Date:         Mon, 19 Aug 2002 08:41:46 -0500
Reply-To:     Jeremy Speer <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeremy Speer <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Oil Drain Plug Options
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

IMHO the single weakest point of the flat four engine is the oil drain
plug. My brother in law once owned a 1969 21(?) window ragtop bus. He
tried to change the oil one day and all the threads came out with the
plug as he unscrewed it. To this day i don't remember how he fixed it...
all i remember is the cursing and yelling.

Yesterday I was out at my Van guru's place changing the oil.

He pulled the drip pan over, gingerly removed the drain plug....

"Uh oh. Oh, dude, i think we've got some thread loss."

Arrrgh!

He handed me the plug. It had a ring of crankcase metal around it near
the head end.

Ok, so it's not the end of the world. He cleaned off the plug and
screwed it back in after the engine had drained for a while. Then we
over filled the engine and backed the plug out letting some oil slowly
drain across the threads. Sure enough shiny flecks came out. But,
eventually there was just clean oil draining out. He tightened the
plug... and all seemed well.

But this morning i find the plug is leaking a little. Again, at this
point it's not the end of the world, but my question is, what repair
options exist for the drain plug threads?

And, what vehicles beside flat four VW's and Porsche's use an oil drain
that is threaded right into the crankcase?

-jspeer
'89 Westy GL, "Mystery Machine"