Stripped oil pan drain plug threads...

[Iowa Mike]

I'm sure this has been discussed here already but I couldn't find any threads. I've got a 2015 Expedition with 230,000 miles on it and I've had it for two years now. When I bought it, it had a piggyback oil pan drain plug already. I just did my 3rd oil change since buying the truck and the main drain plug leaks now, it's loose and won't tighten so obviously it's stripped. My question is this, do I tap the threads to the next size bigger or do I pull it out, clean it with Brakeclean, then re-install it with JB Weld? Any thoughts or other suggestions?

 

[AWAR]

I always replace the drain plugs when they start to fail. I was the foreman for a fleet shop. We are the only ones to touch these trucks from birth to retirement. We never had to use an oversize plug in the the 20+ years I was there. I would see what is in it and go from there. They do make single and double oversize self tapping replacement drain plugs. JB weld will not fix your drain plug issues, it is for other jobs.

 

[Iowa Mike]

Thanks @AWAR! I agree 100% on the JB Weld, I've never used it before so I didn't know if it's a reasonable option. I'm 64 and have always done most of my own service, I've never used an oversized drain plug either, I know when to back off on the drain plug torque. Since I read your response to me I pulled the plug out and checked the thread size, it's 14mm x 1.5 so it's already oversize since the factory one is 12mm x 1.75. So, do I go to the next size larger?

 

[AWAR]

Will a new 14mm x 1.5 work or is the pan stripped? If so maybe this will help.

 

[Iowa Mike]

No, it's stripped again.

 

[Gary Waugh]

I would be looking at fitting a timesert and bringing the drain bolt back to stock size. A lot of people recommend helicoils, but I always find they leak/weep on oil drain plugs, the timeserts are easy to install and give an oil tight seal afterwards. You can fit a timesert yourself or have a local garage do it. You will need to drain the oil, then fit the timesert, insert a new drain plug and then put the oil back in.

 

[Iowa Mike]

I would be looking at fitting a timesert and bringing the drain bolt back to stock size. A lot of people recommend helicoils, but I always find they leak/weep on oil drain plugs, the timeserts are easy to install and give an oil tight seal afterwards. You can fit a timesert yourself or have a local garage do it. You will need to drain the oil, then fit the timesert, insert a new drain plug and then put the oil back in.

The Time-sert is definitely the route I need to go. They're pricey but I'd rather pay now and get it right than do it over, or worse.
Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[AWAR]

I am sure that a time-sert is less expensive than replacing the oil pan.

 

[Iowa Mike]

Actually it's not depending a couple of things. I can get an "Amazon" pan for $70 and the Time-sert kit was $180. That being said, I don't want to drop the pan. If I was going to drop it I'd weld the hole shut and re-drill and tap it since I've got a TIG welder. The main sell on the Time-sert is that with a new pan or welded pan I'm still dealing with aluminum threads and with the Time-sert they'll be steel and I shouldn't ever have another issue. I'd never heard of Time-sert before and I didn't want to go with Helicoil on a drain plug hole. Again, thanks for all of the input everyone, I knew I could count on getting the right solution from you!

 

[Gary Waugh]

If you buy a timesert kit, they usually come with 4 or more timeserts, you can often find local garages that already have a kit and they charge you about half the price of a kit to install one timesert, so it’s usually cheaper than buying a timesert kit and doing it yourself, but you don’t have 3 more timeserts left over for other cars!! Depends on if you want to save money now (use the local garage) or if you want to save money long term (buy the kit and have spare inserts for other projects).

Gary

 

[Iowa Mike]

@Gary Waugh I like your thinking! I'm retired so a penny saved is a penny earned. I did go ahead and buy the Time-sert kit, mostly because I prefer to do any work that I can myself.

 

[Gary Waugh]

When drilling out the old hole to start threading for the new insert, I put a lot of grease on the drill bit and use a slow drill speed, that way most of the swarf sticks to the drill bit and very little goes inside the sump. I then do the same thing with the tap, Lots of grease so the material cut by the tap also sticks to the tap and doesn’t go inside the sump. Just some suggestions.

 

[Iowa Mike]

This is what I love about enthusiast forums, usually they're so helpful. I probably will be doing the repair on the truck because I went ahead and bought a right angle drill so I don't have to pull the pan. Thanks again @Gary Waugh!

 

[mshields8]

I've had stripped drain plugs on other Fords. The plug will strip before the female end on the drain pan. The drain plug bolt is a softer metal than the drain pan. All I ever needed to do was replace the drain plug, never the pan.
My 2cents.

 

[BlackBetty]

This happened to me on my old ‘04 Expedition sometime ago. Was draining oil from pan… when I attempted to reinstall the drain plug it got hand tight. Then, about a 1/16th of a turn it would pop loose again.

Feared I’d done the worst; stripped the oil pan threads. Turned out it was that pan plug bolt that was compromised. Carefully tapped the pan threads to clean it up. Then poured appropriately 1 quart of out in the pan without the plug to rinse out any potential metal shavings.

Purchased a replacement plug from AutoZone. That plug was shortly replaced with a more robust magnetic bolt I ordered from Amazon. Can’t remember the name, but it worked REALLY well. Torqued secure to the pan, and had a VERY strong magnetic pull to grab any trash floating around in the pan.

 

[Grrumpy]

Just replace the drain bolt with a Fumoto Drain Valve and you will never have to experience a stripped bolt/threaded hole again !!!

 

[Iowa Mike]

On mine the pan is aluminum and the plug is steel. I'll grease the drill bit and tap like Gary Waugh suggests and I'm also planning on pouring in a couple quarts to flush out any shavings like BlackBetty did. I bought a new steel plug with the magnet in it but I may go ahead and get the Fumoto drain valve, we'll see. Again, thanks for all the input!

 

[Iowa Mike]

I fixed the stripped drain plug yesterday and it went smooth, didn't even need to drop the pan just the swaybar. Thanks for all the input everyone!