spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt

albert.mills.RemoveThis@googlemail.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My car had been leaking oil, and when I had it checked the guy drained
> the remaining oil, and then found that that the threading in the hole
> in the oil pan, where the oil drains out, had been partially stripped.
> The bolt was loose due to this, which is what had been causing the oil
> to leak.
>
> He couldn't find a long enough bolt that would reach the remaining
> threading, but instead found a spark plug that was the same size and
> had the same threading, and put it into the oil pan hole.
>
> This was necessary so that the oil could be replaced, but it seems
> dangerous to be driving around with the spark plug gap exposed to the
> oil in the oil pan, so I intend to get a longer bolt that will catch
> the remaining threading ASAP.
>
> Your thoughts about how dangerous the situation is?

Go to a good parts store and buy a longer bolt to fit the drain. No real
danger as far as the plug UNLESS the insulator gets hit and breaks off
the ceramic and causes it to leak all the oil out.

Now if you had connected the plug to the ignition......

--
Steve W.
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

Auto parts stores have replacement drain plugs. FYI: They also have
drain plugs that are "over sized", "double" and "triple" over sized.
They are usually marked with an O for over sized. OO for double over
sized. OOO for triple over sized. On the end, they are the shape of a
thread tap. No drilling, tapping, or helicoil as some one suggested.
They also have a rubber plug with an installation/removal tool. As a
last resort and depending on the car, some oil pans aren't to bad to
R&R.
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

albert.mills DeleteThis @googlemail.com <albert.mills DeleteThis @googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>My car had been leaking oil, and when I had it checked the guy drained
>the remaining oil, and then found that that the threading in the hole
>in the oil pan, where the oil drains out, had been partially stripped.
>The bolt was loose due to this, which is what had been causing the oil
>to leak.
>
>He couldn't find a long enough bolt that would reach the remaining
>threading, but instead found a spark plug that was the same size and
>had the same threading, and put it into the oil pan hole.
>
>This was necessary so that the oil could be replaced, but it seems
>dangerous to be driving around with the spark plug gap exposed to the
>oil in the oil pan, so I intend to get a longer bolt that will catch
>the remaining threading ASAP.
>
>Your thoughts about how dangerous the situation is?

Just fix the damn thing. Drill and thread it for a larger bolt, or put
a helicoil in it. It's an easy job, and the guy should have done it
properly in the first place.

The gap is not harmful... it's submerged in oil anyway. The problem
is that the ceramic insulator will break and all your oil will run out
on the highway.

Which quick oil change place goobered the threads up anyway?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

On Jun 6, 9:27 am, Mike Romain <roma....TakeThisOut@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> If the ceramic on the plug gets dinged by a tossed rock from one of your
> tires, it can easily shatter letting all the oil out, killing your
> engine before you notice usually...
>

at least use one of the shorty plugs. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/67d2scd.jpg
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

>
> > Your thoughts about how dangerous the situation is?

To echo earlier statements, oversize self tapping drain plugs are
available at NAPA.
Have a reputable shop install it, as a good tech will be able to do it
without leaving metal chips in the oil.
Good luck,
Ben
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

If the ceramic on the plug gets dinged by a tossed rock from one of your
tires, it can easily shatter letting all the oil out, killing your
engine before you notice usually...

I used to work in garages and they 'all' carried the self threading
oversized oil plugs just for oil pans like yours, there is no way the
boss would have let a jury rig like a spark plug in the hole go out the
door, if we were out of stock a fast delivery would be arranged for the
proper part.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com


albert.mills.TakeThisOut@googlemail.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My car had been leaking oil, and when I had it checked the guy drained
> the remaining oil, and then found that that the threading in the hole
> in the oil pan, where the oil drains out, had been partially stripped.
> The bolt was loose due to this, which is what had been causing the oil
> to leak.
>
> He couldn't find a long enough bolt that would reach the remaining
> threading, but instead found a spark plug that was the same size and
> had the same threading, and put it into the oil pan hole.
>
> This was necessary so that the oil could be replaced, but it seems
> dangerous to be driving around with the spark plug gap exposed to the
> oil in the oil pan, so I intend to get a longer bolt that will catch
> the remaining threading ASAP.
>
> Your thoughts about how dangerous the situation is?
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

> allowing the center to fall into the piston area.

New name for cylinder?
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

Mike Romain wrote:
>
> If the ceramic on the plug gets dinged by a tossed rock from one of your
> tires, it can easily shatter letting all the oil out, killing your
> engine before you notice usually...


You have obviously never tried to get the ceramic out of the part that is
encased in metal it is not as easy as you might imagine. He could break
off the part of the ceramic that sticks out and the rest would probably
last forever. They are designed to hold a lot more pressure than a little
bit of oil pressing against it.
-jim


>
> I used to work in garages and they 'all' carried the self threading
> oversized oil plugs just for oil pans like yours, there is no way the
> boss would have let a jury rig like a spark plug in the hole go out the
> door, if we were out of stock a fast delivery would be arranged for the
> proper part.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
> Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com
>
> albert.mills.RemoveThis@googlemail.com wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > My car had been leaking oil, and when I had it checked the guy drained
> > the remaining oil, and then found that that the threading in the hole
> > in the oil pan, where the oil drains out, had been partially stripped.
> > The bolt was loose due to this, which is what had been causing the oil
> > to leak.
> >
> > He couldn't find a long enough bolt that would reach the remaining
> > threading, but instead found a spark plug that was the same size and
> > had the same threading, and put it into the oil pan hole.
> >
> > This was necessary so that the oil could be replaced, but it seems
> > dangerous to be driving around with the spark plug gap exposed to the
> > oil in the oil pan, so I intend to get a longer bolt that will catch
> > the remaining threading ASAP.
> >
> > Your thoughts about how dangerous the situation is?


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 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

On Jun 6, 5:25 pm, Mike Romain <roma... RemoveThis @sympatico.ca> wrote:
> cavedweller wrote:
> >> allowing the center to fall into the piston area.
>
> > New name for cylinder?
>
> LOL, well it is a piston area when something is in the way of the piston
> movement I guess, cylinder implied a void, like a cylinder in a block....
>
> Sounded right at the time anyway.
>
Sorry, couldn't help it................
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

jim wrote:
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>> If the ceramic on the plug gets dinged by a tossed rock from one of your
>> tires, it can easily shatter letting all the oil out, killing your
>> engine before you notice usually...
>
>
> You have obviously never tried to get the ceramic out of the part that is
> encased in metal it is not as easy as you might imagine. He could break
> off the part of the ceramic that sticks out and the rest would probably
> last forever. They are designed to hold a lot more pressure than a little
> bit of oil pressing against it.
> -jim

You have obviously not had many engines towed to you for a head removal
because the owner snapped the ceramic while installing his own plugs,
allowing the center to fall into the piston area.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

In article <4849ae63$0$10249$9a6e19ea@unlimited.newshosting.com>,
Mike Romain <romainm DeleteThis @sympatico.ca> wrote:

> You have a point about the troll, but man I have seen and done some
> wicked jury rigs sometimes to get home....

I think my "finest" was the night I was out on my paper route (300-ish
papers, delivered over roughly the same number of road-miles, even
though I never got more than a hundred miles from home in a straight
line)

The PCV hose that normally attaches to the top of the valve cover came
adrift partway through the run one night. Not sure of how or why, only
that it did.

(Here's where I reconstruct as best I can guess)
This resulted in a light spritz of oil out the open hole - where it
impacted the bottom of the air cleaner, collected enough to drizzle down
the horn of the air cleaner, and finally drip onto the exhaust manifold
- directly under the comb that held the plug wires.

Predictably, an under-hood fire resulted. And was discovered when said
fire ignited the spark plug wires, causing the engine to cease running.

At that point, I was stranded probably 6 miles from the nearest
habitation, in the middle of the night, in "no service" land, with all
four plug wires burned through. Things look rough for our "hero", don't
they? Right about now is when the voiceover saying "Tune in next week
for another chapter of our exciting tale, same bat-time, same
bat-channel" should kick in, I'm thinkin'!

Ahhh, but Don carries (among other things) a wad of
honest-to-god-came-off-a-hay-bale baling wire in the trunk (intended to
wire up exhaust system if one of the many car-swallowing potholes on the
route gets a lucky bite), and several chunks of baling twine, and a roll
of duct tape reside in the floorboards of the back seat. And he has more
than a passing familiarity with elecricity...

After some cutting and cobbling, I managed to finish the route and get
downtown to the parts store - With baling wire chunks as conductors,
supported away from the various under-hood metalwork by roadside twigs
lashed together with baling twine and duct tape. I don't ever want to
have to do it again, but at least I know it's possible!

--
Don Bruder - dakidd DeleteThis @sonic.net - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

cavedweller wrote:
>> allowing the center to fall into the piston area.
>
> New name for cylinder?
>
>
LOL, well it is a piston area when something is in the way of the piston
movement I guess, cylinder implied a void, like a cylinder in a block....

Sounded right at the time anyway.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com
 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt 

Mike Romain wrote:

> You are talking to an offroader here, I 'know' how hard those rocks that
> get tossed by the tires when driving on gravel roads, hit things. That
> twangggg noise by the ear is real unnerving as a rock takes a chunk out
> of a roll bar or punches through my 'glass fender top, even though the
> fender is rubber under coated.
>
> I learned way back to keep my elbow 'inside' the window opening also....

So your point is what? Doesn't sound like any of that would gain you any
particularly useful knowledge regarding how difficult it is to break the ceramic
part of a spark plug that is surrounded by metal.

>
> And ceramic shatters....

The part of the ceramic encased in steel doesn't shatter easily. If you were to
crawl under the OP's car with a hammer and small chisel you would find that it
is easier to punch a hole in the oil pan than shatter the ceramic inside the
plug.

-jim

>
> Anyhow, I am sure the OP has it figured that some of us think it is a no
> no to use a spark plug for a drain plug.
>
> >
> >
> >> You have a point about the troll, but man I have seen and done some
> >> wicked jury rigs sometimes to get home....
> >>
> >> Mike
> >> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> >> 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
> >> Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com
> >
> >
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 >> Stay informed about: spark plug in oil pan drain instead of bolt