soares Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 good evening guys, I wanted to do my mother a favor and change the oil on her 2010 forester since she was 500 miles over due since the last oil change at her local garage. The plug would come out easy, then get harder to remove, then easy then hard.. obviously the threads are toast, and no washer either.. Currently the car is sitting infont of my house with a oil pan underneath as it slowly drips out.. Have any of you guys repaired the threads on the oil pan? If so, do you have any suggestions? I'm trying to save my mother some money and prevent her from taking the car to the dealership.. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Bring it up to the last shop who did the oil change and see if they can repair it or at least cover the repairs for forcing the drain plug back on there. Threads don’t ruin themselves on the way out, it’s from putting it on. I’d be a little skeptical of repairing oil pan threads since you will contaminate the oil pan with metal bits. You’d need to carefully flush those out if you decide to try it out. Maybe use a magnet too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 Bring it up to the last shop who did the oil change and see if they can repair it or at least cover the repairs for forcing the drain plug back on there. Threads don’t ruin themselves on the way out, it’s from putting it on. I’d be a little skeptical of repairing oil pan threads since you will contaminate the oil pan with metal bits. You’d need to carefully flush those out if you decide to try it out. Maybe use a magnet too. its worth a shot, but more than likely they will deny any wrong doing, or just put the blame on me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Get a new oil pan from a junkyard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitexc Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Try the shop first but I am with you in not having a good feeling about them taking the blame. I would find a tap and go with it. Get yourself some good magnets and place them in a circle around said drain plug. Coat the tap in grease and go for it. When finished fixing the $8/hr oil change guys F-up via tap, remove the magnets in a motion to bring them towards the drain hole. Pour two qts of oil in to "flush" it out and go with it. Let's try a new crush washer this time, torqued properly. Good luck and by the way, it was nice of you to help mom out. You may have actually saved her a BUNCH of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 If the shop doesn’t admit blame, don’t take it back there again. Especially since they didn’t even use a crush washer which is at least half the reason this happened. Surprised it didn’t leak sooner without one. Threads don’t mess up on the way out if it was done properly, I don’t see how they can put this on you unless they say you stripped it putting it back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Better to re-use an old washer than to not have any at all. Maybe they put some sealant on the plug and thread because they lacked washer and thought that it would fall on the next workshop to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 She called the garage, going to follow her there after work Incase that plug lets go and dumps all the oil. They said bring it by. We’ll see what happens. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 Try the shop first but I am with you in not having a good feeling about them taking the blame. I would find a tap and go with it. Get yourself some good magnets and place them in a circle around said drain plug. Coat the tap in grease and go for it. When finished fixing the $8/hr oil change guys F-up via tap, remove the magnets in a motion to bring them towards the drain hole. Pour two qts of oil in to "flush" it out and go with it. Let's try a new crush washer this time, torqued properly. Good luck and by the way, it was nice of you to help mom out. You may have actually saved her a BUNCH of money. I checked auto zone, pep boys, Napa, etc. none sell a m20 x 1.50 tap. Quickest method was amazon, delivered by Thursday. The shop says they will look at it, however she said she will not be paying for any work done to remedy this. This garage has been servicing her car for years (5 or more years). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 If the shop doesn’t admit blame, don’t take it back there again. Especially since they didn’t even use a crush washer which is at least half the reason this happened. Surprised it didn’t leak sooner without one. Threads don’t mess up on the way out if it was done properly, I don’t see how they can put this on you unless they say you stripped it putting it back on. It has been leaking ever so slightly over the past 2,000 miles. I’ve been adding oil here & there. My mom came over to my house so I always do an oil level check and mileage check (she doesn’t think about these things). If they attempt to put this on me, then I will be raising hell.. I am an operating engineer who works on multi million dollar data center equipment... not like I would over torque a oil plug..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berge56 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 You can buy brand new oil pans from rock auto for 39 bucks. Been buying them for a few years now for n/a engine builds and they work perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 the shop accepted responsibility for the damage and is making the necessary repairs... Yes, I couldve got a new pan and did it myself, but why should I repair something that the shop messed up?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitexc Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Great to hear the shop stepped up. Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 This was the oil loss overnight. About 12 hours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Sounds like an honorable shop. Once it's repaired (and if it's done correctly), you should tell them you'll post them on here as a reliable, stand up place for Subaru work. If they screw it up or try to cheap out, you can tell them you won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 IF they don't do a great job and it still leaks, you can use something like this: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/dorman-autograde-rubber-expansion-plug-3-4-in-size-range-3-4-in-7-8-in-02608/89014938-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=89014938-P&adtype=pla_with_promotion&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9cq1z9WP4QIVkcDICh3sUw-mEAQYASABEgIQLPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I've used these before on some older cars and they work great and are cheap. Replace it about every 6th oil change or so to make sure the rubber stays fresh and bites good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soares Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 IF they don't do a great job and it still leaks, you can use something like this: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/dorman-autograde-rubber-expansion-plug-3-4-in-size-range-3-4-in-7-8-in-02608/89014938-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=89014938-P&adtype=pla_with_promotion&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9cq1z9WP4QIVkcDICh3sUw-mEAQYASABEgIQLPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I've used these before on some older cars and they work great and are cheap. Replace it about every 6th oil change or so to make sure the rubber stays fresh and bites good. Thanks for the info. so far so good, no leaks. I’ll probably just end up installing a fumoto drain valve on her forester to completely prevent this from happening again... nothing but good things to say about fumoto. I used them on my 05 sti, and multiple generations of legacies Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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