oil drain plug
oil drain plug So after the car sitting for 2yrs and finally getting around to working on it. I got all fluids changed and everything under the car cleaned up. Before letting the car sit few years ago, there was oil leak, had it checked out and was told it was the rear main seal, but the oil seem to originate from the front somewhere.. so nothing was done, now that im working on it again, i cleaned up the under carriage and got the car ready to start. After filling all fluids, the next morning there was a nice clean oil puddle under the car after all the rain i was able to get under the car yesterday for a quick inspection and seems the oil is coming from the drain plug. i checked and the bolt was little loose, but wondering if there is anything i can do to insure that the plug and the pan hole is still good( i know in order to check ill have to drain the oil again, which suxs) but $20+ in new oil is worth it if i can fix the leak. looking around online there is a gasket for the plug, reading the hayes book, the torque specs is 18lbs ft. Is there anything else to check or use to insure that the plug seals and doesnt get damaged? Is there anything like locktite for it? is that not recommended?
Any suggestions and ideas would be great.
thanks
Any suggestions and ideas would be great.
thanks
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: New York
First, you should confirm that the oil is coming from the drain plug, and is not just dripping down from the rear main seal. I had a tricky oil leak a few years ago and it turned out that it actually was the rear main seal that was the problem.
In terms of the plug, did you inspect the threads on the oil pan hole and the plug itself? Were they thin or damaged at all? I would definitely buy a new gasket for the plug, if not a brand new plug as well. I'd stay away from loctite too, you shouldn't need it and I wouldn't risk contaminating that clean oil with anything. Hope this helps
In terms of the plug, did you inspect the threads on the oil pan hole and the plug itself? Were they thin or damaged at all? I would definitely buy a new gasket for the plug, if not a brand new plug as well. I'd stay away from loctite too, you shouldn't need it and I wouldn't risk contaminating that clean oil with anything. Hope this helps
TECH Addict
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa, OK
You can get self tapping replacement plugs from the parts store. Yes, there is a gasket on your existing plug, and they do go bad. If you try to tighten you existing plug, and it does strip the pan then one of the slightly oversize self tapping replacements is the cure. Loctite is not recommended, nor is it needed if the plug is tightened properly.
i went ahead and wiped everything down again, watched and this leak is def coming from the oil pan plug, so i emptied out the new oil i just put in this past week and took some pics, this image isnt really clear, ill try to get better pics, the drain hole seems to have a small brim that makes contact with the plug, that brim seems to have broken and when i wiped it down found that the broken bits were stuck to the plug itself, so does that call for a new pan? new plug and gasket?
i picked up a new plug with gasket today, but before i replace the old one, can anyone tell me about that brim im talking about in my post? id like to work on it before the weekend(weather permitting) and get it oiled back up.
I'd like to get it started soon, so i can see if there is any other problems since its been sitting for so long.
thanks.
I'd like to get it started soon, so i can see if there is any other problems since its been sitting for so long.
thanks.
i hope that i am not hijacking but is the oil drain plug gasket rubber or is it more like a crush washer? my camaro never had one before so i dont know exactly if the parts sites are listing the correct stuff. they list the rubber, however i dont know if i should be looking for a crush washer. my sonata uses a crush washer so that made me HAVE to find out.
thanks
thanks
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What about just using the permatex ultra black silicone. I have been using that and it stops the leak. However, my drain plug has the rubber gasket completely flat and I am waiting to change the gasket and plug at the next oil change.
