Was removing oil drain plug and it was an aftermarket version with the mollybolt or spreader clip that extended when pushed inside of the oil pan. I had never seen one before so I kept turning the plug until the “wing” on the inside snapped off. I didn’t realize it wasn’t supposed to come all the way out. Question is whether I can leave the wing in the oil pan and just put another plug in the pan. I was told by a local garage that the “wing” would stay in the pan and not hurt anything since there was a filter with a screen on it that would prohibit anything like that from being pulled into the motor. To have the pan dropped and item removed would run $450. Is it OK to leave this “wing” in the oil pan? Thanks. Vehicle is '02 F-150 2wd.
I wouldn’t worry about it. It’ll just sit in the bottom of the oil pan without doing any harm. And since the oil pump has a screen on the pick-up, it can’t be injested into the engine.
Tester
Thank you for your input. I was seeking additional opinions as a safeguard before I proceeded.
I agree with Tester. It’s safe where it is.
Apparently someone sometime in the trck’s history stripped the bung hole threads and plugged it with a expandable plug. You may want to tap the hole oversize and put in a threaded plug to prevent problems in the future. Threaded plugs are more secure than expandable rubber plugs.
Thank you. That seems to be the general response I’m getting and it make me feel safe about proceeding. I did get a treaded plug and it does not seem to be leaking.