If you have no sump plug, can you bodge it?

[eltax91]

Hi all

It's a long story, but last week I managed to lose my Sump plug during an oil change. I ordered one online but it has not arrived, despite waiting 6 days. Anyway, I really need to take the landy on a 30 mile round trip tomorrow.

I toured all the local part places today with no joy when it had not been delivered.

So, any way to plug the hole for the journey? I have some smaller bolts hanging around, can they be 'beefed out' in any way?

[bimsb6]

and risk destroying your engine ? good luck with that one .

[mybrainhurts]

I told you...

IT'S STUCK TO THE BLANKET...

Off you jolly well go...

[theironduke]

I wouldnt fancy it. Depends how much smaller...if it's a little bit of slop then maybe LOTS of ptfe tape...

[eltax91]

bimsb6 said:

and risk destroying your engine ? good luck with that one .

Yeah I know! Desperate times and all that! Hey, if it blows up I can always stick a new lump in it. After all, I.bought it to learn to spanner on.

[eltax91]

mybrainhurts said:

I told you...

IT'S STUCK TO THE BLANKET...

Off you jolly well go...

It's not. I've looked everywhere! Even raked all the stones up. It's either disintegrated or the dog has chomped it.

[lost in espace]

Post on ollr forum and you might get lucky!

[richyb]

Coach bolt cut to length then tap and die it? Sounds very dodgy but the A-team in me says do it!

[mybrainhurts]

Tie an environmentalist to the chassis and tell him it'll kill the planet if he doesn't keep his thumb in the hole...

[marlinmunro]

Bought a used130 Golf tdi a few weeks ago, took it in for a service and cam belt change, before I got home the garage phoned to say the sump plug had been bodged. Oil drain hole had been striped out, the hole had a large steel bolt and a copper washer forced in. New sump cover, so that added over a hundred quid to my bill.

Bodging Ba*tards

[mybrainhurts]

marlinmunro said:

Bought a used130 Golf tdi a few weeks ago, took it in for a service and cam belt change, before I got home the garage phoned to say the sump plug had been bodged. Oil drain hole had been striped out, the hole had a large steel bolt and a copper washer forced in. New sump cover, so that added over a hundred quid to my bill.

Bodging Ba*tards

They could have put a new thread in it and fitted an oversized plug.

[davepoth]

I'd just order one from somewhere else, or go on a tour of scrapyards. If you can find the spec of the plug some older cars should have something similar.

[AndrewW-G]

Go to your local motor factors and ask if they have a suitable sump plug . . . . failing that, it may be something that your local Land Rover dealers may have in stock in their parts dept!

[GKP]

Pop down to your local Off Licence and purchase a bottle of wine. Pop the cork, then wedge it into the hole in the sump. Glug bottle of wine as a celebration.

[Eggman]

If you're so desperate to bodge it, just fill the hole with builder's foam or stick a bit of gaffer tape over it. You'll never find a worse bodge than that, and what's more you'll get to practice changing an engine!

..but seriously, I can't believe any motor factor worthy of the name wouldn't stock them - they're the same as the one on a Rover V8 (certainly in the Range Rover), so I'd have thought pretty much anywhere is going to keep them. The Halfords one above certainly looks about the right size and shape.

iirc the Halfords website will even tell you which branch has them in stock if you know their stock number. (n.b. the one posted above is a LR part number, not a Halfords one)

[Graebob]

1) Go for a walk round the local supermarket car park
2) Locate vehicle with same engine as yours
3) Remove sump plug from their engine
4) Run (Yakkety Sax optional)
5) Affix to your engine
6) Profit

[Eggman]

Graebob said:

Yakkety Sax

Heh. I didn't know it was called that. Cool.

[GarryA]

Turn the engine upside down?

[shirt]

poor show of the motor factors really. i know its only a small part but i have never encountered a factor who couldn't get me the part i needed by the end of the day, the next morning at the very latest.

[john_p]

shirt said:

poor show of the motor factors really. i know its only a small part but i have never encountered a factor who couldn't get me the part i needed by the end of the day, the next morning at the very latest.

Agreed

As said above Halfords have a huge range, one thing they actually are good for!