oil pan bolt won't come out!!

[msangapu]

hey guys... a friend mine changed my oil a few months ago and now the bolt won't come out. it just turns and turns underneath the oil pan. i took it to a shop and they quoted me around $300 (saying they had to replace the whole oil pan)...

come on... there has to be a way around it. anyone heard of this problem before?

thank you for any responses.

[SleeperSolara]

It should come off man, he must have stripped it.

[bronzemaxell]

hey guys... a friend mine changed my oil a few months ago and now the bolt won't come out. it just turns and turns underneath the oil pan. i took it to a shop and they quoted me around $300 (saying they had to replace the whole oil pan)...

come on... there has to be a way around it. anyone heard of this problem before?

thank you for any responses.

you probably can tap it, and use a bigger bolt

[dominoSLEV6]

^pretty mcuh what he said, or drill a hole to drain it, then fit it with some type of gromet or something, and you have a new plug. Replacing the whole oil pan is the only way to make it go back to 100% the way it was before if it is actually stripped.

-chris

[msangapu]

i don't know how to tap the oil pan. anyone done this before?

yeah, the bolt is definitely stripped. i was reading another message board and it said usually people that use a torque wrench end up stripping the oil pan. so for those that use a torque wrench, either be careful or don't use the torque wrench!

i'm a student in college, so i'm trying to find the cheapest solution possible. replacing the oil pan is not an option.

what are some ways i can get that bolt out of there?

can anyone provide me some more info or a link on tapping the oil pan?

[SC V6]

I've re-sealed my pan before.. its not too bad.. if you don't want to tap the hole, you can get a pan from the dealer, then all you have to do is put RVT sealent on it, the red (high temp), and bolt the bolts back up.. pretty easy

[msangapu]

a friend of mine was saying something about some sort of pump i can buy to flush out the oil from the pan? so i guess instead of fixing the bolt, use this device to change oil each time. sounds like a hassle, but anyone heard of this before?

[dude]

can you re-tap that area, since it is quite thin? what kind of car is it? never heard of pumping oil out to change since there is always a drain plug. how much is the pan and proper sealant/gasket? sounds like not too diffucult to change yourself but might be messy if full of oil. maybe you can negotiate the 300 down, depending on parts costs. how bout used oil pan cost? cost to repair vs. need to change oil to extend engine life seems reasonable.

[SleeperSolara]

can you re-tap that area, since it is quite thin? what kind of car is it? never heard of pumping oil out to change since there is always a drain plug. how much is the pan and proper sealant/gasket? sounds like not too diffucult to change yourself but might be messy if full of oil. maybe you can negotiate the 300 down, depending on parts costs. how bout used oil pan cost? cost to repair vs. need to change oil to extend engine life seems reasonable.

Um, i htink he has a Solara.......
Yeah i've heard of the pump you can use that and then change the whole oil pan.
A way to check the oil pan nut is to feel around it and if it has edges then it ok.
If not and it smooth they it stripped.
But if it not tha stripped you can buy a set of un-done stripped bolts head thingys; you just find the right size and use a torque wrench or socket and pull it off.
But you would need to buy a oil pan nut first.

Oh yeah you should just use a 9/16" wrench or socket that is not a 12 point.

[Midias]

you can get self taping drain plugs at any auto parts store they fix this problem well.

[onefiend]

Take it to a bodyshop that can take the stripped bolt off, buy a new bolt for 50 cents. Quick Lube did this for my friend who had a stripped bolt on her Accord. They used some other type of wrench to take it off, everything looked fine, so they just put on another bolt on there for her and she was good to go.

I think them trying to sell you new oil pan is bs.

[Turbosolara]

i think to replace the oil pan is the best way because less potential headache (i.e dripp oils).

from dealer, part is $200
from junkyard, part is about $50-100

if you have a 5sfe motor, than you can use any 5sfe oil pan from 92-00. you can also get it from ebay for a brand new for cheap.

however, make sure you install the oil pan properly because there is a certain bolt install pattern you have to follow. you also need to be careful when you apply the gasket.

[msangapu]

how exactly do i remove the oil pan? do i have to pull out the engine first? or do i just have to remove the screws that hold the oil pan to the engine?

thanks for any replies

[SleeperSolara]

how exactly do i remove the oil pan? do i have to pull out the engine first? or do i just have to remove the screws that hold the oil pan to the engine?

thanks for any replies

Um there are bolts that hold the oil pan on the engine, no need to remove the engine man......

[krook]

i'm pretty sure you can just purchase an oil pan from Toyota and directly replace your current one. any other remedy to make a new oil drain plug bolt seems ghetto at this point.