[SEL] Honda oil plug OT

[Bill Dickerson]

Have a nice calm matter-of-fact discussion with them just like you did here.
Factual, cool, detailed, non-emotional.

I've seen and fixed SO many stripped pans!
I have no clue how your Honda pan is made, but here's what I've done - and
how I add a drain plug to automatic transmissions:
You remove all traces of their reinforcement area, clean and flatten it, and
braze a nut inside the pan.
You then screw in a fine-threaded bolt with a nylon gasket under the head.
I add plugs to automatics by drilling a hole, brazing a half-height nut
inside over the hole and use a fine-threaded bolt with a gasket. Instant
drain for transmission pan.

>>  In my sixty-one years I have never heard of anyone wearing out an oil
pan hole except from over tightening and stretching things or from cross
threading. <<

You are 100% correct. I have no clue how many cars I've "serviced" over the
years, hundreds for sure - never 
stripped an oil plug. I've sure seen my share of abused ones, however. Watch
these fast-change places.
The boss would have smacked me had I messed up a customer's oil pan - we'd
have paid the repairs.


Bill


-----Original Message-----
From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com
[mailto:sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com] On Behalf Of
Germoamer at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 7:17 PM
To: sel at lists.stationary-engine.com
Subject: [SEL] Honda oil plug OT

Here is a question for all you automotive mechanics out there.

I own a 1993 Honda Accord we bought new, now has 160,000 miles, been
serviced only by the local Honda dealer with approximately 4000 miles
between oil changes.  So, that is 40 times the oil plug has been screwed in
and out.  We now use the car as a spare and only drive once in a while.

About a year ago, the Honda dealer changed the oil and informed my wife she
had to get a new oil pan as the oil plug threaded hole was worn out.  They
said they once before had to go to an oversize plug as the thread had
previously worn and now since it was worn again the only recourse was to put
a new oil pan on.  They went on to tell my wife this was a common thing to
occur and they would not guarantee the bolt to not leak oil without the new
oil pan.  

So a year has gone by and I finally decided to pull the plug myself and see
what was what.  The first thing I found was the bolt had been cross threaded
at some point messing both the bolt and pan threads.  It was cross threaded
so bad at some time that the pan was not level across the hole, but rather
pulled out on one side.  To correct the situation, I hammered the pan flat
at the bolt hole and filed it a little to smooth it, went to the local
Carquest parts house and bought an oversize bolt especially for a Honda and
everything is now lovely!

  In my sixty-one years I have never heard of anyone wearing out an oil pan
hole except from over tightening and stretching things or from cross
threading. 
 Remember, this bolt has only been removed and reinstalled about 40 times. I
believe the Honda dealer screwed up and then wanted us to pay for their
mistake. 

Would anyone know about the wearing of oil plug holes in Honda's?  The bolt
I took out is approximately 9/16 thread diameter.  Would anyone know if this
is the original size?  We intend to have a frank discussion with the Honda
dealer as we have bought a number of cars from them, owning two now, and had
a lot of service done there.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks, 

Tom Schmutz
Concord, Va. USA
Germoamer at aol.com
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