Allan, since oil is such a critical component of engine life, a permanent and proper repair is in order. I use Time-cert threaded inserts for my repairs and they work very well and eliminate the possibility of this happening again (you will have to strip out a piece of steel instead of aluminum). However the Timesert kit costs over $100 so it is not very economical for a single repair. In that case you can buy a heli-coil kit from Harbor Freight for less than $30. What you are looking for is 14mm with a 1.5mm thread pitch. The kit comes with a couple helicoils and the tools to do the job (you may have to buy a drill bit the proper size though). Once you do this repair the right way you will never have to worry about it again. Losing your oil drain plug going down the road is a nightmare scenario. Don't let it happen to you! If you need any parts please let me know. Ken Wilford John 3:16 www.vanagain.com
Allan Streib wrote: > Changing the oil tonight in my WBX. When I first got the van, the plug > bolt installed had too large a head and I had to grind down a socket to > fit. So I ordered the correct plug and crush washer, and was going to > install it but found that I could barely get it beyond finger tight -- > it just keeps turning. So, it would seem the threads in the case are > stripped out. Would Heli-Coil be a good way to address this, or just > get one of those expandable rubber plugs instead? > > Allan > -- > 1991 Vanagon GL > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > + To unsubscribe from the Vanagon List send an e-mail to > + listserv@gerry.vanagon.com with SIGNOFF VANAGON > + in the body of the message. > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------------------------------------ + To unsubscribe from the Vanagon List send an e-mail to + listserv@gerry.vanagon.com with SIGNOFF VANAGON + in the body of the message. ------------------------------------------------------------ |
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