hey guys my oil pan bolt is stripped how can i get it out?

 

Usually a stripped bolt will still come out. If you have trouble, try wedging a thin flathead screwdrive or something behind it to pry while you try to loosen it with a ratchet. Once out, you will need to replace it with an "oversized" plug (if you didn't already know that).

 

Mine was stripped too a few weeks ago, I tried virtually everything, but the damn dealership put it so damn tight. I just gave up and took it to a gas station lube, where they were able to take it out, and charged me $.40 cents for a new bolt.

 

By stripped do you mean the threads or the head of the bolt, if it's the head of the bolt get yourself a good size Vise-Grip pilers and lock it down tight on the bolt. I had to do this on a friends SS once and it worked great, good luck.

Al

 

Drill it out. Then retap it if its the threads. Re-tap both the screw and hole. <--sounds kinda funny..

 

definately use a vise grips and grab it nice and tight. or see if you can get a deeper alittle smaller socket on it.

 

well guys i have tried everything, i have tried the vise grips, i have tried to chizzle it out, nothing works explain more to my about retapping it guys, please help me on this otherwise i have to take it in and remove the oil pan and it wont come out without lifting the motor some PLEASE HELP. thanx

 

FYI - I almost rounded off the head of my drain plug. It was the first time I'd changed the oil in the FB. The plug was in really tight and the standard 12 sided wrench was starting to turn on the bolt. I went to the local Sears and picked up a six sided impact socket. NO, I didn't use an impact wrench. The six sided socket losened it right up.

 

Please don't take ofense to this but if you need someone to explain on how to re-tap, it would be better that you didn't try it. If you think you have problems now it's nothing like what could happen if you incorrectly re-tap the oil pan, I don't know what size vise-grips you're using but go another size larger and tighten that bitch as tight as you can.

 

where can i pick up a tap kit? How much effort does it require?

 

If you can't get the bolt out, then what you're trying to say is that you have rounded off the head of the drain plug. If this is the case, a tap set is going to do nothing for you. I had a drain plug in my 95 Civic once that wouldn't come out. I rounded the head. It was aluminum so the vise grips would just slip and turn eating off even more of the head. I had to take a grinder and grind a groove through the center of the head of the bolt and put a big flat head screw driver sideways through the slot. That brought it right out. I still have the bolt as a momento. 2 days to change the oil. What fun.

 

That's actually a pretty good idea.

 

If the head is stripped, just go out and by one of those gator grip sockets, mine is a little stripped, and I used one of the gator grips to get it out, still have the thing in too, gonna use it to get it out again next oil change and then replace with a new bolt, don't want to take too many chances Bye the way, where can I get a new drain plug, and how much is it?

 

Oh I forgot!

I had to grind just about all the way throught the head of the bolt. Then I squoze it with the vise-grips again so that the head of the bolt kinda squoze together a little bit where the groove was. That took all the pressure off the mating surface of the oil pan. THEN it came right out.

 

thanx u guy are life savers im going to try the screwdriver idea. but the problem is that i think the bolt is crossthreaded which mean that SOB isnt coming out! if i can get it out, do any of you know of a way to remove the oil pan without removing the motor or tranny? Because it looks like the pan wont come off without doing it. Any help i apprecaiated and thank you for the help o far.