anyone out there had a problem with their oil pan screw? i was at steve's yesterday for an oil change and the threads for the oil pan screw came out with the screw....
called my warranty company as my miniusa warranty expired 4 thousand miles ago and they told me that it is caused by human error and is not convered... either by over tightening the screw or putting it in off kilter.
steve said it is metal fatique due to the fact that the entire thread came out.
just wondered if anyone has experienced this?

 

How did you fix it? Did they retap the threads and use a larger drain plug?

 

i am still deciding. for the moment the screw is wrapped in teflon and i'm not driving much
steve and i talked about tapping it and using a bigger screw rather than replacing the oil pan at $230...

 

do you mean to say that the threads in oil pan hole are shot? it should just be the bolt threads. if so, just a new bolt would do.

typically, bolts are made of a softer grade so they get screwed-up, not the threaded portion that is more difficult and/or expensive to replace. as an example, i x-threaded one of my rear control arm bolts, and it was just the bolt which was less buck or so...

 

By saying that 'the threads came out', did you end up with crumbling aluminum fragments on and around the bolt threads, or did something resembling a steel spring come out with the screw? If it is the latter, than at some point the threads received a helicoil thread insert from being stripped out (I doubt there is one instaled from the factory) and this piece can be replaced quite easily. If it's the former, well, looks like you will need the latter done or a larger drain plug fitted.

 

I've not seen this before in a MINI, but I've seen it often enough in other vehicles. I concur, it looks like human error either overtightening or the threads not being properly lined up. Most likely culprit is the previous oil changer. I'd go with an oversized retap myself.

 

looks more like a spring made of aluminum... came out wrapped around the oil drain plug
i appreciate the interest everyone, thanks

its really helpful in trying to make the right decision in how to proceed.

 

... Heliacoil thread repair kit and do that instead of fitting a larger bolt. If you do the kit it will mean you can continue to use the correct size bolt in the hole.

Do not tap it !!!

Just a suggestion... that is all.:smile:

(Doh, should have read the thread first... Greatbear already suggested this.)

 

thanks for the advice and thanks to great bear too. sometimes i have to hear things more than once to get the picture

so having said that, WHAT IS A HELIACOIL THREAD REPAIR KIT????
and where does one get one??
sounds like a better solution to me too. i really did not like the tapping idea. in fact i was going to bite the mini bullet and buy a new oil pan ($230)
to avoid future problems...but would much prefer using a kit providing that it does the job permanently and this won't be a reoccuring anxiety.

 

"Helicoil" is a product name for a thread repair sytem: you drill out the funky old threads for the special tap size required, then tap the new hole and insert a special thread insert whose exterior matches the new thread and interior the old. the "kit " usually includes the drill bit, Helicoil tap and a few inserts. you need a special kit for each thread size and insert lengths appropriate for the situation.

 

Think I would run a tap thru the hole first and see if you can clean the existing threads IF you don't have a Helicoil in there...


My $0.02

 

thanks. i just did a web search and found 'emhart technologies' in irvine ca. i will call them. looking at cost on the web i might end up buying a new oil pan. kits start at about $40 and go all the way up to $350. i'm guessing a kit for a bmw...

 

You MAY want to take the pan off anyway. If you have metal fragments in the pan, you don't want them circulating through the engine - I KNOW the filter may catch them, but why chance it?

 

The same thing happened to a friend here. He just had it re-tapped and used a larger drain plug. In my opinion, a helicoil or a new pan are both overkill.

 

It appears that the pan was repaired once already. I would go back and talk to the folks that did the previous oil changes and demand that they come clean with why they repaired the drain plug and then have them replace the pan.

 

Its not uncommon for that to happen with an aluminum pan, as it is soft metal. I would personaly say just to get a self tapping oil drain plug. You can get them at most auto parts stores. You can use a heli coil but if was you get a bigger drain plug, and just tap it out. Either way i would highly recomend dropping the pan. there is a small screen on the oil pick up but it still can pull up metal fragments and risk damage to the oil pump.
Just my two cents

See you at the dragon!!
Mike

 

...your Mini... IMHO, you should bite the bullet and get the sump. You will be safer and happier in the longrun. The repair via H-coil might not take or , ie. might leak... I have had one leak on a VW and on a Maserati. After utilizing the kit on 4 occasions that is only a 50% success rate... not too great. It can turn into a huge PITA.

But a H-coil is better than drilling, tapping, and placing a larger bolt there.

Best of luck and success whatever you decide to do...:smile:

 

FWIW, I dealt with this on my Mom's Honda (@110K). Repair shop said 'it just happens'. Having done 180K/3K = 60 oil changes on my Honda, and probably 100 more on others, I'd say it only happens when the monkey calls in the Gorilla to tighten that bolt. (Three foot breaker bar, anyone?)
I tried cajoling, threatening, BBB, and only ended up
No way a shop will take responsibility.
Did get a used one to replace it for $30 though...

 

yeah i agree. i'm leaning towards replacing it and saving the energy. i loathe asking dealers in the los angeles area for anything... its not worth the agro. so i will go and find a new one tomorrow sigh
thanks everyone for the advice

 

No need to replace the pan. Just take it off and take it to a good machine shop. Either a helicoil or a drill-out and re-tap for a bigger bolt will work fine (if done correctly). A self-tapping bolt will be OK for the short term, but if you want to be old-school and do it right, do a remove and repair number on the oil pan.

 

When the dealership did my last scheduled service they wrenched the plug on there a lot tighter than spec (judging by the effort to remove it.)

I won't be back - even if it's free it's not worth going through that.

To be honest I was expecting to see stories like this earlier than this. I'm sorry that it had to happen to you.

--Jeff

 

the weird thing is that i have been so careful about the dealers touching my car.... only the required oil changes.
thanks for the kind words.
i'm off to steve's to tap the hole and replace the oil pan plug with a larger one. steve actually thinks that it is metal fatique and not abuse due to the fact that the aluminum threads that came out with the plug are not damaged or bent in any way, sheared off in one piece.
try proving that to bmw
it is more than i can or want to deal with.

 

That's exactly what happens when you overtorque a bolt which is threaded into aluminum. The aluminum just shears off, nice and neat.

 

For all us who have yet to do our first oil change - What is the correct torque for an oil drain plug?

 

When all is said and done to your satisfaction, I suggest that you do what I've done.



http://www.fumotovalve.com/

res ipsa loquitor (the thing speaks for itself).

MGC