I just wanted to post that I have found a good walkthrough on the removal of this device. Credit goes to "TheJanitor" who posted this on the NAXJA forums. I hope this is useful for someone who may find themselves faced with the same issue.
Originally Posted By: TheJanitor
I searched on how to remove a pan saver and ended up here. none of the answers here answered how to remove it, so, even though this thread is way long in the tooth, I'll answer the question here since this page was near the top of Google when I searched for how to remove one this afternoon.
A pan saver is a nefarious device created, not to save your pan, but to allow the oil change place to seal your pan when they screw up putting the plug back in. (Hint: change your own oil once someone says they had to install a pan saver...). Knowing what your adversary looks like helps in removing it. This image was all I needed in order to get the bugger out of my life:
As you can see, they are a lot like the "toggle bolt" wall anchors. When the oaf under your car drops or cross-threads your plug while changing your oil, s/he can resort to one of these diabolical devices to keep all the oil they're about to pump in from immediately running all over the floor. They are installed by folding the barbed toggle against the threaded rod, shoving the slightly-too-large-for-the-opening toggle into the pan through the drain hole, pulling to deploy the toggle, then screwing the cap end against the pan to seal the drain. There's a big gob of rubber between the cap and the toggle that usually gets shredded by nearby engine parts to prevent it from actually doing what it is intended for. Most of the time, when you remove the things, the hole is undamaged, and you're left wondering why the [censored] put the [censored] thing in in the first place. (Hint: usually because they dropped yours and were too lazy to retrieve it.)
Removing the cap and threaded rod is pretty straightforward: just unscrew it. Depending on where your drain is in relation to pan floor, you may have to pull back on the cap while turning it to keep the toggle from spinning. Careful! Don't bend the threaded rod by prying against the cap end!
A note to the uninitiated: unless you suctioned the oil from the pan through the fill or dip tube, the oil will be leaving your pan as you unscrew this thing. Best to be prepared...
The end of the threaded rod typically has a crimp to prevent you from accidentally separating the two if you don't want to. If you can see past the cap, once you've unscrewed it until it gets tough to turn, you may be able to insert a thin rod to fold the toggle back against the threaded rod, and then pull the whole shebang out of the hole. If you can't, and your pan is aluminum or some other nonferrous (magnet won't stick) material, you can keep unscrewing the thing until the two halves separate, then use a strong magnet to guide the toggle toward the drain from beneath. Then use the "magnet on a screwdriver" trick - put a strong magnet on the shaft of a screwdriver, then insert the screwdriver blade into the hole - to maneuver one end of the toggle out of the drain hole to where you can get a grip on it. A firm grip on a pair of needlenose pliers (or a needlenose vicegrip), and a manly tug, and the thing will soon be in the palm of your hand. (I just finished using this particular technique on my son's 2003 Ford Escape. Hole wasn't stripped. Beware the quick oil change shops...)
Be sure you have a replacement drain plug (or another pan saver - just in case!) before going about this.
So there ya have it. If you're searching for how to remove one of those nefarious pan savers, and this thread pops up, you now have fresh, first-hand knowledge in how to do the necessary deed.
Cheers!
