Oil drain plug

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Filthy Mechanic
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Oil drain plug

Post by Filthy Mechanic »

So, I'm doing my first oil change on my MINI and I find that the last person to put the plug in either cross threaded the plug or was overly enthusiastic about torqueing the plug. Given the damage to the old plug, I'm going with the first scenario. Anyway, as a result, I have a nice spiral of thread sticking out of the hole. Obviously, there is going to be a heli-coil in my future. Does anybody know if Mini cuts the original threads straight into the pan or if they install some sort of heli-coil at the factory? I know I need a 14X1.5MM repair kit, I'm just concerned that there will be enough meat left to install the coil.
Bill
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Minidave »

They are machined directly into the aluminum pan, that's why it has the thicker boss where the plug goes. Many people have had to fix a MINI oil pan, so don't feel like the Lone Ranger! :D

Some have used heli-coil, others claim time-sert work better, 6 of one.....more than a few have simply replaced the pan, and a few hearty ambitious types have welded the hole up and re-drilled and threaded it back to stock size. Be sure to follow the angle of the boss' flat surface, so you'll get a good seal when done.

Some claim they over torque, others think it gets bound up because of the dissimilar metals between the pan and plug. I think they overtighten them, myself.

Good luck with your repairs, take some pics and post 'em up here under "tribal knowledge" when you get it done, OK?
Hi! My name's Dave!

'09 LB/LB Clubman S - "Max"
89 Mini "Racing Green"
94 SPi Project (The Hot Rod)
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Filthy Mechanic »

Thanks Dave. I was worried that the hole was already oversize for an insert from the factory. The time-sert looks pretty good. Does anybody know if Baron keeps any repair kits on hand? I figure they've seen this once or twice. NAPA and O'rielly were both busts today. I've got a nice before picture and I'll take some as I go along.
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Minidave »

Uh, not sure about Baron, they may simply replace the oil pan, dealerships prefer to replace bad parts with good ones - that's not a slam on Baron, they warrant their work for 2 years so they want to make sure it's done right.

Worth a call.

You also could check with Beaver Drill on Mission Rd just up the hill from Southwest Blvd, they carry a lot of stuff like this, also Fastenal. I don't know what part of town you're in but.....

Beaver Drill 913-384-2400

Fastenal in Lenexa is at 913-492-9350
Hi! My name's Dave!

'09 LB/LB Clubman S - "Max"
89 Mini "Racing Green"
94 SPi Project (The Hot Rod)
REDSLED

Re: Oil drain plug

Post by REDSLED »

Baron does have the repair kits in stock. Its a pretty common repair from being over tightened. On the next oil change the threads come out with the plug.
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Minidave »

Thanks Redsled, that's good to know for future reference....if we find one stripped on a garage day we can get the kit to repair it from Baron.
Hi! My name's Dave!

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89 Mini "Racing Green"
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Filthy Mechanic »

Well, she's all fixed now. I didn't have any luck with finding a heli-coil kit, so I went with the Time-Sert that Minidave mentioned. I ended up buying a kit off of Amazon for $113 plus shipping. The kit has enough inserts to do 5 repairs and I have 4 left if anybody else finds themselves in the same boat. The kit has all the tools needed and good instructions. The installation was pretty straight forward if you've ever done a heli-coil with just one extra step. The Time-Sert looks like the same kind of insert they use to repair a damaged spark plug hole and needs to be counterbored for proper fit. The only problem I had was with getting a drill to line up square with the oil pan drain hole. The drill bit for the kit is a 37/64ths with a shank that has been machined down to fit in some (but not all) 3/8th's drill chucks. I had removed the power steering cooling fan for clearance, but my drill kept hitting the center stud for the power steering assembly and causing me to be offline. Finally I brought home a 1/2 chuck air drill and that got the job done. I filled the grooves in the drill (and tap) with grease to lube the bit and keep the chips from going into the oil pan. Afterwards, I ran a quart of oil through to wash out any chips before I put the insert in. See below for in progress pictures. If you have the time and inclination, this would be a lot easier to do with the oil pan removed but it is do-able with the oil pan installed like I did. The hardest part was finding a drill that would line up with the drain hole and not hit anything else on the car.
To keep this from ever happening again, I bought a quick drain kit from my favorite purveyor of car porn, Pegasus Autoracing https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group ... QDOILPLUGS
Looking forward to meeting everyone-
Attachments
Not a great start to the day
Not a great start to the day
oil drain plug resized.jpg (146.23 KiB) Viewed 4776 times
drilled and counterbored
drilled and counterbored
drill and cbore.jpg (133.96 KiB) Viewed 4776 times
insert installed
insert installed
insert installed.jpg (77.37 KiB) Viewed 4776 times
quick drain with dust cover installed
quick drain with dust cover installed
cover.jpg (67.69 KiB) Viewed 4776 times
Bill
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Minidave »

Good job Bill, I haven't seen a drain like that before, could you post a link?
Hi! My name's Dave!

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89 Mini "Racing Green"
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Filthy Mechanic »

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group ... QDOILPLUGS

The nice thing about it is if it wears out sometime down the road, it's rebuildable. A couple of O-rings and you're back in business. They have a whole bunch of different plugs so you could convert all your cars over if you so desire, you just need to know thread pitch and diameter of your oil drain plug. There is a quick disconnect that slides over the drain fitting that you also need to buy, but it fits all the drain plugs so you would only need one.

Here's what it looks like with the dust cap removed:
Attachments
quick drain.jpg
quick drain.jpg (110.43 KiB) Viewed 4753 times
Bill
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Minidave »

Interesting.....I don't see the advantage for the R56 cars, since the drainplug is right on the bottom and faces straight down, it's also an allen head screw to keep it as low profile as possible I assume, so I wouldn't want to add something that sticks down further.

One of these would be great for those cars where the drainplug is hidden well up in the works, or behind a cover like on my Audi. As long as you can get a hand in there to remove the cap and attach the female end with a hose to your drain pan, it would be easy peasey to use.
Hi! My name's Dave!

'09 LB/LB Clubman S - "Max"
89 Mini "Racing Green"
94 SPi Project (The Hot Rod)
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Re: Oil drain plug

Post by Filthy Mechanic »

My main concern was that if anyone but me ever changes the oil in the car, the drain plug doesn't have to come out. If they don't have to take the plug out, they can't damage the threads. I just hand them the drain adapter and tell them to go to town.
Bill
Matilda-2003 MCS Indi blue & white
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