DK45S Oil pan

[Donnyj]

Changed oil in my tractor yesterday.....the threads in one of the drain plug holes stripped out. Bought an oversized drain plug and when installing that....the pan cracked. Has anybody replaced a pan on these tractors? Any info on the procedure would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Coyote machine]

Changed oil in my tractor yesterday.....the threads in one of the drain plug holes stripped out. Bought an oversized drain plug and when installing that....the pan cracked. Has anybody replaced a pan on these tractors? Any info on the procedure would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry to hear of this occurrence. Can't answer your question except to say it seems from my dealer's techs that it is all too common a problem and usually results from over-tightening of the drain plug(s). Not hard to do according to them...( no blame here, just possibly useful info...)
Hope it helps.
Are you under warranty?

I'd call MIE(Michigan Iron Equip) they are knowledgeable and helpful and should be able to tell you what to do or if welding the pan is an option, - I would think not for peace of mind.

 

[Patches]

Is it an aluminum pan? If so, it can be TIG welded by any competent welding shop

 

[Donnyj]

I contacted 2 dealers today and both said the oil pan stripping out is a common problem. Anyway, I ordered a new pan, pan gasket and workshop manual today from a local dealer. Total for everything....$300. Expensive oil change... Picking up parts on Saturday. The local dealer said the front drives shaft has to be removed and said that is a tight fit. Live and learn....Word of caution...be easy tightening up those drain plugs...

 

[mx5guy]

Donny sorry to hear, very many hours on tractor? or is it new, will warranty cover any part of cost?

 

[kco]

Condolences, and thanks for the warning Donnie. :thumbsup: I will likely do my DK35 HST 50 hr service this week and will take extra care with all the filler plugs.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[IslandTractor]

This does sound like an over tightening issue (both the stripping of the pan with the original bolt and perhaps with the oversized replacement). The other issue is that if using an oversized replacement it would be a good idea to tap the pan with the appropriate size tap before forcing in a new oversized bolt.

Maybe get a small torque wrench so you don't accidentally overtighten. It is natural to fear the bolt backing out and the consequences of that so we all probably put a bit more force on those drain bolts than we should. I use only wrist strength to tighten to avoid that.

 

[Donnyj]

No, the tractor is not under warranty. Even if its brand new, I would be responsible since I do my own service work. The tractor is a 2005 with 350 hours.

I tightened both drain plugs by hand and then took a 3/8 ratchet and twisted it with my wrist. I don't think that was too tight, but I guess it was. Maybe it was overtightened before and this time was the nail in the coffin?

On a positive note, the tractor has been fantastic. No problems at all. A local New Holland dealer is now carrying Kioti so that makes it nice for ordering parts. They have been great every time I call them...I will give a shout out to them...
Ceresville New Holland in Walkersville, Md.

 

[Donnyj]

Started the oil pan job about 7:00 am this morning. Stopped around 9:00 for breakfast and finished up by 11:00 am. Very easy to work on. The shop manual was well worth the $68.

Getting ready to change the anti-freeze next week. Does anybody know if it is advisable to put in a coolant additive when changing coolant? I remember years ago we used to put in an additive in the 7.3 diesels in the Ford trucks to prevent cavitation I believe. I could be wrong...

 

[Highbeam]

I used no additive, just a drain and fill with the same type of AF. The book requires no additives.

I also own a 7.3 powerstroke and while I am aware of the requirements for the coolant, most people aren't. I believe that it isn't as important as we think it is.