oil drain plug torque?

anyone know the torque to properly tighten down the oil drain plug on the v6? its leaking very slowly at the bottom of the drain plug (even w/new drain bolt) and i tightened it pretty damn good so maybe im thinking the torque spec is insanely tight or something.

[white04alero]

tighten it more. thats all i can think of. i dont torque it to nothin.. just as much as i can with the socket. and ive never had a problem
might be somethin wrong.. like you cross threaded the hole

[Gr1m]

check if you stripped it get a tap and die in there if you got one, just dont snap that effer in there

[zoomie]

Is there a washer or o-ring that you're missing with the new plug?

[Redog]

^^^ x2

[Oldsman]

check your threads and check the washer/o-ring on the bolt

[DOHC_tuner]

When i go back to work i'll look up the torque

nah, gasket washer was good on the drain plug when i put it in

anyone know?

[christq]

there is no torque setting on a drain plug, you only tighten them to a quarter or half past "snug" tight.. snug tight is basically where you finger tightened then tightened until you feel the feel the bolt initially bottom out to the work surface, so as my dad would say "stop when you feel it resist" Now taking from the advice concerning everyone above I would assume that the rubber washer on the bolt has already been damaged from being torqued, you need to go and buy a new oil pan bolt for 2.99 at autzone. as it will only leek more over time. even brand new they can never be torqued without causing failure

when you have the old one off, feel the point around the oil hole, does it feel raised or slightley bumped immediately around the threads? if so the applied torque from previous lubes shops or what not; have warped the threaded insertion point and well, you need to take it to shop that will rethread it to new size to remove that "lip" as that may also be causing you issue if a new oil pan bolt does not fix it.

OR skip around a damaged rubber/butyl washer and bad threads by applying aircraft gasket sealant which now called "tightseal"

do they carry that at auto shops? and when you say apply it to the bolt, you mean apply it to the threads of the bolt and on the contact point where the bolt makes contact w/the oil pan right?

[BlackJack]

the exact answer per GM is 18 lb ft.

scuff the outer surface where the head/washer contacts the pan with scotch-brite pad, clean the threads with a wire brush, install a new copper washer and put teflon tape around the threads.

I bet it wont leak after that

thats what i was looking for, thanks blackjack

[christq]

I would go with liquid teflon for now, for automotive applicaitons, i prefer not to use teflon tape as it compresses, whereas you want the liquid to fill the gap where ever it may be as long as it is applied to the threads, (side note it does not take that long to dry, just dont run the car for a half hour or so)



http://www.chiefaircraft.com/airsec/...veSealant.html it will last you about 30 years, or so of shelf life

[BlackJack]

Originally Posted by christq

I would go with liquid teflon for now, for automotive applicaitons, i prefer not to use teflon tape as it compresses, whereas you want the liquid to fill the gap where ever it may be as long as it is applied to the threads, (side note it does not take that long to dry, jsut dont run the car for a half hour or so)



http://www.chiefaircraft.com/airsec/...veSealant.html it will last you about 30 years, or so of shelf life

heh...ok.

Pacho, just be careful that the FBS light doesn't come on.

by the time you mail order some $10 sealant and pay $5 shipping, and wait 3 weeks for it to get there, you could spend $0.99 for teflon at your local home depot.

*I know you're gonna ask....the FBS light is when the Full'OBullshit sensor goes off.

[christq]

Well is see this heading the wrong way, I guess then you might as well mention that teflon tape that you get down at your local "home depot" is and will will be chemically degraded by OIL and other Petrolium products and that is why there is a different type of teflon for automotive applications, (IE Loctite 30516 or Loctite 30651), and Yellow Teflon tape.

[BlackJack]

look, I dont doubt your knowledge, that's why I have high pressure (and high temperature) oil line fittings that have been under hard use for over 3 years with the good ol teflon tape around them that haven't leaked a bit. I know you're a thousand times smarter than everyone else, but why dont you give pacho a break and quit trying to tell him that cost effective = failure. That's just plain stupid.

[Vtolds]

actually regualr teflon tape isnt recommended fr car applications because a piece may enter the motor, but if you use the liquid it wont matter if a small amount comes off. I saw it on Horsepower tv those guys know what there doing.

[Cliff8928]

Originally Posted by Vtolds

actually regualr teflon tape isnt recommended fr car applications because a piece may enter the motor, but if you use the liquid it wont matter if a small amount comes off. I saw it on Horsepower tv those guys know what there doing.

Exactly. And about the only few places that I can think of off the top of my head that the stuff gets used is on head bolts, intake bolts and NPT fittings. Usually don't use it on any fitting with an O-ring, sealing washer or flare.

[Redog]

The liquid stuff melts when the car heats up.

I used it on the Delta's manifold to seal the plug bolts for extra antifreeze lines ports.

The crap started to melt, looked like shit, and antifreeze seeped out. However it doesn't work too well if the thing you are putting in has to be grounded (i.e water temp probe)