TIL that most people overtorque drain plugs into aluminum oil pans

I was helping a buddy swap oil on his 2018 Civic in my driveway last weekend, and he cranked that plug down like it owed him money. I told him to stop, but he already stripped the first few threads. The spec is only 30 ft-lbs on those pans, not gorilla tight. Has anyone else seen this mess up a pan or found a good fix besides heli-coil?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_hayes294d ago

@ninas70 I used to just send it with a ratchet till it stopped, but yeah I get it now. Good call @sage_perry on checking beforehand.

ninas704d ago

Actually 30 ft-lbs is a bit high for some Honda pans. I've seen the spec listed at 29 ft-lbs on older models but even that can be too much if the threads are already worn. Heli-coil works fine if you get the thread pitch right but I'd rather use a torque wrench set to 20-25 and call it done.

sage_perry4d ago

Oh man, @ninas70 you're exactly right about those older Honda pans. I've seen so many strip out because people just crank down on them without thinking. My question is, how do you figure out if the threads are already worn before you even start tightening? Like, is there a visual check or do you just go by feel with the bolt going in too easy? I usually run a tap through mine first but that can make things worse if you're not careful.