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Oil Pan replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Taxi/Limo, Feb 10, 2020.

  1. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yap, I totally agree. It can be even worse if he has no garage to work on his car like me.

    The oversized bolt may work fine. The fact it is not leaking oil now is a good sign that there are enough threads left. Being a 10 years old car, that may last the remaining years of operation.

    In my case on my son's Honda, since the pan was made of much thicker cast aluminum, a longer bolt of the same diameter and pitch worked fine. Still, it is missing the first half of the thread on the drain hole now. I am thinking next time I do the oil change on his car, I will install a drain valve like Fumoto with a longer threaded insert and use permanent thread locker to tighten into the pan. That way I will not have to remove the drain plug every oil change to weaken remaining threads on the pan.
     
    #101 Salamander_King, Feb 16, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2020
  2. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    I never liked those so called self-threading oversized drain plugs with the pseudo-taping slots cut into the tips of the end. They never cut the deep full threads that a good tap that cuts fully formed threads.

    Again, a tap will make threads that are as good and as permanent as the original.
     
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  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Either pay to have the oil pan replaced.
    Purchase a pan and replace it himself.
    Purchase a tap of the correct size and carefully tap out the hole and hope you can catch the first
    thread correctly and clean them up. Then get a longer drain bolt and do not over tighten it.

    In MY opinion, and it is ONLY my OPINION, that those are the best options.
    But remember, "Results may vary".
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Considering what's at stake, for peace of mind, and also cus I relish a project, if it was me I'd replace the pan.

    Our son's near-new CX-5 is exhibiting oil leak at one of the oil pan perimeter bolts, we've got to get the dealership on that while it's still under warranty.
     
    #104 Mendel Leisk, Feb 17, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2020
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  5. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    It only took 104 posts to get to the same conclusion I gave @Taxi/Limo a couple of weeks back;).

    Glad to see your support(y).
     
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I can't even remember what I had for breakfast....
     
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I remember what I told him at our meet up;).

    But I just polished off 80 cL of Estella while in Barcelona, so other details are a bit sketchy:oops:.
     
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  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Can we try another 104 posts, so we can make a full circle again? :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
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  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Why not:p.

    I've got all night:).

    Heading to some other major tourist attractions tomorrow, but here are some shots from today;):

    E0E3A20C-4EC7-4D1C-844D-F961938F3F92.jpeg DC753CFB-AFFA-4808-A9FC-3B062850419E.jpeg DD13629D-D9D3-406B-95DA-89CFC38F3C00.jpeg 6268D800-197F-4BAF-8E8F-2B942C478161.jpeg D91CE6B0-F6A8-4536-92B1-030BDE03E2D6.jpeg 5B9C2A32-9764-406F-A235-DB9DE5CC82CD.jpeg EB97477F-E8B4-4725-B5C0-01B83175A43F.jpeg AAA61F8A-8F1E-4EBD-A4BA-BDA9781BC40B.jpeg 53A165A9-CE06-4DD4-8789-955D6158644E.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

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  10. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Much more happened
    Replacing the oil pan may very well be the end result of this thread but I learned a great deal about different ways to approach this problem thanks to everybody giving feedback
    It's like being in mechanic school and I very much appreciate all the guys here giving me their feedback and you Ray for helping me with my car,
     
  11. Taxi/Limo

    Taxi/Limo Active Member

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    Hello All
    I went to the parts store and the guy there sold me a piggy back for cheap to replace my oil plug
    Have any of you tried this ?
    Thanks
     
  12. Nor'easter

    Nor'easter Member

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    Okay, I'll bite. "What's a piggy back?"
     
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  13. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    It may work. Should be better than a simple oversized plug you have to remove at each oil change. This article may help.
    A Backup Plan For Drain Plugs | 2015-07-01 | NOLN

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  14. wr69

    wr69 Member

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    Don't tap and replace with a larger bolt. I just went through this mini-annoyance myself. See my thread here:

    Another Dealer Service nightmare - stripped oil pan threads | PriusChat

    Get a new pan and drain plug. It's not hard to put on, but a bit awkward without a lift. I let the dealer do mine since they are the ones who stripped the pan/bolt. Also, 27 lbft is probably too excessive for these pans plug. and given a 10+ year duty cycle. 20-24lbft is probably more reasonable, but I'm going to wait until the next Oil change to firm up a torque which I feel comfortable with. so, YMMV on the number.
     
    #114 wr69, Mar 4, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2022
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  15. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    LOL, Yeah this was an old thread on the same topic as your incident. We don't know what the OP ended up doing on his oil pan. I hope his car is still running. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
  16. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Most oil pan plug bolts are offered in an oversize with a matching tap to correct damaged threads. Does Toyota or a third party not offer this for this thread size?
     
  17. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    This is the one that you'd be referencing.

    Best Q M13 x 1.25MM Oil Drain Plug Tap Thread Repair Kit Oil Pan Screws Rethread Tool

     
  18. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I had this problem on my BMW. On a Prius, it’s easy to remove the oil pan, but it’s extremely difficult and complex on the BMW. I purchased a special tool from Lisle which is designed to tap a larger thread which is perfectly squared and true to the face of the oil pan. Costs about $100.
     
  19. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    That'll do. :)
     
  20. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I wouldn’t use that, because it’s not the threads that keep the oil in, it’s the interface between the bolt head and the oil pan. That tool will not guarantee the hole is perfectly squared with the face of the oil pan.

    This is the tool you should use. It’s much more expensive, but you can sell it for close to what you paid for it after you’re done.

    Lisle 58850 Oil Pan Plug Rethread Kit