leaking engine oil drain plug

[berge]

1994 accord 4cyl. engine oil drain plug has begun to leak. I've always used new crush washers at each oil change and torqued plug to spec. car has 110K on it now and when I bought it at 60K I noticed the drain plug seemed a bit cross threaded, but not excessively so.

what are my options here, can I just put a bit of silicone on the plug threads at each oil change?

not interested in those sure drain thingies, BTW.

 

[Eddie]

AutoZone has oversize drain bolts that are the correct thread but, slightly oversized. No need to retap the pan as the oversize plug threads are slightly tapered. Don't know if they have them for your vehicle though.

 

[sifan]

It happened to my previous car '91 Honda Civic. The threads on the oil drain plug was damaged after an oil change done by a dealer. I used silicone as suggested by a mechanic, and it worked. But, it was very messy and made oil change a chore. So, I installed a engine oil drain valve and the problem was solved.

http://www.fumotovalve.com/

Frame also offers a similar product, which is available in WalMart or auto part stores.

 

[cousincletus]

Have seen replacement plugs at the parts store that have a inner plug that you drain the oil from. Basically it's a plug within a plug. You can seal your leaky threads one time when you install the plug.

 

[mountainhouse]

That seems a little scary. Almost too easy to get the oil out.

 

[T-Keith]

I would steer clear of oversize or self tapping plugs. They tend to make the threads worse rather than better. If you don't want one of the "easy" drain devices, I'd suggest the "double" plug cousincletus recomended. The main plug is self tapping an oversize so it will seal, then you leave this in and use the smaller plug inside it to drain the oil.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about:
http://www.cgenterprises.com/drain_plugs_oversize_repair.htm


-T

 

[berge]

t-keith, thanks for the link.

they've got an oversized piggyback for my car but I'm curious.

1-when installing the oversized plug, which is I guess going to be permanent, should I silicone it, if yes where exactly should I put the silicone, also, should I use a crush washer?
2-the piggyback that goes into the oversized plug on the pan, does that one need a crush washer?

 

[T-Keith]

quote:

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Originally posted by berge:
t-keith, thanks for the link.

they've got an oversized piggyback for my car but I'm curious.

1-when installing the oversized plug, which is I guess going to be permanent, should I silicone it, if yes where exactly should I put the silicone, also, should I use a crush washer?
2-the piggyback that goes into the oversized plug on the pan, does that one need a crush washer?

---

Do whatever it takes to get it to seal. I would at least put lock-tight on it. You want that one to stay put while you use the smaller one.

-T

 

[berge]

SOB.

It's not the drain plug. I thought maybe it was leaking from the oil pan gasket and seeping down to the drain plug which is the lowest point on the pan and I realized, halfway through changing the gasket, that the leak is coming from the timing belt cover.

of course, I just had the timing belt changed 2 months ago and I gave them new oem crank, balancer shaft and cam seals to put on.

this is what happens when you don't do something yourself.