Stripped oversize drain plug

52172

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2001 Golf TDI GLS
Was thinking of installing a fumoto oil drain valve instead of complete oil pan swap? What size valve would be best to replace oversize drain plug? Thanks.
 

bluesmoker

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Was thinking of installing a fumoto oil drain valve instead of complete oil pan swap? What size valve would be best to replace oversize drain plug? Thanks.

personally I would weld the old plug to the pan and do topside (oil extractor oil changes)


I haven't opened the plug on my MK4 since 2006
 

alex_tdi

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personally I would weld the old plug to the pan and do topside (oil extractor oil changes)


I haven't opened the plug on my MK4 since 2006

+1 on doing topside changes.


185K miles over 18+ years and the engine was super clean when I opened it up recently to do the timing belt change.
 

BobnOH

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central Ohio
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Hard to say what size plug you have in there now. Best take it out and measure to get the right size Fumoto. If I had to guess, it would be the same thread pitch as the original drain plug, one size bigger.
 

alex_tdi

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Can the OP just use some RTV make-a-gasket on the bolt/washer and seal it up? As long as he doesn't use the drain bolt anymore, the gasket should prevent any leakage.
 

AndyBees

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Bluesmoker, fairly familiar with those references... (two relatives that were Vo-tech welding teachers)

I doubt the OP would try any of those methods without removing the Oil pan. At that point, a new $35 replacement pan with a Fumoto oil drain valve would solve the problem.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
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Mar 1, 2014
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MN
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02 golf ALH
3/8" NPT pipe tap
1/4 turn ball valve
close nipple

or just a pipe plug because the time saved using a valve rather than unthreading a drainplug every 10k miles ain't worth the $15 that the valve and nipple'd cost
 

belome

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Can the OP just use some RTV make-a-gasket on the bolt/washer and seal it up? As long as he doesn't use the drain bolt anymore, the gasket should prevent any leakage.
Sure it might hold it... but what if it doesn't?

Losing an oil plug while driving down the road makes for a really crappy day.

[... and yes, it probably depends on just how stripped it is.]
 

Curious Chris

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Pineview GA
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+1 on doing topside changes.


185K miles over 18+ years and the engine was super clean when I opened it up recently to do the timing belt change.
+2 on not taking the drain plug out. I have been using a Pela 650 for years. I did take the drain plug out the first time I used it to confirm all the all was out and it was. The other plus is you can suck the oil out of the oil cooler too.
 

tgray

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I had this happen and bought an oil plug repair kit at the auto store. It has a tap and new thread insert. (larger than the old plug and they have different sizes.) It ended up with a slight leak in the end but I just cover it all up with JB weld and then scrape it off at the next oil change. Another option is to get a pipe tap and tap it out for a pipe thread. I did this once and it worked fine. It is a lot easier than pulling the pan. Not having a good solid plug in an oil pan can be risky. A small leak is annoying but a plug that falls out is a disaster.
 

52172

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Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Location
Buellton, Ca
TDI
2001 Golf TDI GLS
Hard to say what size plug you have in there now. Best take it out and measure to get the right size Fumoto. If I had to guess, it would be the same thread pitch as the original drain plug, one size bigger.
That’s right. What size fumoto would that be? M18? Or m16?
 
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