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Cannot Remove Oil Pan Drain Plug!

4K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  Louie4 
#1 ·
When I loosen the oil pain drain plug in my 1992 YJ Wrangler, it just hangs there. Something is keeping it from coming out completely. Are they all this way? I would like to replace it because it's in bad condition but can't get it out! Please help!
 
#2 ·
mine stripped the last time i changed my oil. hopefully i can get it out n get a new bolt this time
 
#10 ·
Welcome to the forum. Believe it or not, you made the right choice in owning a Jeep. Obviously something is wrong with your drain plug, but do you know if it (the drain plug) is stock or not?
There is an aftermarket plug made which is like one of those "hollow wall" fasteners that is used as an inexpensive (cheap......) remedy for replacing a stripped out or crossthreaded plug.
I didn't take the time to read thru your profile to see how many miles you have on your Jeep, or what maintenance has been done, but I would suggest the following. Pull the oil pan off. This isn't really a real big job, just very very dirty, and it will give you the opportunity to replace your rear main seal-if you have a n I-6. Place the oil pan bolts thru holes poked into a oil pan sized sheet of cardboard so they go back into the original holes. Use a one piece Felpro gasket to replace the old gasket you will carefully remove from the pan and underside of your block.
Regarding the drain plug hole, you can then either drill out and re-thread the bung to a larger size as the slug/insert welded in is large enough to allow you to do this. The orig plug is 1/2 in 20 TPI. Different size plugs are available at reputable parts stores. If you find you are unable to do this, then get a new pan or one from a salvage yard which has good threads. You can likely do all this work yourself, but I am not sure of your skill level or tools available.

EDIT--I read your profile, Ft Hood should have a pretty robust auto hobby shop and folks there who can help advise you. Also you can do all this work there with their tools for a minimum fee. It's good to be in the Army......
 
#7 ·
If it comes loose and just hangs there grab it with some vise grips and pull while turning it should come out.
Get a new one from your friendly local auto parts store, OR take it to walmart tire lube express and have them change your oil they will fight with it and install a new drain bolt for you.

Dwyane
 
#8 ·
Question for you... Is the plug strip or cross treaded? There is no extra lip that holds the plug in. So, I am wondering what your question is.. I mean what is wrong with the plug? And that dumb response of replacing the entire engine, its a pan and worst case is you would have to go to a junk yard and pull a new pan.

If the plug is stubburn then try using liquid wrench, if it is stripped vise grips, if the treads are bad you need to find out if it is the bolt and not the pan.


Let me, we'll try and help..
 
#9 ·
Not stripped or cross-threaded at all... it screws in and out just fine. But, it seems to have some sort of retaining nut or lip that keeps the drain plug hanging there, so that some people don't lose it or something. I don't know. I'll give it a closer look next time - but since I'm not a "paying member" I can't post pics about it.
 
#11 ·
I see you're new on here. Sorry you had to start things off with the comments you received. There is actually good info available on this site. and some guys talk because they know what they are talking about, and of course there are others who choose to make ******* comments they think are funny. You'll figure out who's who.

Your question however needs clarification. What kind of plug is it? A factory one, or one of those rubber expansion plugs? If it's the ladder of the two, the question makes sense. You'll probably have to pull hard
 
#13 ·
Yeah sorry about the comments at first, you get that sometimes.We do however need more info on what you have to help ya out.Do ya have a photobucket account,if not get on and upload a pic there then copy the img tag to a post so we can see what you are dealing with.Then i'm sure you will get a helpfull and speedy response(and prolly some more jokes),but welcome to the forum.
 
#14 ·
Thanks everyone for all the RELEVANT information. After searching the forum, most drain plugs have standard hex-bolt head... mine must be aftermarket- it's difficult to describe, but looks like it was made to be unscrewed by hand. It's not a phillips, flathead, starburst or hex-bolt. It just has a small lip... I'll do a photobucket post later on today after I can get home and get a pic of it. Thanks again for the help. I will probably end up removing the oil pain and replacing the gasket. At that point, I'll be able to figure out what's going on!
 
#15 ·
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=776522

Look at the photo in post 3 of this thread. Does your current plug look similar to this? The standard OEM plug is best described to resemble a short flat hex head flange bolt as you mentioned in post #14 of your thread.
 
#16 ·
YES! The head (all I can see) looks very similar to that! That must be it! It took me about 20 minutes to get the plug screwed back in because I didn't know what was going on in there! I guess one of the original owners must have stripped the original threading and bought this aftermarket plug you pointed me to. Well, now I know what's wrong. I guess I'll have to take the oil pain off to put a new plug on. Damn. Awesome work Opihi59!
 
#17 ·
WOW if it looks like that your jeep MUST have already been to walmart for an oil change.:laugh:I worked at a parts store along time ago and they were the only ones that ever bought those plugs from us!they used a impact for everything.
 
#18 ·
Hope it helps.

I just re-read your info. Fort Worth. I somehow read that Fort Hood and thought you were a soldier at Fort Hood. :brickwall Sorry, hopefully you have access to the tools and a place to work that you need.
 
#19 ·
Well I am in the Army, and I did buy the Jeep from an Army friend. I think all of that is in there... confusion understood. Thanks again for the help, I'll definitely be needing more of it in the future. You'll know what I mean as soon as I get some pics up of the Jeep.
 
#21 ·
Reviewing your profile--you have the 4 cyl, not the 6. What this means is that you won't be able to replace the rear main seal when you drop your oil pan. The RMS replacement on the 4 screaming squirrels requires the transmission to be removed. Just wanted to make sure I didn't mislead you on the opportunity to replace the RMS while you had your pan out. Since the youngest of the YJ series is 14 years old, it is always a good idea to do as much maint/PMCS while you have key pieces off, that is why I mentioned doing it.
Your plan to Herculine is sound, many either herculine as a DIY process, or pay to have Rhinoliner sprayed in. You can Herculine in a few limited colors, I did Gray and my thread is available thru a search "DIY Herculiner," or just go to my profile and click on "my threads." In the FAQ there is the definitive Herculine thread.
As you become more familiar with both your Jeep and this forum, you will learn that there is an incredible amount of info in the Jeepwiki, the FAQ, and there are many linked writeups on just about everything at the top of the page when you sign in. The Search function works well also.
 
#22 ·
If this is your daily driver and there is a junkyard around, it might not be a bad idea to try and grab another oil pan with the plug in it, just in case you run into problems because you don't know what you will run into. I'm sure they are cheap, cause I bought a front driveshaft from a GC for $15 bucks.

If its a 2.5L you can look at most jeeps and even some dodges. Just my .02 cents though.
 
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