Oil pan/drain plug
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 390
Likes: 8
From: Louisiana
Oil pan/drain plug
My oil drain plug didn't come off easily. I went to put it back on after draining the oil, and it won't catch. I rubbed my finger around the hole of the oil pan, and I cannot feel any threads. Do I need to buy a whole new oil pan now or is there some other way to fix this?
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
There are self threading rplacemnets or you can buy a slightly larger tap and bolt and rethread it latger yourself. Put grease on the tap to catch the cuttings as much as possible.
Re-pour your old oil thru the engine to wash as much out as possible and you may consider a magnetic oil plug which has it's advantages anyway.
Re-pour your old oil thru the engine to wash as much out as possible and you may consider a magnetic oil plug which has it's advantages anyway.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 390
Likes: 8
From: Louisiana
So I went to pep boys and got 2 (one single and one double oversized) of those self-tapping replacements, and I can't get either of them to go on right. I also saw that they had a rubber plug that expands when you tighten a wingnut. Do you think that will work, or should I just go ahead and buy a new oil pan? All of these methods just seem like temporary fixes to me...how hard is it to remove and replace the oil pan?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,128
Likes: 4
From: Upland Ca
Me thinks your toast. If your not comfortable with dropping the steering linkage and pulling the pan you should seel out and expirenced local shop to do the work. Should be around 2 maybe 3 hours labor plus parts, oil, filter. Also make sure you buy or spec out a real GM or quality after market pan like milodon. Those cheep after market chrome pans are junk and will leek forever.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,115
Likes: 671
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
So I went to pep boys and got 2 (one single and one double oversized) of those self-tapping replacements, and I can't get either of them to go on right. I also saw that they had a rubber plug that expands when you tighten a wingnut. Do you think that will work, or should I just go ahead and buy a new oil pan? All of these methods just seem like temporary fixes to me...how hard is it to remove and replace the oil pan?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Removing the steering linkage to get the oil pan off isn't that difficult. You just have to remove the two bolts holding the arms on the passenger side of the car and swing the assembly down out of the way a few inches. It doesn't take too much time. Then the pan removal is simple. Might be a good time to replace the old gasket with a nice one-piece reusable gasket as well. 
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Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
Have done this countless times, there is plenty of meat around the drain hole to handle the new threads.
Don't use the JiffyLube places any more.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,142
Likes: 195
From: Englewood FL
Looking at the back of your car it looks to be an 1980-82. If so
those pans are hard to find and many aftermarket pans don't fit
without denting them to clear the steering linkage. Therefore if your
pan is in good condition except for the drain plug I would
try a shop in your area that does welding and see if they can
weld a new nut on the inside of the pan that has the same threads
as the stock drain plug. This requires removing the pan but as
others mentioned is easy.
those pans are hard to find and many aftermarket pans don't fit
without denting them to clear the steering linkage. Therefore if your
pan is in good condition except for the drain plug I would
try a shop in your area that does welding and see if they can
weld a new nut on the inside of the pan that has the same threads
as the stock drain plug. This requires removing the pan but as
others mentioned is easy.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 348
Likes: 2
From: Lowell MA
The oil drain plug stripped on my 69 vette back in 1972. Bought a rubber plug and 2 weeks later cruising at 80 mph, the cornor of my eye caught the oil pressure gage rapidly falling. Immediately shut down the engine and coasted to the side of the road leaving a trail of oil behind me and a small pool of oil under the car. The dam rubber plug blew out. I was lucky.
The Fix: Dad's old time mechanic welded a large nut right over the drain hole and gave me a new plug. Been that way since. Cheap money, permanent solution and nothing to remove.
The Fix: Dad's old time mechanic welded a large nut right over the drain hole and gave me a new plug. Been that way since. Cheap money, permanent solution and nothing to remove.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 8
From: Enid Oklahoma
Looking at the back of your car it looks to be an 1980-82. If so
those pans are hard to find and many aftermarket pans don't fit
without denting them to clear the steering linkage. Therefore if your
pan is in good condition except for the drain plug I would
try a shop in your area that does welding and see if they can
weld a new nut on the inside of the pan that has the same threads
as the stock drain plug. This requires removing the pan but as
others mentioned is easy.
those pans are hard to find and many aftermarket pans don't fit
without denting them to clear the steering linkage. Therefore if your
pan is in good condition except for the drain plug I would
try a shop in your area that does welding and see if they can
weld a new nut on the inside of the pan that has the same threads
as the stock drain plug. This requires removing the pan but as
others mentioned is easy.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 782
Likes: 1
From: Magic Valley ID
....from your experience, is there a certain size I need to get then?? Don't really want to have to mess with changing the oil pump, but I also don't want my car to be dead in the water with a non-fitting pan either. 
Any help here buddy?Deja
