Stripped oil pan drain bolt thread

[sapote]

It's hard to believe one cannot pull/turn the stripped bolt out. What was stripped, the steel bolt or the aluminum threads? One would guess the soft aluminum threads stripped, the the bolt still has good threads so why it cannot be turned out with decent pulling force? I mean, one can drill and tap threads on the drain bolt for threading a long M5 bolt, then use a metal bar under this long bolt to pull the drain bolt out while turning the it CCW, and it should COME OUT!

[scubastove]

Cut the head off with a grinder, then hammer the threaded shaft "up" into the the crankcase. Remove the oil pump pickup strainer and fish it out.

Repair with a time sert.

They couldn't even get a razor blade between the bolt and the drain hole, let alone a grinder. Using a grinder and hammering away into the oil pan/drilling the bolt out would cause severe damage to the pan, according to the shop.

[George Hill]

The threads IN the oil pan are likely NOT damaged. What usually happens is the bolt fails, it is hollow and when over torqued it usually stretches or breaks the head off. If the bolt is stretched it will show as a being easy to turn then get hard, then get easy again. If its broken then remaining bolt threads will be damaged in a way that makes them more "round" than spiral and as such it just spins and doesn't unscrew.

*EDIT: brain fart, the non-m bolts are hollow and stretch and pop the head off, m bolts I still see stretch in a similar fashion. I still stand behind my recommendation above and since people own non-m's I'll leave the info posted as well.

Don't try to cut the head off at the base, you will certainly damage the pan surface. But cut the head off by grinding it down with a grinder on its end. If you get lucky you don't damage the threads in this process (the head will be spinning at times) if you do, you are still repairing the threads anyways.

This is likely a lazy or CYA situation. If they say they can fix it and it leaks then the customer wants them to fix it which at that point is likely a pan that the shop would likely have to eat. They just don't want to commit to a repair they can't pull off. Either way if the pan comes off there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to fix it on the ground, but still a CYA situation. Bummer if you were in central Texas I'd have it fix in no time as I repair these frequently.

[fattycharged]

If I had my M3 at a shop that couldn't figure this out without replacing the pan, I would damn sure be towing it to a shop that could. They're just going to wait till you agree to do it their way.

[George Hill]

If I had my M3 at a shop that couldn't figure this out without replacing the pan, I would damn sure be towing it to a shop that could. They're just going to wait till you agree to do it their way.

I've seen plenty of "repaired" drain plugs leak. It's not always an easy proposition to get it right and sometimes it just isn't worth the risk to the shop.

[scubastove]

I've seen plenty of "repaired" drain plugs leak. It's not always an easy proposition to get it right and sometimes it just isn't worth the risk to the shop.

That’s how I’m feeling about this. I could take it to another shop probably, but they may just say the same thing. I unfortunately don’t have time to bring my car from shop to shop. Also, s54 oil pans are not the easiest part to come by it seems. We got a new pan on order but it took a bit to find someplace in stock.

that being said, any interest in buying my old oil pan (price adjusted) and have at it to see if you can get the plug out? That’s the only issue with the pan. It’s clean and rust free, the car was from california.

[George Hill]

That’s how I’m feeling about this. I could take it to another shop probably, but they may just say the same thing. I unfortunately don’t have time to bring my car from shop to shop. Also, s54 oil pans are not the easiest part to come by it seems. We got a new pan on order but it took a bit to find someplace in stock.

that being said, any interest in buying my old oil pan (price adjusted) and have at it to see if you can get the plug out? That’s the only issue with the pan. It’s clean and rust free, the car was from california.

Sure, send me an email to George@HillPerformance.com. I've got about (5) pans sitting on the shelf so I don't need anymore but I'd certainly take it on a science project for the board.

[scubastove]

Sure, send me an email to George@HillPerformance.com. I've got about (5) pans sitting on the shelf so I don't need anymore but I'd certainly take it on a science project for the board.

Sounds good. I’ll send an email with photos next week once I have the car back.

[sapote]

We got a new pan on order but it took a bit to find someplace in stock.
.

I can't believe you need a new pan for this.

[scubastove]

I can't believe you need a new pan for this.

The price difference between new vs used pan was pretty small, but used pans weren’t in stock from part supplier and of course they said no to a used pan off eBay. Same part from dealership was 1 month out coming from Germany. settled on a new oil pan from Bimmer world.

[force4rmr]

Had the same issue last oil change. Wasn't easy to remove the drain plug, but with firm downward pressure using vice grip pliers and slowly turning counterclockwise, managed to remove it. There's a BMW service bulletin linked below for a very effective fix, better than a heli-coil or time-sert in my opinion. Good video of the repair on the AGAtools site. A larger 14 mm hole is tapped with a compression tap that hardens the aluminum as its tapped. Can be done safely with the oil pan on the car. Most dealers should have this kit, but obviously need to get the car to the dealer.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...f?v=1587681574

Here's the AGAtools repair kit with video:

https://agatools.com/collections/featured-products/products/aga-odp-12-14-k

[eacmen]

This Is The Way

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SR7TC/

[Cubieman]

So is this a somewhat common problem with S54 oil pans or just aluminum pans generally?

Is there anything at all to be done to reduce the chances of this happening besides obviously torquing to spec?

I suppose one could use those fittings for "quick change/mess free" oil change kits that have a valve and tube setup. But I imagine most of those wouldn't allow you to install the plastic protective cover and may sit down too low possibly. Would a new pan plug each change be of any benefit?

Sorry to hear you had to buy a $900 oil pan + whatever labor/parts are to replace it, holy shit. I get all of us dont have a garge tools etc.

If this ever happens to me I appreciate all the different ways of going at it that have been posted.

[bigjae46]

Use a 1/4 drive hex bit and ratchet or a 3/8” stubby ratchet. Makes it impossible to over torque the drain plug.


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[fattycharged]

This Is The Way

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SR7TC/

I love this thing


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