Stripped Oil Pan Drain Hole!!!
 

I found out that after all my oil changes the oil pan drain hole is stripped, the plug is still good. any suggestions for repair?????? Thanks!!

I don't know what might be your BEST option but I bet they make replacement plugs (self-tapping) just for these situations.

I'll ask the Indy I use and see what they say.

If you are speaking of the drain plug in the oil filter canister... I would just buy a whole new canister w/plug from BMW. They are not very expensive.

Pretty sure he is talking about the threads in the oil pan (bottom of engine) where you drain the oil. Not the oil filter housing in the engine bay. The filter housing is not cheap by the way. Expect to pay over $300 for the part alone. A new oil pan should be cheaper than that.

May have to Helicoil it.

:iagree:

Or Timesert. Link here: Time-Sert Stripped Drain Plug Repair Kit


Don't bother using a modified/expanded drain plug, fix it properly. And then use a torque wrench to tighten it in future.

The thicher aluminum part of the pan where the plug goes might have enough room to drill/tap for a bigger plug, but your best bet other than replacing the pan might still be the time-sert repair. It is essentially the same concept as heilicoil, but a little better design.

I went to perform the first oil change on my M3 the other day and and found out the previous owner over tightened the drain plug which in turn stripped my oil pan. I can say that I was completely off the mark in my prior post where I said the oil pan should be cheaper than the filter housing. I was quoted from about $500-$650 for the pan itself and $1,200-$1,700 for parts and labor! Needless to say I am going to have my shop try the Timesert first. At $175, it seems like a no-brainer. FWIW, all of the indy-BMW shops I spoke with recommend the Timesert over the Helicoil.

JCL & Seth are right on: for pans, Time-Sert is the deal, imo.

Wow that's insane! It almost makes me want to add that to the checklist of stuff you look at before buying a car!

I know, right. But what can you really do? Say, can I give you a free oil change after I test drive it?

Which motor does your X have? I can have one of my parts guys find the correct oil pan and gaskets to help you out.

On the M3 I would DIY the oil pan and reuse as many old parts as a can. HERE is a link to a new oil pan for the E46 M3 and HERE is a link to a selection of oil pan gaskets for the M3.


ECS Tuning

Thanks for the links. That is the best price I have seen on a pan yet. I attempt some DIY projects, but I am going to try the Timesert option first. If that doesn't work, I may try to source the pan and have my indy change it out. My M3 is a daily driver, so I don't have the luxury or taking my time on it. DIY is the last option for me in this particular case.

Had a Timesert installed in the drain pan for $175 by my indy and after two days I have not seen any drops on the garage floor. Hopefully this did the trick. Will report back if it fails.

I Knew This Day Would Come
 

Noticed after taking delivery of a dealer maintained X that the oil drain plug was tight when removing. After resnugging, I bought a fluid extractor and that is how ive been draining my oil for the passed few years. Well I took a chance on replacing the plug this weekend and now of course it wont tighten. Question is what kind of an effort is it to remove the oil pan to do a timesert repair? Or is the recommendation to do with the pan still on the car.

The threaded part is in the very lower section. Not a bad DIY. It does not require removing/replacing the upper section of the pan. Worst part is probably removing the big metal stiffening plate to get access. You will need a new gasket.

Thanks! I looked at it and still don't wanna believe it is that easy. I need to order a timesert kit this week.

This is the main reason why I bought an extractor for all of my cars. I seriously doubt the dealer used a torque wrench on my oil changes when I had them do them. And with the average mileage of my used cars at the time of purchase being a 100k, I have no idea how many were tightened to much.

so I was surfing stripped drain plug fixes and stumbled upon this guy... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaNls0uuOUs. Ericthecarguy. I tried it and I've at least held off the timesert repair. I'll find a more convenient time to do that job. Drove around for a few and an hour later no drip from custom drain plug.

I recently made this repair to an alloy oil pan (on a Golf) by tapping it out to the next size up, with a kit for this exact task. Worked well.

http://www.lasertools.co.uk/items/la...5_Overhead.jpg

There are 2 ghetto fixes as mentioned:

1. Use "EricTheCarGuy" trick as mentioned above. Longer bolt to grab more threads.
During tightening, just take it easy, gently tighten it and snug a bit, that is all you need to get a good seal.
I usually place the wrench at 5 o'clock position and go to 6:30 o'clock (45-degree turn) and done with.

2. Use a slightly larger bolt but stick to SAE bolt.
Just find one that is close enough in terms of thread pitch and size.

All you need is a 1/2-inch bolt has a diameter of 12.7mm. It may work. Give it a try.
Find an SAE bolt with thread pitch similar to factory.
Once done, use a slightly less torque when you tighten the bolt.

See the threads by delirium45:

DIY: Fix stripped drain bung for oil pan - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3 | F80/X)

There are aftermarket versions of the lower pan available in the $60-$100 range. Not sure a Timesert is better than that.

New Lower Engine Oil Pan for E53 00 03 BMW x5 4 4i 02 03 x5 4 6IS 11137500210 | eBay

From a cost and labor perspective that replacement pan is definitely a better deal. Wonder if the pan is of decent quality.