The sheer stupidity of that is lost on someone, yet they would never dream of going to a restaurant, walking right into the kitchen and telling the cook what he wants for dinner. Never missed yet, but if in a shop I can see where a guy could get distracted. You can only train a monkey to do so much. So rachet is in the unscrew mode. Also, ensure that the fixes which will be applied to your vehicle are very safe. Forum Member. That means someone did screw the plug in far enough that it could hold oil for a while, but didn’t tighten it beyond finger tight. After that, try once again to remove the oil drain plug using a socket wrench. oxbow. Clean the plug of any old oil or grime. There are oil change places that do it this way because they dont want the chance of stripping a drain plug. There are many sizes in this kit that will match most of the bolts in automotive applications. Maybe some of you pros out there have insight as to how this happens with apparent frequency. If it’s not there, buy one. The tool is made of high carbon steel to ensure durability and long life. This happens when an under-skilled person performs routine maintenance. So I would imagine that the success rate at McDonalds would be higher than the success rate at LubeBay, based solely on the workers it can draw based on pay. I’ve often reused copper washers, especially on the fill hole of my manual transmission, but true crush washers, made of soft aluminum, should never be used more than once. I am a specialist and certified automotive mechanics (Both Heavy Commercial and Private Cars). A $35 oil change gets you a monkey with a crescent wrench. Option 1: Use a Rubber Plug as a Temporary Repair. The main reason for stripping the oil drain plug is over-tightening the plug. The last thing you want is for the plug to fail completely and unexpectedly dump all your oil … Do not grief. Unfortunately, if you came to this step, this means that all the above tips and steps have failed to help you remove the stock oil drain plug. The reason why it is located here is for it to drain the maximum amount of oil, when changing engine oil. Too bad the failure mode is so expensive. My friend and I created this website to share our knowledge, expertise, and experience with our fellow mechanics' community and car users. Get the proper socket that matches the oil drain plug size and use it to remove the stuck oil drain plug. My 2017 Grand Caravan oil plug rounded off with a 6 point socket. Squeeze equal parts of the steel and hardener onto a paper plate and mix thoroughly Remove … If there’s an aluminum oil pan with a steel drain plug the aluminum is going to expand at a faster rate than the steel plug as the oil gets hot. A kid starting out working part-time at McDonalds can make more per hour than a kid starting out at QuickyLubeOilMartExpress. In that case, they might be reusable. Once you have drained all the oil in the oil pan, use a clean cloth to clean the teeth of the oil pan and put a new gasket. Let the person explain to you what is happening and why. Over-tightening the oil pan drain plug can also strip the threads on the drain plug. Nope, not me. Don't over tighten your engine oil drain plug. Even several days later after changing the oil in my son’s car, I couldn’t specifically remember tightening the bolt, so back under to check it again. Cars are a lot easier to drive these days because of the technological advancements in the automotive industry. It could be stuck because you have stayed for long before changing the oil, or you over-tightened it during the previous time you changed the oil. Suppose he has a 99% perfection rate (who in any job has that?) A. Make sure you arent double stacking them. Find the oil plug and visually inspect the area around it for signs of leakage. When I pick up the car, they want me to drive it 1,000 miles and bring it back. The other way is to apply heat on the oil drain plug. The oil then tends to oxidize under high temperatures. Fortunately, when I do an oil change, I’m in no big hurry. I can understand a drain plug, say, leaking due to crossed or stripped threads. A cross threaded oil drain-plug. Because nobody respects mechanics. The pay did not match the time spent. The leak should be addressed promptly. That’s going to happen from time to time. Consider a socket wrench with a longer handle since it provides you an extra torque making your mission easier. Unscrew the plug by hand and set it aside while the oil drains. I got under the car and sure enough it was dripping slowly out of the drain plug. It is not bad to ask for help when things become complicated. Whenever I install a drain plug I have a wrench in my other hand, and tighten it snug. But what if this oil drain plug is stuck? A good oil-pan drain plug, with undamaged pan threads, screws most of the way in with hand effort. You just unscrew the dust cover from the oil drain plug and screw the drain piece with the hose onto the plug manually. B. A gator grip has little teeth that will help you take off the drain plug … The other day my car broke down because there was no oil, and by the time I realized this it basically destroyed the engine. Another reason which would make the oil drain plug stuck is over-tightening. It is also a multi-use tool and can be used for various purposes. I've seen countless loose drain plugs on vehicles back in for an oil change, even several that were almost out, so it's feasible that an improperly tightened drain plug could last 4 months. Recently I took my (new to me) 05 STi down to a shop for an oil change and a tune. And while it's harder to do, you can damage the rubber gasket atop the oil filter if you really overtighten it. Run the plug down with your hand until it stops flush with the oil pan. You want to make sure that your car is serviced by a thorough, experienced, qualified professional? It’s as simple as that. Frees up the real techs to work on more complicated things. During oxidation, the molecules of engine oil break down. You get a few seconds to shut it off before serious damage is done. Hi There, I am R. Hasan Tito, a mechanic, and owner of this website. Use the ratchet to loosen the oil plug. He also said that the engine is ruined and will have to be replace and asked me to contact my insurance company. Drain plugs fall out because the people doing the oil changes often don’t use a fresh crush washer. In the case where the plug is over tightened, you have to change the whole oil pan. It may be in the box with the new filter, look before you leave the parts store. I checked the dipstick and it was bone dry. Is it that simple? Change the ratchet direction and tighten the filter-NOW I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO TIGHTEN THE PLUG. Post Aug 25, 2008 #5 2008-08-25T03:22. I checked the dipstick and it was bone dry. Then pay for it. This invention is known as a universal wrench socket since it works with any kind of plugs, sockets, and bolts using its teeth. @Mustangman, if this were the case, only people who go to quickie-lube places would have this problem. @Whitey You aren’t wrong. Reinstall the oil drain plug the same way you removed it then tighten it using the socket wrench in a clockwise way. We have to replace both the oil pan and drain-plug. A doctor makes a mistake, my brother has a forgotten drainage tube festering in his abdomen. I also bought a replacement drain plug and now the new one is only 13mm . The best tool to use to loosen the oil drain plug is the socket wrench. Set a torque wrench to 25 Nm (18.44 ft-lb) and tighten the drain plug with the torque wrench. Hand screw the oil plug in.-TIGHTENING THE PLUG AT THIS POINT WOULD MEAN TAKING THE FILTER WRENCH OFF AND PUTTING THE SOCKET BACK ON, SO INSTEAD I COME BACK TO IT. You May Like: How to Remove a Stuck Oil Filter. I wiped it down and checked 30 minutes later and another drop had formed. Take the socket off the rachet and put the filter wrench on it and loosen … !” “Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I finish this oil change.” “Now dammit, I need help!”. The rubber plug is used as a temporary fix, and it's not meant to be a permanent fix. I don’t like it, but I can’t change an industry. People who go to independent mechanics and dealerships can have this problem too. If the 2nd step fails, do not lose hope. I typically do the same on my car, but only because the only way to get to the filter is below the car on the back of the engine. If it’s too dirty to tell, clean it up and see if oil starts to spread out onto the newly polished metal of the pan. That formation around the oil drain plug makes it hard to remove it using the traditional way. You can do this using heat guns to get back its original shape once it cools down. Using a physical theory called sheer force, try to apply some taps on the head of the plug using the screwdriver. Well it left with oil in it, came back the next day on a semi, with no oil and no drain plug. Put some force with a hammer. Today I noticed a small puddle of oil where my car had been parked. Not customers, not managers, not even other mechanics. She can wait.” “No, she’s a good customer and she’s in a hurry, come talk to her.”, “Hey Joe, give me a hand here, this transmission’s falling off the jack, I’m gonna lose it! If any tech told me that the plug came out due to differences in the coefficient of expansion I’d probably bop him one right on the nose. Once your Street Triple is no longer dripping oil, it’s time to put the plug back in. These oil pans use drain plugs to keep the oil in it. Rust removers work like a solvent substance for sludge and rust. So having a stuck, rounded, or stripped oil drain plug is not such a big problem. I change my own oil and I have to remind myself continuously to tighten the bolt. oxbow. So how does this happen? “Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place.” --Judd Nelson’s character John Bender in The Breakfast Club. I rounded the head of hte plug off with an impact socket. A loose, leaky or damaged oil drain plug can cause unsightly stains on your driveway, as well as reducing the amount of oil in your engine. State inspections are only one of many distractions that exist in a shop. 745. Nylon washers can probably be reused if they’re not split, but they’re so dirt-cheap to buy by the package that it isn’t worth reusing them. Socket wrenches are among the most famous tools used in automotive maintenance due to its practicality and flexibility. So it’s mystifying to me when I read reports here that “the drain plug fell out,” as just happened to an unfortunate Rav4 owner. I’m not a professional mechanic, but I am a mechanical engineer and do my own car repairs. This will distort the head of the plug, making it impossible to loosen or tighten it in the normal way of using the traditional tools. I think he was referring to nylon washers. Put the socket back on the ratchet and tighten the oil plug. Nobody likes getting bad news like that, and it’s easier to try to sweep the problem under the rug than it is to tell you the mechanic got your drain plug out, saw that it was damaged, and he can’t finish your oil change until you pay for replacement of the drain pan, which is going to take at least another day since they will have to order the parts, especially if you’re getting your oil changed on a weekend. Thanks for your answer. Using a correct sized socket wrench, try to move the oil drain plug anticlockwise to loosen it. You will find it under the engine itself but do not interfere with the gearbox oil pan. When doing the oil change, make sure you replace the crush washer on the oil pan drain bolt. Just remove and replace. This led to concerns about whether the distraction had caused him to omit that circlip…. Once the plug has been installed, you don’t need tools anymore to drain the oil. One of these ways is by using Irwin Tools BOLT-GRIP Extractor. There can be several reasons why your drain plug is leaking. The old one may fall into the drain bucket when draining the oil or it may still be attached to the drain bolt. Oil pan drain plug: Over-tightening the oil pan drain plug or oil filter during an oil change can crush the gaskets, creating a gap for oil to leak out. I don’t car who you are or what you do, at some point in your career, in the course of doing your job, you’re going to make a mistake. This is a stripped oil plug removal tool designed specifically to remove rounded, rusted, or painted-over bolts and plugs. But falling out? I don't want to tighten up the spare oil plug too much - I sure I could "break it loose". That leaves one car per month with which something goes wrong. As far as how tight, you’re not tightening a lug nut, go easy. After this, park the car on a stable surface. I prefer to replace rubber o-rings when I change fluids, but I don’t always do it. This is kind of the sequence for me after getting everything ready: The whole thing only takes about 10 minutes so its just a lot smoother to go back and tighten the plug afterwards, but you have to physically remember to do it. So rachet is in the unscrew mode. Beware not to damage the oil drain plug or its teeth. I probably take twice as long as a quick lube place to change my oil…But at least I know it’s done correctly. Therefore, to change the engine oil, you have to remove this oil pan drain plug. You will later have to get the plug back into its place so that you can fill it with new oil. Distractions from the job at hand. Very sad to find my CT110 oil drain plug is stripped. it doesn’t take much torque to keep the darn plug from falling out, since there’s roughly zero force on the thing. Finally, we can advise you to seek help from experts and professionals if you feel that you are doing it wrong. Use the ratchet to loosen the oil plug. Unscrew the plug by hand and set it aside while the oil drains. Do the inspection and then one wanders back trying to remember if a certain bolt was tightened or a certain procedure had been done. Less than a teaspoon all night. I’ve often reused washers with no problem. Unfortunately, you can do damage by overtightening things, too. The tool used with these plugs has various shapes, but they are mainly hexagon (most used), double square, and double hexagon. They have extremely limited mechanical skills and are in a BIG hurry to get you on your way while some other employee tries to sell you overpriced air filters or wiper blades. How does that happen? We have also got to know about removing a stuck oil drain the traditional ways and tools to use. Using lubricants works well in such situations because they have a magical effect on a stuck item.