Help, stripped the oil pan drain bolt, how to fix??

[skywarp]

Hey all i need help,
The oil pan itself is stripped where the bolt goes to drain the oil.
is there any way to fix it without replacing the whole oil pan??

 

[Gary 420A RS]

they make a rethreder kit iam pretty sure.... you can fill it back up and restart the wholes with the new thredding....

 

[skywarp]

If i rethread it, will i have to take off the oil pan?

 

[Gary 420A RS]

yup! unless your a magician.... its gonna take some time.... just drain the oil... take the pan off... keep the drain pan under the car so that it doesnt leak everywhere... and clean up the pan and go to work.... little project but i would take me for ever cause iam lazy

 

[skywarp]

alright,

ive never messed with these cars, is there a long process or can i just jack the car up drain the oil and take off the oil pan.

Or is there more parts blocking the oil pan that i will need to remove??

 

[Gary 420A RS]

iam not sure if the cross member is in the way but just experiment.... youll get it... jack the car up take the oil drain it... take the oil cap off the block.... and go at it....

 

[ADrewzki]

alright,

ive never messed with these cars, is there a long process or can i just jack the car up drain the oil and take off the oil pan.

Or is there more parts blocking the oil pan that i will need to remove??

If memory serves right, you'll have to take the downpipe to your exhaust off because it runs right next to your oil pan. Since you have a GST, you won't have a transfer case to worry about. Just a note when you're putting the oil pan back on, there are two smaller oil pan screws. These go on the drivers side of the oil pan and they are shorter because they stick up by the timing belt. Just keep track of those two in particular.

 

[Defiant]

Over-sized drain plugs are available at most parts shops. They're self-threading. Coat it with grease, go 1/8-turn at at time, back it out and clean off the chips every twist and you can get away without having to pull the pan.
If there's enough thread left, you might want to swap to a Fram quick-drain and JB Weld it on. That way you can't screw it up again.

 

[jott5555]

what would you guys think if i said i think i stripped a oil return line bolt im going to have to pull the pan i think.

 

[Defiant]

what would you guys think if i said i think i stripped a oil return line bolt im going to have to pull the pan i think.

Grease up a ¼-20 tap, pull the chips back out, and this time don't tighten it down like you're a gorilla. Oh, yeah, and change from metric to ¼-20 bolts. Be sure to use copper gaskets under the bolt heads or it'll leak there.

 

[ADrewzki]

Grease up a ¼-20 tap, pull the chips back out, and this time don't tighten it down like you're a gorilla.

Get your hands off my oil pan you damn dirty ape! :laugh:

 

[hewhoisknot]

2 words, fram-suredrain.... well isn't that 3? anyway...

 

[90 GSX]

Grease up a ¼-20 tap, pull the chips back out, and this time don't tighten it down like you're a gorilla. Oh, yeah, and change from metric to ¼-20 bolts. Be sure to use copper gaskets under the bolt heads or it'll leak there.

Defiant... I just have to say this little schpeal. Since I got into DSM's a few years ago I have picked up the DSM game from you and other educated members of this forum. Even after owning 4 first gens, I did not think of this fix. I have a stripped bolt, and I was lazy and pissed so I just glommed on a bunch of ultra black and threaded the bolt in like a plug. I figured it would seal since my gasket is not paper it is also ultra black. Then I went to my computer for shits and giggles to see if other people overcame their embarassment and posted about this problem of the stripped return bolt. I saw this and immediately went back to my car and did it. Half and hour later, I am back in action with the amazing feeling of a bolt tightening.

Thank you Defiant, you are the man.

 

[ilikespeeding]

how about a helicoil?

Typically, the bolt is softer metal and gets ruined before the pan threads. Try another bolt yet?

 

[crimsondragon]

If you plan on getting a Suredrain (which I don't recommend since they leak after a while) do not go by the parts book they have at the store. Know the size of the drain hole and find it on the packaging. I believe it was like M14 or something like that.