Stripped oil return line hole on oil pan.... Help!

[markf671]

I was fixing a leak where the oil return line meets the oil pan.... Unscrewed the 2 10 mm bolts... I noticed the 2 bolts were different and a ton of rtv on there... Didn't think anything about the bolts cleaned both surfaces, rtv'd the oil pan put the gasket on, rtv'd the return line... But when I was bolting it back on, one screw went in fine the other screw just slid in. So I realized that the shop just put it on there and rtv'd it. How dirty is that! Huh? Lol!


So I ask you guys, how do I fix this problem? Thanks!

 

[jpmxrider489]

You can take the oil pan down and re tap it. You can get a new oil pan.

 

[markf671]

Can I just get a bigger bolt? I just reinstalled the oil pan , transfer case, sorry I forgot to mention that... How do I re tap it? I think I'm gonna go that route.. One more thing, will the gasket still be good? Or do I need another one?

Thanks, jpmxrider...

 

[Spin Daily]

Yea, i stripped mine about a month ago, bought a 1/4-20 bolt from lowes and RTV'd the hell out of the whole fitting. No leaks since.

 

[markf671]

Cool! Thanks Spin Daily.... God I want to tell off that shop, but it's my fault for bring it there instead of doing it myself.... Lol! Thanks again guys! Big help....

 

[NHerron]

Just wanted to share my recent experience even though this is about a month old

I too was losing oil since that flange was leaking, and found out the 2 bolts were stripped. Decided I had enough room to go with a 1/4-20 bolt (7/16 wrench) so I tapped both the holes

Even with the front of car raised (with jackstands ), you will loose about 1/2-1 quart of oil when taking off the oil return flange

WHEN tapping the new threads with a good quality tap, attach a magnet to the tap once the tap reaches far enough inside and let it attract all the metal shavings. You will be amazed how much metal is actually removed when upgrading to a just a slightly bigger bolt

You can make your own gaskets for this application which I choose a slightly thicker gasket. Pick up a gasket sheet pack from any auto store and smear a tad bit of RTV on the threads

 

[JusMX141]

1/4" - 20 is a great temporary solution until the pan can be dropped and the hole drilled / Helicoiled.

 

[kchaazz]

Just a little pointer- dont put a bead of RTV onto the oilpan and return flange, or the rtv will squeeze into the hole and block oil return flow when you tighten the bolt. If you use RTV, put an extremely light coat over both sides of the entire gasket, just enough to make it sticky, and with clean bolt threads, use a bit of RTV on them before screwing them in.

 

[JusMX141]

Just a little pointer- dont put a bead of RTV onto the oilpan and return flange, or the rtv will squeeze into the hole and block oil return flow when you tighten the bolt.

+1 on not creating a "gasket lasagna". Copper gasket spray is your friend with any paper gasket near an engine's oiling system.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/tur...uys-lay-off-excess-rtv-oil-drain-flanges.html