Oil drain plug disaster

[BlueBreadTruck]

Looks like I royally screwed something up. This is my first diesel truck, so I'm new at this.

My drain plug was stripped out, I had to weld a bolt to it to be able to remove it.

I went to auto zone and got a new drain plug for the truck, they told me it the correct one.

I just went out to install the new plug...It was going in a bit hard and then i heard something pop, and coolant started leaking out....my heart dropped....

what did i screw up now?

thanks

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Looks like I royally screwed something up. This is my first diesel truck, so I'm new at this.

My drain plug was stripped out, I had to weld a bolt to it to be able to remove it.

I went to auto zone and got a new drain plug for the truck, they told me it the correct one.

I just went out to install the new plug...It was going in a bit hard and then i heard something pop, and coolant started leaking out....my heart dropped....

what did i screw up now?

thanks

By "stripped out", do you mean the threads were stripped, or the wrench flats were merely rounded off ??



I install a FUMOTO drain-valve to every truck I own at the first oil-change and never have to mess with the drain-plug again.


I have no idea how messing with the oil plug could cause a coolant leak, unless you let a big wrench slip and ruptured a line to an oil cooler or something.

 

[icanfixall]

I don't think anyone can tell you what happened. You need to provide more information. What drain plug did you weld a nut on... Where are you working on the motor. The bottom of the thin metal oil pan is where the drain is found. A replacement plug should have just screwed into that threaded hole unless... The threads were stripped out. Then you can buy a replacement plug that is a little bit larger and cuts new threads into the pan. By the sound of what you have posted it seems like you are working on the block somewhere and possibly cracked the block if coolant is running out... But like posted... I can't really tell where on the motor you are working...

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Your post is very confusing.

If You were working on the Oil Pan Drain Plug, there should be nothing anywhere near that to leak coolant.

 

[Jake S.]

Maybe on the oil cooler header?

 

[BlueBreadTruck]

OK, maby this isnt as bad as i thought. I thought I had somehow busted through to a waterjacket that i had no idea about. Im very familiar with gas engine oil pans but thought this may have a water jacket or something inside.



Im talking about the actual oil pan drain bolt here, I screwed in my new one, and coolant started leaking out!!!



Now, the only thing I can think of: When I drained my oil, there was no water, it was black. However, since I have removed the oil cooler, which probably dumped some coolant back into the oil pan, and me messing with it made it leak out somehow?



thanks

 

[J D Recovery]

why did you have the oilcooler off?

 

[Exekiel69]

No way over tightening the oil drain plug You'll break anything but the oil pan threads for the plug, not a chance to get coolant out of it unless coolant is getting in the oil pan in which case something is already screwed up but possibly not by Your doing.

 

[argve]

Ok let me recap so that we understand correctly...

You went out and removed the oil cooler than once it was off the engine you went to remove the oil drain plug on the bottom of the pan correct but since it was so tight you had to weld a nut on it and then remove it. You went to the store and picked up a replacement oil drain plug for the oil pan then while installing it and tightening it down you then heard a crack and coolant started draining out...... is this correct? Not trying to be a smart butt but I'm at work and just wanting to make sure that I understand you correctly because I have other guys in the shop making noise which is distracting.... if you can zap a picture of what you got because as they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

 

[Goofyexponent]

Ok. Your drain plug head was rounded off. You installed a new oil plug, and while tightening it it made a pop sound and antifreeze came pouring out.

Where did the coolant come pouring out of? The drain in the bottom of the pan? Pull that plug back out. If that is where the coolant is actually coming from that means you have water in the oil pan. Not good for the mains or ANY part of the engine that has oil passages in it.

Was the truck using any coolant at all before this? How often did you check the coolant level.

I am thinking the O rings in the oil cooler were bad and let coolant into the oil pan, bad head gasket/cracked head/block letting coolant into the combustion chamber and into the oil pan, or lastly, cavitation letting water into the oil pan.

 

[BlueBreadTruck]

sorry for making this confusing, and it is a strange thing. I think you guys have my problem described. Let me just recap;

1-I purchased the truck and drained the oil. I had to weld a nut to the oil pan drain bolt to remove it, which ruined the drain bolt

2-It has a leaking oil cooler, the middle tube part rusted out, I then removed it

3-I went to install a new oil pan drain bolt from autozone, and the threads dident seem correct, so I put some force into it

4-about 1/2 way in, the bolt made a poping sound, and coolant started leaking out of the empty oil pan

5-I removed the drain bolt, and a stream of coolant came out, probably about 1 cup or so.

6-I flipped out

7-profit


am i screwed here? there isnt any coolant lines or water jackets in that area right?

 

[NoDaK]

your post made sense until the last quarter, then it all fell apart



edit: nvm, you edited it while i was posting.




how long was the supposed "wrong" bolt?

 

[Goofyexponent]

There is not supposed to be ANY coolant near the bottom of that oil pan at all!

It might just be some coolant that leaked into the pan from the oil cooler removal, I am not 100% on this because I have not ever removed one from an engine yet.

Someone with a little more expirence with the oil cooler will chime in I am sure.

 

[Gary79F250]

So where in MA are you located?

 

[Bobus]

I'm gonna say you have coolant in the Oil pan from the Oil Cooler Removal.. I wouldn't worry about it any..