I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that this pan was a cast aluminum part and was the source of the slivers. I reckoned the slivers are bits of plug thread.
If that’s the case, then a couple questions follow: how hard is a pan drop? How expensive is a new pan?
For a drain plug, which isn’t high stress, a helicoil is fine. I recommended Timesert because they make actual drain plug kits, though I recognize their cost is high.
Either thread repair kit is going to create more shavings, though lots of guys will pack the drill bit and tap with grease to catch them and minimize the shavings left in the bottom of the pan.
I went through this calculus about a year and a half ago. Buggered threads on a new (to me) car. Mercedes. V-12. New pan (stamped steel) was $250. Timesert drain plug kit was $150. I dropped the pan, fixed it on the bench, put the pan back up. An easy afternoon’s work. The pan had about 20 eTorx fasteners holding it on, but the car was up in the air, the work went quickly. Thank you Milwaukee for your lovely 1/4” electric ratchets…
anyway…
Bulletproof repair. No “fingers crossed”. Absolute certainty that it’s now good to go.
If the metallurgy on that cast aluminum is prone to failure, as was hinted by other posts, then I would prefer a timesert (or, second choice, helicoil) repair over a new pan. Steel threads will last many lifetimes of drain plug removal. It’s a better than new repair. A steel thread insert is better than the threads cut into the casting.
A drain plug failure (and the oil leaking out) isn’t something I would like to “hope” is fixed. I want it done once and done right. A leak that starts when on a road trip could strand you (best case) or ruin the engine (worst case if you don’t catch it before oil pressure goes to zero).
If that’s the case, then a couple questions follow: how hard is a pan drop? How expensive is a new pan?
For a drain plug, which isn’t high stress, a helicoil is fine. I recommended Timesert because they make actual drain plug kits, though I recognize their cost is high.
Either thread repair kit is going to create more shavings, though lots of guys will pack the drill bit and tap with grease to catch them and minimize the shavings left in the bottom of the pan.
I went through this calculus about a year and a half ago. Buggered threads on a new (to me) car. Mercedes. V-12. New pan (stamped steel) was $250. Timesert drain plug kit was $150. I dropped the pan, fixed it on the bench, put the pan back up. An easy afternoon’s work. The pan had about 20 eTorx fasteners holding it on, but the car was up in the air, the work went quickly. Thank you Milwaukee for your lovely 1/4” electric ratchets…
anyway…
Bulletproof repair. No “fingers crossed”. Absolute certainty that it’s now good to go.
If the metallurgy on that cast aluminum is prone to failure, as was hinted by other posts, then I would prefer a timesert (or, second choice, helicoil) repair over a new pan. Steel threads will last many lifetimes of drain plug removal. It’s a better than new repair. A steel thread insert is better than the threads cut into the casting.
A drain plug failure (and the oil leaking out) isn’t something I would like to “hope” is fixed. I want it done once and done right. A leak that starts when on a road trip could strand you (best case) or ruin the engine (worst case if you don’t catch it before oil pressure goes to zero).
