Oil Pan Plug Thread Stripped

[nc211]

Guys, just got back from gettng oil changed and the threads on the oil pan "not the plug" are just about completely stripped. Will the dealer retap the pan and put in a bigger plug, or am I looking at a new lower oil pan? It's going to the dealer in the morning for alignment and balance anyway. Should I let them fix it or take it indi and have it retapped?

[lovlex]

you can buy a plug that will re-thread the pan if it's metal. it's a larger size plug and you can get it at the parts store

[sha4000]

buy a tap and dye set which is used to fix outer and inner threads and match the correct size bolt to the hole make sure to use a lubricant its fairly simple and much heaper than the dealer or new oil pan

[nc211]

Well, I thought about that, and made a call to my indi mechanic. They said they can try if I wanted them to. However, it was WalMart that did it, and can you believe they're going to step in and help me float the bill from the dealer! It's $500 to change the pan, labor included, which in all honesty doesn't sound too bad for a lexus service. I'm just a little nervous about a quick fix on something so critical to the car's engine. I would hate for a metal shaving or two to find it's way into the oil from retapping. I've also been told doing a retap is a temp fix, and it'll leak eventually. I'm starting on the Mobile 1 Synthetic now too, so I think I'll just eat this one from the dealership and have walmart half the bill with me, if not all of it. I'm an honest man, and it is 10 years old with 101k miles. I don't think walmart should float the whole bill, but half would be fair. I've got to say, so far in the process, I'm very impressed with Walmart's response to this. If they do come through, I'll be a life long oil changin' customer of theirs. $31 for a mobile 1 synthetic oil change is an awsome price! Hell, Jiffylube wanted $70, and only with Penzoil synthetic, no mobile 1.

[sha4000]

i here you nc but you an still order a lower oil pan from trademotion.com for $250 and get walmart to pay half of that and save yourself $125 and $31 is ahell of a deal for a mobile 1 syn oil change they want $50 up here in brooklyn at the quick lube places

[nc211]

Update: Just got off the phone with walmart, they're paying half the bill! I am impressed! The oil pan costs $160 at the dealership, and with labor, it's $500 +/-. So I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for a new oem oil pan installed by lexus techs for $250. Especially since the car is 10 years old and I'm sure the tech guy isn't the sole person responsible for all the stripped threads. You'd really have to crank that bolt to strip all of them at once. I'm impressed. Walmart just got bumped up a notch in my book.

[larryp]

Well every walmart is different. Mine has been crossed off my list for services. Had them do a tire rotation and they broke one of the wheel studs. Mechanic's reply was "well i just torqued it to spec". Good news was it's a cheap fix - spent $3 on a new stud from the dealer.

[Jacob]

A few years ago, I went to Wal-Mart to get an oil change for my ’91 Saab; after waiting for along time the mechanic came inside and told me that he couldn’t change the oil because the bolt was cross threaded. So, I left and a few days latter I went to Meineke and asked for an oil change without letting them know about the cross threaded bolt and everything went fine— the bolt was not cross threaded at all.

[SRK]

So the pan is 150 and the labour is 300?! The oil pan is a separate steel pan bolted to the aluminum sump. It should take about 15 minutes to change. Unreal.

[nc211]

SRK, I agree completely! But I'm in a real pinch at the moment with time. I'm taking my fiance' on a 10 day road trip down to the keys this friday and can't get the car into my indi shop until monday. And just don't have the time to do it myself. Damn stealership....hourly rates of an attorney. I do feel better though that this repair is being done at the dealership though. The oil pan is something that, in my opinion, needs to be done right the first time. If it's done wrong, then I've got the dealership on the hook for a blow engine.

I agree about different walmarts too. I was just suprised they stepped up w/o an ugly argument and did right by me. From now on, I'm going to watch the tech like a hawk when my oil is changed. My next house will not have a 45 degree hill for a driveway, and I can do this myself.

[larryp]

Wasted away again in Margaritaville! How nice! We'll be with you in spirit

[sha4000]

Update: Just got off the phone with walmart, they're paying half the bill! I am impressed! The oil pan costs $160 at the dealership, and with labor, it's $500 +/-. So I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for a new oem oil pan installed by lexus techs for $250. Especially since the car is 10 years old and I'm sure the tech guy isn't the sole person responsible for all the stripped threads. You'd really have to crank that bolt to strip all of them at once. I'm impressed. Walmart just got bumped up a notch in my book.

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the reason why i suggested is b/c about 2 years ago when i still had my 91ls i needed a lower oil pan and the lexus dealer quoted me $300 but i guess they made a mistake by the way nc i used to live near st. au college in th early 90's

[nc211]

Update: Just got off the phone with walmart, they're paying half the bill! I am impressed! The oil pan costs $160 at the dealership, and with labor, it's $500 +/-. So I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for a new oem oil pan installed by lexus techs for $250. Especially since the car is 10 years old and I'm sure the tech guy isn't the sole person responsible for all the stripped threads. You'd really have to crank that bolt to strip all of them at once. I'm impressed. Walmart just got bumped up a notch in my book.

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the reason why i suggested is b/c about 2 years ago when i still had my 91ls i needed a lower oil pan and the lexus dealer quoted me $300 but i guess they made a mistake by the way nc i used to live near st. au college in th early 90's

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You wouldn't like the traffic around here these days, that's for sure! The beltline is like a social event every day at 5:00. People just sitting in their cars, staring at eachother. This town couldn't repave a driveway inside of 18 months. But they sure can build a shopping mall inside of 12.

I'm hoping the dealership doesn't tell me something else is wrong. I'll crap gernades if they do! This car is turning into a constant repair bill. You can see all the things in my signature I've had to replace already. Only had the car 14 months too. It's got to cool down at somepoint.

[sha4000]

i feel for you man of course the dealer will tell you that something needs fixing its in a mechanics nature i know because i just went to auto school because i like my car so much and i was tired of paying $400-$500 hundred dollars to change plugs and wires which anyone can do in less than a hour when malls go up you know thecity is starting to grow i have some people in greensboro,durham and hendrson too maybe il see you in another post but let me know what happens

[nc211]

Well, got the car back from the dealer, all fixed. I finally had it aligned and balanced properly after my control arm and suspension replacement a few weeks back..WOW, what smooth machine. I was driving an 05 IS300 as a loaner "fun little gadget" and had a good time whipping around corners and so forth. But, man when I got back into my car, my 10 year old car, it just drives soooo much nicer than that new Lexus IS300. Truely an amazing feat of engineering. I can honestly say that I have never driven a nicer car than an LS400. It just fits you like a warm, perfectly worn in soft baseball glove. She just floats along effortlessly with hardly zero rattles. I am always amazed by this car after driving anything else for a day, even other Lexus models.

By the way, the dealer replaced the oil with kendal 5W10. Of course that's coming out today and mobile one is going back in..again. This time they better not strip the damn threads or I'm gonna head over to the hunting section, and bag me a dipstick mechanic.

[nc211]

Ooops, I meant 5w30 oil, not 5w10, that wouldn't be good. Coffee hasn't set in yet this morning.

[sha4000]

good for you i feel the same way about the ls and i alwats tell people i know and dont know to buy one instead of a mb or bmw and put that change in their pocket

[jadecuir]

My oil pan had some abrasions from my sons "creative driving", and every time I changed the oil, it worried me that the metal might be a little thin, and one more scrape would blow thru. Last month I found an oil pan on Ebay, new, and won it for $27! It took about an hour to change, as you have to scrape all the silicon sealer off the block.

[sha4000]

My oil pan had some abrasions from my sons "creative driving", and every time I changed the oil, it worried me that the metal might be a little thin, and one more scrape would blow thru. Last month I found an oil pan on Ebay, new, and won it for $27! It took about an hour to change, as you have to scrape all the silicon sealer off the block.

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what kind of sealant did you use and where did you get it?

[Tony G]

This wouldn't be the Walmart on New Hope Rd. would it? Had them change oil (mobile 1) on my old and now dead Mazda 929, and the sucker was leaking from the oil filter to add on to other pre-existing gasket leaks. They corrected it without a problem.

[Tony G]

Well, got the car back from the dealer, all fixed. I finally had it aligned and balanced properly after my control arm and suspension replacement a few weeks back..WOW, what smooth machine. I was driving an 05 IS300 as a loaner "fun little gadget" and had a good time whipping around corners and so forth. But, man when I got back into my car, my 10 year old car, it just drives soooo much nicer than that new Lexus IS300. Truely an amazing feat of engineering. I can honestly say that I have never driven a nicer car than an LS400. It just fits you like a warm, perfectly worn in soft baseball glove. She just floats along effortlessly with hardly zero rattles. I am always amazed by this car after driving anything else for a day, even other Lexus models.

By the way, the dealer replaced the oil with kendal 5W10. Of course that's coming out today and mobile one is going back in..again. This time they better not strip the damn threads or I'm gonna head over to the hunting section, and bag me a dipstick mechanic.

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This wouldn't be the Walmart on New Hope Rd. would it? Had them change oil (mobile 1) on my old and now dead Mazda 929, and the sucker was leaking from the oil filter to add on to other pre-existing gasket leaks. They corrected it without a problem.

[nc211]

Yep, New Hope Church road between wake forest and atlantic ave. They're the ones who stripped out the threads. The best one is the one out by brier creek country club on 70. The district manager actually sent me there to get my money and get the mobile one put back in, instead of sending me back to the new hope church road one.