread. From what I remember, they were cheap and not much more that a regular plug. Since, the block is aluminum should be easier, but the steel pan was also an easy fix.

If they have not heard of them, ask a Jiffy Lube man. I am sure they have stripped a few and have been sued plenty of times. Or, I am sure they have come across many that were just about to completely strip out.

 

[Foosman(5)]

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Here is one. It is at the bottom of the page.

https://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/05/12/47/0900823d80051247/repairInfoPages.htmone.

They have various sizes.From what I remember, same thread per inch but over-sized. So, it probably needs to be metric.

 

[exavid]

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If you have the cover off there's a couple of alternatives available rather than a mickey mouse fix. One would be to have the hole welded and re-drilled and tapped. The second best fix would be to install a helicoil. The aluminum sealing washer's diameter is plenty wide enough to seal with a helicoil. A helicoil is a permanent fix and will provide a stronger thread than the original. Also it provides steel on steel thread and bolt so there's not chance of the galling in aluminum that a steel bolt can cause. They don't give large helicoils away so it might be cheaper to find a shop that can install one for you, a helicoil kit in the size you'll need will be nearly $50.

 

[GWNorman]

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A helicoil or larger insert with new drain plug will work. Only thing to be careful of with the front cover is all the different length bolts. Make sure they go back in the right places

 

[Matt G]

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the best fix is a helicoil, even if you have it welded up, install one, it is stronger than threads cut into aluminum, that is why your spark plugs holes have helicoils installed.

 

[sandiegobrass]

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Matt G wrote:

.....your spark plugs holes have helicoils installed....

??? on what ??? I wasn't aware that there were OEM helicoils

 

[GSMacLean]

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I had the exact same thing happen to me years ago with my 1991 MR2 Turbo. Turned out that the PO had stripped the drain hole and installed a helicoil - and the strand of metal that I thought was thread, was in fact the PO's helicoil coming out. I installed a new one, but after it came out twice more, I gave up and replaced the oil pan.

 

[exavid]

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Pretty rare to have a properly installed Helicoil come out. They are not reliable if installed in too thin material, it really needs to be thick enough for the whole coil to seat in. I do know of once case that a Helicoil wouldn't stay put but it turned out that the installer hadn't used the specified size drill bit. Also if you are sloppy with the drill and wow the hole out when drilling it the coil isn't going to be as solid. I've used them in all kinds of repairs, they are also permitted in many types of aircraft repair on engines and airframes too which says a lot about them.

 

[Oregonwinger]

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We used these more than heli-coil. A very tough repair job, and won't back out, because of the little barbs that get driven to lock it into place. Very Loctite friendly, too, where Loctite is a no-no with Heli-coil. You may fetch them at a Cat dealer, if no one else in town has them.

http://automotivefasteners.thomasne...ols/keenserts-174-thinwall-inserts?&forward=1

 

[exavid]

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Those are new ones to me, look good. How does the price compare to Helicoil?

 

[OnaWingAndaPrayer]

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Back to your other question ... since you have the cover off ,you might consider a water pump change . But thats another $130 or so.

 

[Oregonwinger]

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They're not real cheap. I think we allocated about 2.50 apiece per job. Up to about 3/4 inch, then they went up from there. But, that's from memory, and that's getting a bit quivery. :gunhead:

 

[Foosman(5)]

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Keensert (I called the Kingsert) and Rosans arebetter (heavy duty) than helicoilinserts. They have a better positive locking feature, but application would be based on available base material. We use steel Rosans on M2 Bradley aluminum hulls for mounting suspension and final drive units.

Welding, grinding, drilling, and tapping maybe a lot of work. On a removable 1100 cover,I guess it could be done or the cover totally replaced.

On my 1500, the oil drain plug is in the main engine block. On some of my other vehicles, removing the oil pan would be a major effort. Plenty of aluminium metal on a 1500, but there is not way I am going to weld on it or split the case.

I would still use aself-tapping drain plug vs helicoil. It is an all-in-one tool, quick and easy, and enlarges the diameter slightly and taps the hole. 5 minutes and you are done, and I do not see how you can beat it. One could use grease tocatch the cut metal (same for a regular tap).Aluminum to steel, yes, but that isstill very well acceptable. If done on a steel oil pan, steel on steel.