At least that's what the sticker on the oil pan right next to a large bolt on my friend's 1998 Ford Contour said. The bolt head was about an inch or so in diameter, six-sided, with some sort of black rubber pad covering most of the large, flat surface.
The sticker was extremely soiled with road grime, oil, etc., so it wasn't possible to make out all it said, but it mentioned something about a "Ford power drain" (I'm going off memory here) for the engine oil and, if removed, should be tightened to the proper torque (which it didn't list).
As I was unable to find any normal drain plug on the pan and the head had clearly been removed in the past during oil changes (there were markings in the metal), I (after getting my friend's permission) removed it. Lo!, dirty engine oil flowed out into the catch pan.
The plug didn't look quite like a standard, solid drain plug. There was some internal parts visible through small openings in the threads of the plug. As the recommended torque value for the plug was unknown, I tightened it to what I thought was a comparable tightness that I encountered when I removed it. Basically, it was snug but not too tight.
After refilling the engine with the appropriate amount of oil, everything seemed to be fine.
Any ideas on what the "not an oversized drain plug" is?
Also, there was a small (about 2-3" long), dessicated fish on the valve cover between the two cam humps. It was just lying there between the spark plug wires. No idea how the heck a fish got on top of her valve cover. Any ideas?
The sticker was extremely soiled with road grime, oil, etc., so it wasn't possible to make out all it said, but it mentioned something about a "Ford power drain" (I'm going off memory here) for the engine oil and, if removed, should be tightened to the proper torque (which it didn't list).
As I was unable to find any normal drain plug on the pan and the head had clearly been removed in the past during oil changes (there were markings in the metal), I (after getting my friend's permission) removed it. Lo!, dirty engine oil flowed out into the catch pan.
The plug didn't look quite like a standard, solid drain plug. There was some internal parts visible through small openings in the threads of the plug. As the recommended torque value for the plug was unknown, I tightened it to what I thought was a comparable tightness that I encountered when I removed it. Basically, it was snug but not too tight.
After refilling the engine with the appropriate amount of oil, everything seemed to be fine.
Any ideas on what the "not an oversized drain plug" is?
Also, there was a small (about 2-3" long), dessicated fish on the valve cover between the two cam humps. It was just lying there between the spark plug wires. No idea how the heck a fish got on top of her valve cover. Any ideas?
