[AT] Oil drain plugs?

CEE VILL cvee60 at hotmail.com
Fri Apr 16 18:02:16 PDT 2004


Farmer,

Yes, back when.  Back when I worked as a mechanic in a Chevrolet service/ 
parts department, we stocked self-tapping plugs just large enough to replace 
the standard G.M plug. The thread portion was about 1" long and tapered from 
the stripped hole size to the new thread size in the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the 
length.  For that length from the end, there were cross slots to provide a 
cutting action as the plug was turned in with some end pressure.  I can 
recall using them on one or two occasions, and they worked very well.  Are 
they still available ???????  That was 45 years ago.

Charlie V. in WNY


>From: Robinson <robinson at svs.net>
>Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: [AT] Oil drain plugs?
>Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 06:59:14 -0500
>
>	Has anybody come across oversize or tapered replacement oil drain plugs? 
>Its a common problem especially on stuff where others often change oil like 
>cars and trucks. "Two Ton Torque Ted" works at the local filling station or 
>quick change place and he thinks (or just doesn't) that an oil drain plug 
>tightened to 150 ft. pounds is loose...   :-)  He is a first cousin to that 
>guy that used a 350 ft. pound impact wrench on your new aluminum wheels and 
>ruined two of them. That guy is responsible for half of the warped brake 
>rotors replaced each year.   ;-)
>	I have never stripped the threads on a plug but I have bought a lot of 
>vehicles with partially stripped plugs. Actually it is worse than stripped 
>plug threads because some how it is usually the threads in the pan that 
>strip. I have used the rubber plugs that you stick in the hole and tighten 
>with an allen wrench until they mushroom inside of the pan to seal it but I 
>don't really like them. I have also used but don't like those repair plugs 
>where you force screw a self tapping plug with a threaded hole in it for a 
>smaller plug.
>	It would seem to me that a better product would be a replacement plug with 
>the same TPI but made with a taper a little like a pipe plug. Maybe even a 
>plug that was only a few thousandths bigger that was tapered on the end for 
>easy starting.
>	I have on occasion drilled the pan out and tapped the hole for a larger 
>plug but even with a bit of flushing I worry about missing filings in the 
>pan. Many of today's vehicles require removing everything but the license 
>plate to take the pan off to make a repair.
>	I noticed when I changed to oil on the Lincoln that one of the drain plugs 
>was about done for. I'll try just buying a new plug and tightening it 
>gingerly. I also noticed that when I took out the secondary plug it looked 
>and felt like that was the first time it had ever been removed. I guess 
>they had always just left the dirty oil in that sump each time. The PO had 
>always had a quickie place change oil.
>	Any new ideas out there?
>--
>
>
>
>"farmer"
>
>"Those are not carbs, those are potatoes."
>
>
>Francis Robinson
>Central Indiana USA
>robinson at svs.net
>
>
>
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