Sump plug bolt leaking
Discussion
Hi, I changed the oil and my sump plug bolt is leaking. When I undid the bolt it was very tight and wouldn't undo by hand. I think the garage might have done something to it last year when they changed the oil because I had to take it back because it was leaking. Is there anything I can do, I've already put a nylon washer on because the bolt was jumping when it got tight. Is there a gasket paste I could use or something else. The bolt was new. Thanks.
Ant99 said:
Hi, I changed the oil and my sump plug bolt is leaking. When I undid the bolt it was very tight and wouldn't undo by hand. I think the garage might have done something to it last year when they changed the oil because I had to take it back because it was leaking. Is there anything I can do, I've already put a nylon washer on because the bolt was jumping when it got tight. Is there a gasket paste I could use or something else. The bolt was new. Thanks.
Sounds like they stripped the thread last year trying to fix the leak, and bodged it by gluing the sump plug in. You could try the same bodge if you don't fancy taking the sump off to fix it properly. You chances of success will depend on how thoroughly you can clean the face that you want to seal - presumably the outer face since it's the only one you have any chance of cleaning well enough. For somebody with a little experience, it would probably be possible to fit a thread insert without taking the sump off if you were willing to take the risk of swarf getting away from you.Thanks again for the replies. I've never heard of a helicoil so will do some research on them. If not I'm thinking of taking to a garage to get it done properly otherwise I'll just have the same problem next year. Typical trying to save some money doing it myself and ending up spending more.
As others have said it sounds like the threads have gone in the sump.
How bad is the leak? Anything more than an annoying odd drip and there is the possibility of it failing whilst driving and causing sudden oil loss and a dead engine. Dont forget about heat and vibration. How tight is the bolt into the sump? Can it spin easily or is it tight but leaking slightly?
If the leak is bad, and the bolt is potentially loose, bite the bullet and get a new sump, or thread repair, or a full seal of the existing bolt immediately, which will involve an oil change, again.
You are not the 1st to be in this position so dont worry that it was your fault, its more likely a combination of events that caused it.
But do assess the risks to avoid it becoming a much bigger issue
How bad is the leak? Anything more than an annoying odd drip and there is the possibility of it failing whilst driving and causing sudden oil loss and a dead engine. Dont forget about heat and vibration. How tight is the bolt into the sump? Can it spin easily or is it tight but leaking slightly?
If the leak is bad, and the bolt is potentially loose, bite the bullet and get a new sump, or thread repair, or a full seal of the existing bolt immediately, which will involve an oil change, again.
You are not the 1st to be in this position so dont worry that it was your fault, its more likely a combination of events that caused it.
But do assess the risks to avoid it becoming a much bigger issue
Friends Alfa had a stripped sump threads , apparently such a common occurrence that the owners forum had tapered thread replacement sump plugs available.
I fitted one for him and it stayed fitted for the further 5 years he had the car with all subsequent oil changed done with a Pela extractor.
I fitted one for him and it stayed fitted for the further 5 years he had the car with all subsequent oil changed done with a Pela extractor.
I would at least investigate how much a new sump is, and how much effort it is.
My wifes Mk4 Golf had a "funny sized" sump plug and I could never work out why.
Well the threads stripped and when I measured it, it was one of those oversized repair ones.
I took the sump off and could see it'd been "repaired" - drilled out while fitted - as there was a perfect ring of swarf stuck in the oil strainer. Who knows where the rest of the swarf went...
A new sump was £45 and fitting wasn't that bad - although this was the ancient 2.0 petrol. You might be surprised.
My wifes Mk4 Golf had a "funny sized" sump plug and I could never work out why.
Well the threads stripped and when I measured it, it was one of those oversized repair ones.
I took the sump off and could see it'd been "repaired" - drilled out while fitted - as there was a perfect ring of swarf stuck in the oil strainer. Who knows where the rest of the swarf went...
A new sump was £45 and fitting wasn't that bad - although this was the ancient 2.0 petrol. You might be surprised.
How about this: https://www.halfords.com/tools/fuses-electricals-a...
saladdays said:
How about this: https://www.halfords.com/tools/fuses-electricals-a...
That's a neat idea.Boosted LS1 said:
saladdays said:
How about this: https://www.halfords.com/tools/fuses-electricals-a...
That's a neat idea.Oversize sump plugs are available, and plenty of garages carry kits including the oversize taps to cut in new threads.
Had the exact same problem on my Mk5 Golf!
Double check you have the correct sump plug. I thought the threads had been stripped on mine, the plug just wouldn't torque up after an oil change (new oil, filter and sump plug from Eurocarparts) and I lived with a drip for about a year.
Was contemplating a sump change and even bought an oversize plug and tap kit but gave up trying to DIY it - access is too tricky without a lift. Next oil change I thought I'd just try putting the original OEM plug back (I never throw anything out!) and it's absolutely fine. Whether the ECP one is a slightly different thread pitch or just crap tolerances, I don't know!
Double check you have the correct sump plug. I thought the threads had been stripped on mine, the plug just wouldn't torque up after an oil change (new oil, filter and sump plug from Eurocarparts) and I lived with a drip for about a year.
Was contemplating a sump change and even bought an oversize plug and tap kit but gave up trying to DIY it - access is too tricky without a lift. Next oil change I thought I'd just try putting the original OEM plug back (I never throw anything out!) and it's absolutely fine. Whether the ECP one is a slightly different thread pitch or just crap tolerances, I don't know!
Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff