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Old 04-07-2018, 06:24 PM   #1
Ralph50
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Oil pan drain plug - screw head stripped

Well that was the longest oil change in my life. Dam Chrysler and there cost savings program. The oil drain screw was so soft steel, that the hex stripped, when trying to remove. I tried heating with a heat gun, but did nothing, probably because the oil in the pan was keeping it cool. Ended up using an air hammer, with flat blade, not sharp, and caught the edge of the rounded head, and after about 5 minutes it finally rotated, and came off. The problem with this design, is the rubber seal is in a groove, and compresses, when screw is installed. Except, that means, the screw head bottoms out against the steel oil pan. I replaced with the older type screw and fiber oil ring. This does not have a steel to steel mating surface. Screw is a M14 x 1.5 thread, the new one has a larger Hex at 16mm and old one was 13mm. Being an engineer in auto business, I would assume the 2 pc screw and fiber washer was a problem in assembly, imagine the person forgetting the fiber washer once a week and the cost is thousands of dollars. The worst thing is that I change my own oil, so I was the one that put that screw in the last time, I did not torque it that tight??? My suggestion if you read this before the next oil change replace that screw. I also replaced the oil filter with the taller one, on this 3.8L engine there is plenty of space and mounts up. I used the Motorcraft FL-1A, and the old one was the Fram PH-16.
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Old 05-18-2018, 08:26 PM   #2
georgef61
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Re: Oil pan drain plug - screw head stripped

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph50 View Post
...The oil drain screw was so soft steel, that the hex stripped, when trying to remove...The problem with this design, is the rubber seal is in a groove, and compresses, when screw is installed. Except, that means, the screw head bottoms out against the steel oil pan...
I have changed the oil in my 2001 Caravan at least 50 times and nearly as many times on my 2009 Caravan, and have never had a problem with the drain plug with the rubber seal.
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2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport (3.3) 250,000+ miles
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Old 09-30-2018, 08:58 PM   #3
Ralph50
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Re: Oil pan drain plug - screw head stripped

I am an automotive engineer, so because you did not have this issue does not mean that at some point Chrysler did not change the material of the bolt.
In fact I know that Chrysler did undergo a massive VAVE project to remove cost from their vehicle lineup.
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