It’s nice to see some of the folks that used to be here some years ago. Bugles playing for some.
At any rate, yeah I have never had a stripped plug and changing my own oil for a million and a half miles. I don’t know how many changes that is but used to be monthly. A while back when I took the car in for trans fluid change, they messed up and changed the oil instead. I changed it back to my own oil a week later and that drain plug was so tight I needed a pipe on my ratchet to get it off. So yeah over tightened. They also should be using a new crush washer each time. Free oil changes but a $900 oil pan? Nothing free.
Nowadays, the service advisors at Toyota dealerships avoid using the term “stripped threads”. Now, it’s metal fatigue, not stripped threads. I grilled a service advisor at my local dealership three ways from Sunday about what he meant by metal fatigue and he would not say or agree that metal fatigue meant stripped threads. He wouldn’t admit that this “metal fatigue” was caused by overtightening the drain plug. He said that it was metal fatigue because the drain plug could not be tightened (with a torque wrench) to recommended specs.
My 2010 Avalon was bought new at this same dealership, and it has been exclusively serviced at this dealership since I purchased it there, almost 13 years ago. Nowadays, the lower drain pan costs about $300, and dealership labor is $150 per hour, with an estimate of 2.5 hours of labor.
In 45+ years in dealing with dealership service writers, I’ve only met ONE who knew anything about cars. They just don’t. Not even a requirement. I’ve seen dealership advertisements for service writers. The biggest thing they’re looking for is good communication skills (aka - know how to spin real well).
What I have never understood is why the manufacturers do not make the sealing bolt out of softer material than the bung in the pan. The sacrificial element (part that can be damaged by repeated stress or abuse) should be the easiest and least expensive part to replace- the bolt.
Yes. The dealership that I am referring to is the largest in the state of WI. There is a total of 18 quick service bays, but they can only staff 5 for first come, first served service. The other 13 bays are by appointment only (oil change/tire rotation/inspection). I waited two weeks for my appointment. The service writers are not even the lube techs that actually perform the work. The lube techs are the newest hires with little or no experience, who want to quickly become service writers. Service writers tell the customers what the lube techs tell them. I asked my service writer how much experience the lube tech had with the dealership, and he hemmed and hawed, and didn’t answer this question.
Is it possible that part of the problem is the quick oil changes, taking a HOT engine and removing the HOT Harder metal drain plug out of the softer HOT metal oil pan, tends to pull the treads in the pan… Kind of like letting a HOT engine cool down a while (unless otherwise noted) before removing the spark plug(s)…
But of course, improper installment has a lot to do with it also…
At least on some engines anyway, they started putting a small lower steel pan below the upper aluminum pan to save on cost when the pan is damaged…
I dunno. I do all of my own oil changes and never had stripped threads or metal fatigue. I did take my car in for a trans fluid change though and they mistakenly changed my oil instead. Yeah they made it right but when I went to open the oil plug I had to use a pipe on my ratchet to get it loose, and I changed the next day. 40 or 50 oil changes like that and I can see how you’d need a new pan. When I tighten mine I give a quick tug on the ratchet and have never had one come loose. If they used a torque wrench either it was set way too high or I have not been tightening to spec. Either case it’s worked well for me for 50 years.
I’ve always done my own oil changes as well, had only one minor problem with an oil drain plug in 50+ years. I have a hard time understanding why this seems to be a recurring problem among the motoring public using oil change service providers. Removing/installing an oil drain plug doesn’t involve rocket science.
Although hot oil changes are preferred, they are not with not without their faults. The running temperature of an engine is extremely hot, and touching a hot oil drain plug or pan can cause severe burns to a technician’s skin, even through gloves. Hot waste oil flows quicker and is more prone to splashes and spills, creating an opportunity for environmental damage in the field or creating a mess in the shop. Furthermore, as metal is heated, the oil pan and drain plug expand, making traditional drain plugs difficult to remove, increasing the chance of crossing threads or stripping an oil pan, resulting in an expensive repair.
Quick oil change places don’t wait for the engine to cool down before attempting to remove the oil drain plug.
I wear latex gloves and a paper towel for the final threads on the plug. Still sometimes drop it in the pan causing a splash. I’ve had bigger splashes from the full filter dropping into the pan. Never thought of an environmental problem though since it’s on cardboard anyway. But I guess everything is an environmental problem. Compared to oil though I think all the dead bodies rotting underground may be a bigger issue. But yeah hot oil in face is not fun so stand back.
How do you strip an oil plug unless you are using an impact wrench or a really big breaker bar.
Every oil plug I’ve seen in the last 30 years or more has a bull nose on it so it is fully aligned with the threads before the first thread can engage. You can’t cross thread them. I have noticed that almost all new vehicles use the same bull nose on the lug bolts so you can’t cross thread the lug nuts.
Professional wrenches are longer than common wrenches, a lube tech can easily apply 50 lb-ft to a drain plug with a wrench. They shouldn’t be over tightening the drain plugs but young techs seem to be nervous from the customer complaints about a drop of oil on their garage floor.