Okay, I got my Volvo s40 back from the dealer and it seems to be okay except for one small problem.

The oil pan is leaking and it already has an oversized plug put into it. Yet even covered in silicon and with a washer it is still leaking.

This is a problem.

How do I fix this? I know that there is a way to do it by placing a ring in the oil pan hole. Then adding a bolt that fits in that "screw hole". I would appreciated any help on this.

The price of even a generic oil pan is over $ 400.00 so the option of replacing the oil pan is clearly a last resort.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


Respectfully,


Newport_j

 

Are you handy enough to remove the pan? If it were me, I would check into taking the part to a welder. $50 should cover building up the thread area with weldment. You would then have to bore and tap the plug again.

 

Is it leaking because you cannot tighten the plug up enought due to some worn threads? What type of washer are you using?

If you are using copper or aluminum and even when tight it leaks... Maybe try one of the softer fiber washers. If that doesn;t work I would just seal it up with a tube of gasket maker. Drain the oil, clean everything and apply gasket to both sides of the washer.

Might be a PITA next time you go to chage your oil, but I bet it won't leak.

 

It already has an oversize plug? Oh my, what does this mean? Did you have the hole drilled larger and new threads tapped? Heli-coil? Gives us a little bit more information if you can.

 

I have not been under the car. I do not how much is in play is in the plug/bolt.


I have checked my oil frequently and the amount (level) is constant. So I guess it is a slow leak.

Now all I want to do is to stop the leak permanently. I think that I know a way. I was told to fix the leak with a new oversized plug to seal and then never open it again. I can take the old oil out by the dipstick port

That may work, but what about removing the filter?


Any help appreciated.


Thanks in advance.




Respectfully,


Newport_j

 

If you want it fixed permanently, replace the pan.

 

If you can permanently stop the leak at the drain plug (at the risk of never being able to remove the plug again) you can extract the oil through the dipstick tube. You can remove the filter in the normal way. An 86mm filter wrench makes the job a lot easier.

 

probably a dumb question but are you absolutely sure it is the drain plug that is leaking and not say...the turbo oil return pipe/o-ring just above it? I just fixed mine and the leak makes its way down the back of the engine and oil pan and drips right down off the sump plug making it look like its the plug when in fact it's not. The plug just happens to be the lowest point on the engine and the oil drips from that location.

 

I guess you could tap a new drain plug if you could seal that one up....

 

^ This. Make sure the turbo drain isn't the leak.

Seal it up and drain the oil out the dipstick?!?! Are you kidding? Who in the hell would ever mention such a half-a$$ measure? Jeez man, if it truly is the plug then FIX IT RIGHT! I mean damn. I can think of several methods to repair it that still leaves the ability to drain the oil the correct way. 1- Drill and tap new threads for a bigger plug. Or 2- Drill and tap new threads then use a heli-coil to bring it back to the normal thread size. Or 3- Weld the old hole closed and drill and tap new threads for the original size plug. Or 4- Drill a new hole and tap it for a normal plug (mentioned before above).

 

As another commented, that is a lot of work to end up with an unsatisfactory result. Perhaps this could be an entry on:

Redneck Repairs The Home Of Redneck Genius Inventions and Fixes!

 

Hey Newport - you gonna give us an update or what?

 

Sometimes you just don't know what you don't know.

The extraction method is standard procedure for high end vehicles like Mercedes Benz.

Why? It works just as well as draining the oil and there's no opportunity for some retarded gorilla to strip the drain plug.


.


OP, if the dealer stripped your oil pan the first thing you should do is ask them to install a new pan.

If you can't swing that, try installing a longer drain plug. The oil pan threads are often deeper than the threads on the original drain plug. The thread is M18-1.5. If you can't find a longer drain plug, try a M18-1.5 bolt.

Next option is a .

After that, new oil pan.

 

You're right! I didn't know Mercedes did that.

However, I have done that for a decade on my boat because the drain plug is inaccessible.

On my V50, I use the drain plug: it is faster, and I get to see what is lurking in the bottom of the pan when I check the little magnet I've put on the plug.

Granted, I do need to be careful about correctly tightening the drain plug. So far, so good.

I think it would benefit the OP to fix this so the drain plug can be correctly used.

 

I just had my oil changed yesterday and they noticed the bad install of the drain plug. I think that I will replace the oil pan and never remove oil from the car that way again. I will take it out by the dipstick. I think someone said here that removing the oil filter would not be a major problem.

I hope they are right. If would be very defeating if the oil can be removed via the dipstick but the filter requires something else.


Thanks for the suggestions.

Respectfully,


Newport_j

 

The manufacturers that remove oil through a pipe have engines and sumps designed to do so. The drain plug is there for a reason- to drain the oil. You can suck most of it out through the dipstick, but you won't get as much as you would by removing the drain plug.

If you go through the trouble to changing the pan to a new one, I would not hesitate to drain the oil from the drain plug again. I've probably done tens of thousands of oil changes on Volvos and have never, ever stripped a drain plug.

 

You could try repairing your oil pan with a Time-Sert kit. That's what I would do.

Don't pay any attention to the naysayers on the extraction method. People are comfortable with what they've always done. It's just human nature to criticize something new. The extraction method is most useful on cars where you can change the oil filter from above. I have a VW Golf TDI and it's quite something to do a topside oil and filter change without even getting your hands dirty.

 

On some cars it will work better than on others, especially ones specifically designed to have the oil removed from a suction tube. On this car, you will leave oil in the pan. You'll be under there to change the filter anyway. Might as well drain the oil.

 

Some sludge, metal grit etc could also be left behind in the pan also.

The oil draining from the bottom surely? has to aid the removal of more of the loose pan debris than a suction tube and working blind from the top.
If the pan was designed with a recess at the lowest level that the tube has no alternative but to extend into then the suction would remove the debris safely also.
ES6T's comment about specifically designed suction procedure would likely take the above into account adequately.

Anyone suggested trying for a sound 2nd hand pan from a non repairable damaged engine?
Cheaper than a new one.

 

I was Autozone over the weekend and was looking around in the drain plug section. They had a drain plug that was hollow, and had a smaller drain plug threaded down the middle. You install the plug and seal it, then use the smaller plug to drain the oil. Cheap and easy, if my oil pan was jacked I think this would be the route I would go.

Here is a link:

Dorman/Engine Oil Drain Plug 090-035.1 at AutoZone.com

I think they are called oversize piggyback plugs. This one is 1/2"-20, you would need to find a M18 1.5 for your Volvo.