The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Stripped "oil pan" bolt

What is the fix to a stripped out oil pan bolt? I can't believe my own strength.

thanks for any advice

Is this the outer bolt to block that broke? Is the engine in the truck?

The easiest way would be to get a left handed rill bit and see if it will grab it and back it out. If not then you will have to drill it out and retap the hole.

Sometimes you can work the bolt out of a bit of it is sticking up enough to work with.

Is the thread in the block stripped, or is the bolt broken? If the block is stripped there's a product called a "Heli-Coil" that involves tapping an oversized thread into the stripped-out hole, and inserting a coiled-up piece of spring steel to bring the thread back to its original dimensions. The installation kit is pretty spendy if you're only fixing one bad thread.

Option #2- - - -drill and tap the hole to the next larger thread size. If it's a 1/4"-20 now, go to a 5/16"-18. The bolt head size will change from 7/16" to 1/2".
Jerry

The drain plug is still in the pan but turns and won't come out. The engine is on a stand. I think I'll remove the pan put down ward pressure on the drain plug and try to turn it out. Any other ideas?

thanks

Aha, just as I thought (but, was afraid to ask), the drain plug.

Use a vise grip to get grab it and turn it out. The next problem is how to re-thread for larger plug and keep filings out of the pan - without taking the pan off.

An over-sized pan plug might do the trick - no filings/shavings?

Removing the pan is the best approach. It gives you better access to the plug to remove it without further damage, and any shavings you create can be cleaned up better. Most auto parts stores sell oversize-thread plugs that self-tap as they're turned into place. Just be sure not to strip the oversized plug. Run it in and out a few times with plenty of lubricant to burnish the new threads and avoid galling them.

On pans with really badly-stripped threads, I've brazed a thin nut to the inside of the pan for the plug to screw into.
Jerry

Thanks this is a big help and a learning experience for me. What I thought would be a 10 minute job turns into a . . . but now I know I never could trust myself to rebuild the engine.

tclederman a.k.a. Extreme Gabste THANKS the vice grip deal worked. This was bugging me and I went to the garage and tried your idea and it worked! Thanks man! Sometime I think I should just stick to building canoes.

Wildernesstripper

X2 on having a nut brazed on. I cut slits in mine to help with draining.

Don't give up. Buy an inexpensive torque wrench (Harbor Freight?) and use it to get the feel of tightening miscellaneous bolts.

You could however trust the guys on here to help walk you through it. Don't deprive yourself of learning something about wrenching as well as your truck at the same time. Between the search and the direct posting of your questions you have a whole shop waiting to help right inside that puter box thing or one of them thar smarty pants phones I hear about...