Damaged Threads of Oil Drain Plug

re_buchanan · Post by **re_buchanan** » 16 Feb 2012, 19:02

Found this wrapped around the threads of my oil drain plug when changing my oil (first time I've done it myself.) (For the record this is from a 2007 V70 2.5t):

: photo.JPG (99.15 KiB) Viewed 5743 times

To get the thing off, I had to hit the wrench with a mallet (first sign of trouble.) Obviously, at some point in the life of my machine, someone over-torqued the d*mn thing (not sure if the last guys to touch are to blame, or if they were just dealing with how they found it.) Now when re-installing, it will not reach the 26 ft-lbs I've seen recommended elsewhere on this site. I'm using a beam torque wrench with tape wrapped around to the backside marked at 26ft-lbs so I'm having to guess, but I think it's getting to about 20-22 ft-lbs before it gives way.

All this leads to several questions:

1. Is 22ft-lbs tight enough to let it slide for awhile (monitoring for the oil leaks, of course)?

2. does anyone know of a good machine shop in or near Birmingham, AL that can repair/re-thread the oil drain plug on an aluminum oil pan?

3. Is this a fix you would trust to a machine shop?

4. does anyone know of a good source in or near Birmingham, AL for a new or high quality used oil pan?

5. just how difficult is it for a reasonably intelligent, reasonably skilled person to replace the oil pan while working from under jack stands ? Is there really much more to it than a handful of bolts and a new gasket? (I would, of course, do a bunch of proper research before undertaking such a task - I'm just looking for a general idea for now.)

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Post by **JDS60R** » 16 Feb 2012, 19:20

I prefer to repair this problem with a time sert. http://www.timesert.com
You can do this from under the car.
Or drive it to a machine shop and have them do it. You will need new oil as they will have to drain what is in the pan to do the job and probably not want to risk putting the same oil back in.

I can't comment on if the lower torque would "definitely" hold the plug in. Whenever I get a stripped one I just put in a time sert and then everyone is happy.

Sorry this happened to you.

http://www.timesert.com/html/drainplug.html

Post by **fazool** » 16 Feb 2012, 19:35

The insert is your best bet. You dont want nyone re-threading this as chips can get in the oil, unless they remove the pan.

re_buchanan · Post by **re_buchanan** » 16 Feb 2012, 19:55

So doing the insert is cleaner? I understand that the bit for doing the insert should pull the waste out, but I wouldn't expect it to be 100% (the timesert instructions mention "Blow chips out of the hole.") How do you blow them "out of the hole" without blowing some into the hole (and thus the oil pan)?

Sorry if I'm being dense or making this overly complicated

Post by **JDS60R** » 16 Feb 2012, 20:39

Very valid concerns

Use grease on the drill bit and tap . Go slowly.

Put in the insert, set it, and then pour a quart of the cheapest oil you can find through the motor and it will flush out chips if there are any. I have a vacuum with a small hose attachment I made that I also use to suck out chips if I can see them.

I never really see any left over if I use grease and go slow. No reason to insert the drill past where the threads are. if you do it has a chance of spinning off chips and grease. I mark my drill bit with masking tape so I know how far I can insert it.

Also - make sure to order the right time sert insert as they come from 1/2 in to over 1.25 in in depth. My local parts store has them from time sert and some other company that i think time sert makes them for.

Blowing out chips would be for if you took off the pan. I know you can buy an air attachment that will blow backwards but I never used one and don't know if it would help or hurt.

re_buchanan · Post by **re_buchanan** » 17 Feb 2012, 05:32

I've been checking online with the major parts dealers around town and I'm not finding this particular brand (Timesert). Does the brand really matter all that much? If so, any recommendations about what I might find at Advance (fix-a-thread), autozone (fix-a-thread), o'reilly (heli-coil) or NAPA (couldn't find anything on their site)?

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 17 Feb 2012, 07:56

I think your best bet is the timesert, as far as inserts go. Although if it were my car I would drop the pan and either replace with a new pan or re-thread the old hole the next size up and use a short bolt with a copper or aluminum washer. What you pulled out appears to be a Heli-coil like device. Yes chances are the last guy that change your oil was either the culprit or was aware of the situation.

re_buchanan · Post by **re_buchanan** » 17 Feb 2012, 20:28

follow-up: I spent the better part of this morning driving all over God's green earth looking for an insert that would fit, but (as it turns out, fortunately) no one had one large enough for the plug.

As I went around showing the plug to various and sundry auto parts folks and I looked at and held the drain plug, it seemed more and more likely that the plug I was holding looked less like something Volvo would insert in their cars and much more like something from Autozone (or rolling around in a bin at the quickie lube.)

So, I decided to drop by the Volvo dealer and get their opinion: they confirmed that it was not a Volvo plug. I showed them the same picture posted here (I didn't have the actual thing with me) and they agreed with RaymanSean: it was a heli-coil and I should replace the oil pan (and gave me a quote for $830.)

With a bit of a lump in my throat, I decided to run by the local independent Volvo specialist to get a final opinion. Without much deliberation, he stated that what's in the photo is probably the threads from being over torqued and then gave me a proper Volvo drain plug ("gave" as in "for free"). It was at least 3/8 of an inch longer than the thing that I pulled out of the pan. His suggestion was basically that the "extra" threads would be sufficient to allow it to work properly. This made sense to me (and was a much happier answer than "$830 oil pan"), so I headed home to install my new drain plug (with a new gasket). He was right insofar is the new plug allowed me to torque the thing properly with no indication that there was any sort of problem.

Whether that thing in the image was a heli-coil or threads from the pan (FWIF, it was definitely made of aluminum), I've no doubt that RaymanSean and the Volvo dealer are correct in that the "proper" solution is to replace the pan. But until my wife becomes employed again, "proper" will have to give way to "good enough". Either way, no more quickie lube jacklegs will be going near one of my cars with their impact wrenches - if I can't handle it myself, it's going to someone that at least knows what a torque wrench is. (Which is sad because I'm sure there are some good folks working at quickie lubes, but how can you tell if you've found a good one?)

I sincerely thank you all for your responses, you are all truly gracious to share your time and knowledge.

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 19 Feb 2012, 15:15

Glad you figured it out. One of my Dad's favorite sayings is "a temporary fix is a permanent solution." I am not saying that you should not replace the plan, but I would just start a vehicle maintenance fund. Then just keep the money in the bank until the pan starts to give you problems, if it ever does.

Post by **FjordMoCo** » 19 Feb 2012, 23:16

If you use a topside oil extractor for future oil changes, you can leave the drain plug alone and not risk stripping the remaining threads.