DuoDSG

After an hour of tugging at my oil drain bolt today (it had been over-tightened by the guy who helped me during my last oil change in the winter), I determined that the bolt and oil pan threads are stripped, due to the presence of a slightly leak from the bolt, as well as the fact that it never tightens or catches.

Along with the bolt problems, he also over-tightened the filter because I couldn't remove it at all to "complete" the oil change. Temperature changes that may cause the O-ring to swell is also contributing to it, I think.

Therefore, my car is now sitting in the parking lot, oil-less (I will put in the oil when I actually need to go somewhere, no sense in letting it leak out before then) and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Here are my options (I can't do anything until Monday- everywhere is either closed or booked, not to mention no one has the oil pan in stock anyway).

1) Buy a new drain pan and bolt. The price for this option is $166 + labor, which I'm sure is going to be crazy. I'd also have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday at absolute earliest, since no one has it in stock and they'd have to special order it in. Worse still, none of these shops let me bring in my own parts (even the dealership told me they won't accept sealed Honda OEM parts- ) and no place will allow me to order the part through them over the phone either. They insist that I drive there in person to swipe my card, which is obviously a problem with an oil leak and such. I'm terrified that the leak will accelerate whenever I have the engine running, so I may not have enough oil to make the two required round-trips to fix this problem (I don't want to buy crap oil from the store just to keep putting it in before each drive, or have my engine explode either).

2) Use a Time-sert. Problem with th is option is that I have no power tools to do this myself (or an outlet outside of my apartment building + I can't put it out the window since I am on the 3rd floor and on the opposite side of the building from my car). Aaaand since we just moved here to Austin, I have zero friends that could bail me out (I work at home too, so that doesn't help).

3) Oversized bolt. Obviously this is just delaying the inevitable since it will only last one change, but hey, whatever it takes.


On a related note, I was looking at the Fumoto valves and they look great except that I can't tell if I need the extension, if the short nipple valve is worth it, etc (here are the results for my 04 TL: https://fumotodirect.com/results?mak...d=TL++3.2L++V6). Oil changes on my TL are too much of a hassle living in an apartment without a garage, a jack, etc. Anything to make these easier in the future is worth it to me.



Many thanks in advance for helping me save my car!

nfnsquared

So you are not able to remove the bolt?

Is there a crush washer installed?

DuoDSG

Thanks for the reply, and the video. I actually already saw that video earlier today before I posted, but I appreciate you posting it so I could have it on-hand easier instead of digging around in YouTube for it.

Yes, I was able to get the bolt off, and the crush washer is on the bolt as well- however, it was so over-tightened, that the crush washer is basically fused onto the bolt (I already tried separating them but it was no use).

I discovered the problem after I tried to reinstall the drain bolt- it just kept spinning in place, and the little bit of oil still in the pan after draining kept causing a very small drip (a drip every 30 seconds or so).

The longer bolt method would definitely do the trick, but unfortunately I have no hacksaw, grinding wheel or even a small power tool to cut off excess length on the bolt or round off the end. Living in apartments means space is limited, so I can't ever justify owning power tools

erg69

Justified! For a very temp solution parts stores offer a rubber oil pan plug.

ulrblitzer

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>You can also ghetto rig it with sealant maker. Just gotta clean it up and reapply with every oil change.</p><p>There's also the oversized bolts at the hardware store. You can tap the drain hole to accept it, or slowly force the new bolt in and that'll do some self tapping on its own. Make sure you have a socket to fit as well. Learned the hard way.</p><p>As to the filter, try different oil filter claws, or worse case scenario, hammer a flat head screwdriver into it and torque it off.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

polobunny

Never saw one of those. Interesting little device, can definitely save a headache!

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

I've used the "Oil-tite" washer above for oil changes.
ZERO leaks. I'm back to using OEM crush washers, just because they're cheaper. And also the fact I can't remember what diameter to buy lol

For oil filter, I've broken "oil filter wrenches" trying to remove the oil filter one time.
Quick solution is to stab a screwdriver through it and use the screwdriver to turn it.
I used a skinny screwdriver, it ended up bending it. Use a nice big screwdriver lol

About having friends in Austin, I'm sure someone will lend you a hand if you post in the Regionals board.

DuoDSG

Fascinating. I haven't ever come across those temporary rubber oil pan plugs before either, that looks like the best option to at least get me back on the road and be able to go on errands and get a Time-sert to truly fix the problem without having to get a brand new oil pan.

As for the oil filter, it may very well come down to the stab and turn method. Parking lot is gonna look like a crime scene by the time I'm done today

Thanks to all for giving me info on how to get out of a prickly situation- I never thought something as simple and routine as an oil change would turn into such a fiasco.

Looking ahead, I think the plan is to Time-sert the oil drain hole and then use a Fumoto valve. Now I just have to figure out what valve/extras I need to get from the search link I had in the original post. If anyone has feedback or experience on that, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

polobunny

Use a big freezer ziploc bag to contain the mess, that's what I do with all the oil filters. Got enough room to maneuver and it can contain the filter & content without issue.

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

If you're cheap and don't have money for ziplock bags, or wanna save it for something else, use a grocery bag around the oil filter while removing it.

You can double-bag it just to be safer incase your first one had a small hole.

polobunny

Both are ghetto, but the Ziploc™ method has definitely more flair. *uppity face*


I like the ziploc bag simply because I can seal it and go drop it off somewhere they recycle oil without creating a mess. As long as the ziploc is well sealed!

thoiboi

I've used large Channel locks to remove filter, just clamp DOWN and twist It doesn't matter if you mess it up because you're replacing it anyway!

DuoDSG

Agreed, I do have numerous ziploc bags so it never occurred to me to use it and contain the inevitable mess from the oil filter.

One other question- I've called a few stores in the area and everyone has the rubber drain plugs as a special-order item (all of them say that they rarely have them in stock, because it's not exactly a high-demand item). Therefore, I'm thinking I'm going to go for the slightly oversized bolt route.

I'm going to try my luck and go to the hardware store and see what I can find that allows me to go the route that nfnsquared posted the video for. Will report back with results.

Thanks again, everyone!

erg69

That stinks, the advanced auto parts store I went to last night had a whole rack of them... I guess its more common to use them here in Kansas??

Can't believe all you rookies haven't heard of these things! "same uppity face as the guy holding a box of ziploc bags"

MikeTC

Before you stab the crap out of the filter and make a mess, try this filter wrench from Lisle. I have yet met a filter that this thing would not remove.

erdoc48

I've been to Advance Auto and they usually have the Oil Tite plug...I'd use that, fill the crankcase, and get it to a garage to have a Timesert or Helicoil placed in the drain of the oil pan- it'll cost likely $100-200, but at least it's a permanent / proper fix- leave the oil filter alone- let the garage get it off if you're not in an ideal situation tools or garage access wise.