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Things like that happen when the person replacing the oil over-tightens the drain plug. If the plug is torqued to specifications, it would never happen. The only thing that should be replaced is the plug's plastic seal (washer).
The problem is that shops over-tighten the plug, and even the filter (or the cartridge housing) because they do it by feel instead of using a torque wrench. An experienced grease monkey can do it by feel each time, however.
As others have mentioned above, there is no need to replace the oil pan. There are self-threading oil pan bolts used for that purpose, or the mechanic can rethread the pan and use a larger drain bolt.
I was told by Toyota who rethreaded it that it could not be done again and would have to be replaced. We shall see. Original shop I goes to says they will not charge labor.
I was told by Toyota who rethreaded it that it could not be done again and would have to be replaced. We shall see. Original shop I goes to says they will not charge labor.
If it is DONE RIGHT with a steel insert, it will be much stronger than original.
The strangest thing I had happen with my oil pan on a 93 Taurus with 100K plus miles, was that it rusted through and was leaking. Turned out it was made from recycled metal, and had rusted from the inside out. That was a new one to me!
Latest car has 165K miles on it. I've been the only person to change the oil on it. Not only am I using the original plug and pan, but the plug gasket is the original gasket that it came with when it rolled off the assembly line. No leaks, so I never changed it out.
Recycled metal? For all we know our cars could be recycled WW2 bombers. Most every part of it is recycled metal.
I will say though that Fords do have oil pan issues. Of all the cars I've wrenched on, it does seem that 90's to 2000's era Ford oil pans rust out pretty badly.
Recycled metal? For all we know our cars could be recycled WW2 bombers. Most every part of it is recycled metal.
I will say though that Fords do have oil pan issues. Of all the cars I've wrenched on, it does seem that 90's to 2000's era Ford oil pans rust out pretty badly.
You are talking about rusting from the outside, though, right?
Like you, in my experience oil pans and drain plugs last indefinitely. I guess eventually one would wear the threads out, but that would take a long time. I always DIY oil changes for this reason - I can't trust the knuckleheads out there to not cross-thread the plug.
You are talking about rusting from the outside, though, right?
I had a Lincoln Mark 8 that had a pan rusted so badly oil was starting to seep THROUGH the pan at a particularly bad spot. I'm sure it started outside, but eventually worked inside.
I band-aided it by slapping some POR-15 on the pan and it seemed to work for a while.
When people ask me why I still change the oil myself on all my cars I use stories like this.
Nobody cares more about your car than you. Something as simple as an oil change job done incorrectly by an inexperienced
"mechanic" can cause major problems.
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