Assuming the threads are stripped (someone in the car's past likely didn't torque the drain plug!), I agree with CoralDoc's responses. My favorite, and probably the easiest to do is to take the oilpan off, take it to a machine shop, and have the guy TIG weld ( Heli-arc) some more aluminum to build up the area where the threads are supposed to be. Then the machinist can retap the hole to the original thread size. When he's done, you'll never know it was ever stripped.

And make sure that the drain plug you're using actually uses all of the oilpan's threads. If that drain plug you got was not the right one and you're not using all of the threads, you're putting undue stress on the threads that are being used.

 

kanes2k has extra oil pans if you want to buy one. I would just replace it man. it's not terribly difficult or costly.

 

[QUOTE=00CivicSi,Aug 7 2004, 03:16 PM]OK...

So either from the previous owner or the oil shops she took it to, the bolt head corners were rounded off when I bought the car.

 

Should be able to fix. Helicoil is OK, but threaded insert is better for a bolt removed repeatedly from aluminum. It's a permanent fix.

Brand I've used successfully is time-sert.
http://www.timesert.com/
Kit includes drill, special tap, installation tool and several inserts.

After you fix, you could install a fram suredrain, which makes draining oil much easier anyway. Valve stays threaded in pan replacing plug, so no further removing anything from the repaired threads.

Gregg

added:

You easily can do this on the car. Cuttings are pulled outward by drill, and tap cuttings tend to stay on oil on the tap. You could have a friend hold shop vac next to tap as you work to encouge them to come outward .

Pour some some light weight oil through the filler cap and right out the open drain hole to wash anything on the pan bottom.

But since the oil goes from the pan to the filter before the engine, the filter will stop anything you miss.

Gregg