Help!

[3RRL]

canoe,
I'd go with the self tapping oversized plug and use an "O" ring under it ... call it good.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would tap it to a standard plumbing plug size like 1/2" or 3/4". Just be aware it takes a special tapered tap to do this properly available at plumbing supply stores.

The other option is to drill out the hole and weld on nuts to the outside of the pan to accept a common size drain plug. Tig welding would be best or even brazing.

Chris

 

[dodge man]

I have used helicoils before, and they work really well. The last time I bought one it was only $40-$50, but thats been over 15 years ago. At that time I tried to find someone that had the size I needed, didn't have any luck. I can tell you, the helicoil will take the least amount of effort, maybe a 10 minute job.

 

[mattman]

I would have took my drain plug down to the auto parts store got the next two oversized oil plugs and see which one had the best feel when threading them in. If you strip out the drain plug on a car or truck that is what just about everybody does. How often do you change the oil in your tractor 2 times a year? The oversized drain plug will not have any problems wanting to fall out on you. If feel that you could cause an oil leak at the oil pan gasket that would be alot worse than if the oversized drain plug did seep a little over time. I have not ever torqued an oil pan drain plug, just snug it up and away you go. The drain plug does not have to be tight like a nug nut. The drain plug in not under anykind of load. All the drain plug does in stop up a hole. My 2 cents

 

[LBrown59]

I would have took my drain plug down to the auto parts store got the next two oversized oil plugs and see which one had the best feel when threading them in. If you strip out the drain plug on a car or truck that is what just about everybody does. How often do you change the oil in your tractor 2 times a year? The oversized drain plug will not have any problems wanting to fall out on you. If feel that you could cause an oil leak at the oil pan gasket that would be alot worse than if the oversized drain plug did seep a little over time. I have not ever torqued an oil pan drain plug, just snug it up and away you go. The drain plug does not have to be tight like a nug nut. The drain plug in not under anykind of load. *All the drain plug does in stop up a hole. My 2 cents

*It's been my experence not to tighten drain plugs to tight as they seem to tighten up more as time goes by making them difficult to get out later.
I just snug them up and not overly so.

 

[JoelD]

Take your pan to a good local hardware store, good sized ACE stores usually have real good selection of bolts, my local store has a fantastic selection. I am fairly certain you'll find what you need there, I always have. Home Depot also has a good selection.

I would much rather tap than use self tapping or coil.

Good luck,
Joel

 

[JMynes]

Now that the pan is off, weld a "patch" over the stripped hole, then drill and tap for the plug of your choice.

 

[Scooby074]

Pan is off, so id weld a appropriate sized nut on the inside and use the original bolt.

Just curious.. what kind of torque wrench were you using. Ive seen cheap torque wrenches not click when they were supposed too resulting in overtorqued bolts and much cursing. Cheap torque wrenches can be worse than no torque wrench at all.

The other thing might be as was said earlier Newton metres vs ft lbs.(metric vs standard)

 

[canoetrpr]

Scooby, my problem here I think was that I should have just known that the general purpose torque specs in the manual just does_not_apply to a steel bolt going into an alloy oil pan.

I re-checked and the torque was right for that size and type of bolt as per the manual. However, I think the manual assumes that you just *know* that those torque specs don't apply to a drain bolt.

Now I know the hard way :-(.

I do have to admit that my torque wrench is a 3/8 PowerFist one. I believe that it does check out and clicks appropriately. It is of the micrometer type.

I wandered over to the Lowes and Princess Auto here and didn't quite find much selection in bolts that could be used as drain bolt. Tonight my wife pretty much talked me into biting the bullet and just getting a new oil pan. I think she mainly wants to ensure that I can move the hay out on the weekend and that I put my mind back on work where it belongs

 

[Scooby074]

Usually the section of the service manual that deals with oil change will have the specific torque spec for the drain bolt ( if its different from standard values), either in the instructions or in a list at the end of the chapter. Im not familiar with the Kubota manuals so YMMV.

The torque wrench that gave me fits was a PAuto 3/8 one too

Your local auto parts or machine shop should be able to get you a 12mm? nut if you have access to a welder. Just take the bolt with you to match threads. Most box stores are lacking in metric selection. You could weld that nut in place in under 20 mins. Might save you a couple hundred bucks.

 

[mjncad]

Tonight my wife pretty much talked me into biting the bullet and just getting a new oil pan. I think she mainly wants to ensure that I can move the hay out on the weekend and that I put my mind back on work where it belongs

Another couple of days and she would have talked you into buying a new tractor.

 

[canoetrpr]

mjncad, if it worked that way, I think many of us would be out trying to strip every bolt we could find . I think her point of view was that I spent a fair amount of time getting the darn pan off so I might as well replace it now that it is off.

 

[J_J]

canoetrpr,

You should never torque a lubricated nut/bolt. The lube will let you go way past the torque specs. That goes for lug nuts, etc. Anything you want to torque, do not lube. Should be dry fit. Everyone should store that info away somewhere. That is the gospel, and is written in stone. Dry metal to metal fit, seems logical.

 

[kenstrac]

Pan is off, so id weld a appropriate sized nut on the inside and use the original bolt.

Just curious.. what kind of torque wrench were you using. Ive seen cheap torque wrenches not click when they were supposed too resulting in overtorqued bolts and much cursing. Cheap torque wrenches can be worse than no torque wrench at all.

The other thing might be as was said earlier Newton metres vs ft lbs.(metric vs standard)

Welding a nut on the inside , you have the thickness of the nut which will hold a fair amount of sludge and heavy contaminates at the bottom of the pan when is is drained.I would not do it.

 

[canoetrpr]

With the very limited knowledge I have of welding (something I only just started duing), welding a itty bitty nut onto an alloy of something is probably not something that is the right option for me.

I'm going to head into Napa at lunch time today to see what they have to offer wrt. drain bolts. I could not find an appropriate 1/2" bolt at the hardware stores I visited yesterday. With the local helicoil prices being 1/2 the price of a new pan, I'm thinking new pan but primarily I will do what I need to to get the tractor going by the weekend.

Ain't no fun having a weekend without a tractor running.

 

[Scooby074]

Welding a nut on the inside , you have the thickness of the nut which will hold a fair amount of sludge and heavy contaminates at the bottom of the pan when is is drained.I would not do it.

Not much in the big picture. You do know that you never get all the old oil out of an engine when you change it right? An extra couple mm on top of the oil that would normally be there after a change wont make much difference at all.

If that little bit of oil is a concern, weld the nut on the outside of the pan.

Canoe, if your not up to welding it, a local welder should do it for cheap. Heck if you were closer, I'd do it for some beer or a bottle of the captains finest Good luck.

 

[brandoro]

With the very limited knowledge I have of welding (something I only just started duing), welding a itty bitty nut onto an alloy

You mentioned that the pan is alloy so welding anything on might be out of the question anyway. I think some of the OPs that are suggesting welding are assuming a stamped steel pan. If you don't know what the alloy is it would be difficult to be sure of a good solid attachment.
If it is alloy then I would think it would be thick enough, at least where the drain hole is, to tap out the next size larger and install a new bolt. Get a bolt with a flanged head and a proper size seal washer, probably copper or brass for the washer.

 

[jimmysisson]

Doubt a helicoil would work, as they need more thread depth than you probably have in that pan. Next size up drain plug is best bet. It'd be interesting to do this with pan right side up and see (and tell the rest of us) what amount of curlies you get from the self-tapping plug. (Of course easier job to do when you can look down at it.) Auto parts should have tapping plug.
Good luck, Jim

 

[canoetrpr]

This pan's got a lot of meat in it - at least where the drain plugs are - which is what tells me that it is alloy and not steel. So a helicoil would probably work fine.

Unfortunately it would cost me more than I should have to spend on this if I want to get this working by the weekend. $100 is the local price for a M12 helicoil kit. Hiighway robbery if you ask me.

Went to NAPA today and picked up a 1/2" drain bolt. It came with a rubber washer on it it.

I guess I am going to re-tap the bugger to 1/2" after all and see how this goes. I was tempted to retap both holes so that I can use the same size wrench under there - but why fix something that ain't broke. That way if I take my stupidity to its upper bounds and manage to strip the other good hole at a future time, I can always resort to a 1/2" drain plug there. They they will be even ;-)

 

[AKfish]

The one experience I have had with a self-tapping oil pan plug was not a good one... the garage that serviced my Ford PU stripped the OEM and then when I called 'em on their screw-up they "fixed" it with a self-tapping plug.

It was just slightly crooked - and always just that little dribble.. even with a copper or a nylon washer.

I'd vote for a brased nut on the outside of the pan (since you can't find a suitable "tapped" replacement). It would be a quick fix for a local shop. Brasing is not as hot a welding process and should not harm the alloy material of the pan.

'Course if you want the OEM look and the new pan is in stock... (It's only $$$).

(Never mind... you're a faster typer than me!)

Best of luck.

AKfish