Date:         Wed, 4 Nov 1998 10:36:34 EST
Reply-To:     Bearhawker@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Bearhawker@AOL.COM
Subject:      Re: Oil drain plug stripped
Comments: To: Vanagon@Vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

 Dan Wrote:
<<<<<<
Subject: Oil drain plug stripped

        I had gotten an oil change at a local service station around 3,000
miles ago.
I went back to the same station for another oil change. The orginal mechanic
was not their and a new guy found that the drain plug was stripped from the
last oil change. I was really pissed, a simple screw up (excuse the pun)
that's making my Westy very unhappy and not to mention how I wanted to take
that bolt, and screw it up the mgr A-- H---.!
        The mechanic had to put in a special self tapping bolt in it's place.
A few days later, and the only VW I ever owned that never leaked, was now
dripping fresh oil from the bolt. (It does make it easy to find ones way
home.)
        My question to those who know? Was this the correct measure to take
installing a self tapping bolt. Does this hole have to be retap and threaded?
Thanks for some imput.
Dan
87 Syncro GL Camper
71 bug conv
90 Jeep
<<<<<<<<<<

HI Dan,

My '85 had a really screwed up drain plug when I bought it.  Get this.  The
plug had probably been stripped out, tapped, stripped out again, jammed and
stripped some more.  Then a clever professional mechanic got out his dremel
tool and ground that raised boss area off around the head of the drain plug
presumeably so he could get some channel locks on and really tighten that baby
down.  Of course, he also ground the sealing surface into a miniature
moonscape so nothing would ever seal on it again!  Subsequent professionals
have been steadily tightening the huge plug they have in there trying to make
it seal for a while probably until there was hardly any threads left.
Frankly, I think this is why the PO dumped this otherwise really solid and
clean Westy as he was fed up with the leaking oil problem.

So, until the engine comes out for rebuild this is what I did.  I tried to
procure a so called piggy back drain plug but I couldn't find one in the size
that this sucker has been hogged out to.  A piggy back plug, BTW, is a drain
plug bolt that you screw in that then has a second tiny drain plug tapped into
it.  You screw the big bolt in permanantly, then just use the tiny piggyback
plug to actually drain the oil.  Drains slower but not that bad really.  Steel
on steel part now, of course, so should last a good long time.  Anyway, I
couldn't find the appropriate size so I just got a replacement drain plug that
would fit and another size piggyback plug for the small bolt and gasket.  I
then milled the top of the big drain plug flat to provide a good sealing
surface, milled the length of the big plug so it just went in flush to the
inside of the oil sump, then drilled and tapped the center of the plug for the
little piggyback bolt.  To install the thing I got it as clean of oil as I
could by letting it drip for hours then jacking the rear end up so it didn't
drip anymore, then gooped the plug up good with Permatex #2 sealant and
tightened the thing in as tight as that last tread would let me.  I put a
little fillet of #2 around the head of the big plug to finish it off.

Result:  No more puddles of oil in my driveway to cleanup every week.  Still
pains me to see how "professional mechanics" butcher really nice vehicles like
this Westy but I try not to think about what's under there too much ;^)

Other thoughts on Dan's drain plug.  If its not boogered up too bad it might
be worthwhile seeing if it can be repaired with a Helicoil insert, a much
cleaner repair than what I described above.  Also, if the plug you have seems
to tighten down good and isn't pulling the threads out, then you might want to
get up there and deburr the edge of the hole and polish out the sealing
surface a bit (glue a circle of fine sandpaper, 400 grit or so, onto the flat
end of a wrench socket that fits up there.  Spin it around to take out any
burrs or gouges) Having done this, now make sure you have a good gasket on the
drain plug.  For this application, I think the aluminum rings probably work
best but maybe others on the list have opinions about what sort of drain plug
gaskets work for them?

Probably comes down to the clowns who jammed the self tapping plug in there
didn't do a very neat job of it and thats why its still dripping.

Moral of the story. Never, Never, Never let anyone else work on your Vanagon!

Good luck,

Carl Turner
84 and 85 Westies.