Drain Plug stripped

[HeyCrutch]

After doing a transmission service on the 2002 EVC today I went to change the oil and filter for the second time and have discovered a pretty big issue.

Background: I first changed this oil in this van last July when I got the van back from its former California home. When I had finished changing the oil at that time, I had a sneaking feeling that the drain plug threads were stripped. I had remove the plug fine, but when replacing the fresh plug and washer, I never got to a point of feeling tight - it was continuing to turn. I didn't "think" that I had over tightened it because I never got to a firm point of resistance. I didn't back the bolt out at that point because I didn't have any inclination to drain the fresh oil I had just filled the pan with. No leaks have occurred in the past 10-11 months since.

Today when I went to remove the drain plug, on the first anti-clockwise pull of the wrench I felt a satisfying "break" of the bolt that one would normally feel when loosening a tightened bolt, but then my fears were realized ... the bolt was spinning but not extracting. The threads must be stripped. I tried using a screwdriver to place some lateral force on the bolt while unscrewing it, to no avail.

No leaks as the bolt is essentially fully seated into the bolt hole. But it's not coming out.

So, in thinking of the resolutions, I've come up with 3 possible solutions:

1) Have the drain pan replaced. This would have the double benefit of dealing with a slight leak on the passenger's side of the pan where the gasket looks to be breaking down. However the part and expected labor to have this done I'd expect to be pretty hefty, especially since I think part of the drive shaft has to be removed to get the pan out.

2) Have the bolt hole re-tapped for a slightly larger bolt. I'm sure this is doable but seems like it could be costly, could be hard to find the right shop to do it, and could still lead to issues in the future.

3) Using an extractor for oil changes from this point forward (or at least until a new oil pan is installed). I'm aware that people use extractors these days, especially on vehicles with plastic pans and plugs, but I'm not certain if the dipstick tube has to be of a certain size to use one of the modern extractors. Anyone have any experience.

Thoughts?


Post-Script Note: It's not VITAL that I actually change the oil right now. The oil has very few miles on it in the past 10-11 months, so all it really has on it is age (again only 10-11 months). Since some suggest that fully synthetic oil can go a couple of years between changes, if not hitting your usual mileage mark, the van is certainly not under any stress in terms of engine oil. I had hoped the change it this summer just to stick with the "at least once a year" schedule, but I'm fine with the oil in the van staying put for now, while I figure out a long term solution. Obviously once I get 5-6k miles on the van, I will need to deal with how to perform an oil change, if the stripped plug hasn't been resolved yet.
_________________
-2003 EV MV Wk - Forest - 51k
-2002 EV Camper - Ghost - 82k
-2003 EV GLS - Fluffhead - 176k

-1997 EVC - 12vVR6 (SOLD 5/2025)

[67rustavenger]

That's unfortunate. Did I read you correctly, the AXK oil pans plastic?
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!

[HeyCrutch]

[kourt]

I faced this problem. The prior California owner had a shop with heavy hands and they stripped my AXK oil drain. It's an aluminum pan.

First I tried this oil drain pan bolt repair kit. It's a good concept kit and would work great if you can get the tap to square properly with the lands/shoulder of the oil pan... but it's at an unusual angle, and I got it off by a few degrees. When the new bolt was snug, it wasn't square with the pan and a little leaking would occur.

I sealed it with RTV and bought an extractor and hated the extractor. End of story there.

So I upped the size again with this self tapping kit (except I used a proper tap and didn't rely on the self tapping bolt). Still leaked, so I sealed the main bolt with a good high temp sealer and use the piggyback, and that works fine.

I recommend the piggyback method I eventually landed on. It takes a lot longer for the oil to drain, but no big deal. This is a good DIY solution.

kourt

[67rustavenger]

The drain plug was likely stripped by a Jiffy Lube or one of those type of shops.
I had a company van many years back. The oil change monkey used an impact driver to tighten the drain plug when he changed the oil and stripped the threads on the oil pan. I didn't notice it until, the next oil change.

If I was in your shoes, I'd attempt to pull on the drain plug with a pair of locking plyers pulling rearward twisting the plug to help engage the threads of the oil pan.
I hope that makes sense.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!

[HeyCrutch]

[kourt]

Yes, just look at the link. It's a piggyback system.

kourt

[HeyCrutch]

[kourt]

I've found that the crush washer supplied is fine for multiple uses. So don't worry too much about the hex bolt. I've felt good about this solution for my van and would recommend it.

Sorry if I've already said that! I'm grilling steaks and potatoes and drinking dark beer. It's a Sunday night. My wife is taking the EVC to Minneapolis next week for roller derby and it's her first trip in the van by herself, so a bit of a celebration. She would never have driven the old Vanagon, but the EVC is very user friendly. This is what we wanted.

kourt