Tapping the oil pan
#1
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I searched around and couldnt find exactly what I was lookin for. Tomorrow Im gonn install my oil return line. My question is, do I need to unbolt the steering rack to get clear access to tap the pan?
Thanx
Phil
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#2
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No. The drill should fit in there without removing anything except the bellypan. You can find what you need in Braineack's FAQ or the FM installation instructions. 23/32" drillbit, 1/2NPT tap. Go slow, use grease, flush with a quart of mineral spirits afterwards. It's a lot easier than it sounds.
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There is a screen on the pickup, but that only catches small chunks or larger, and the pan is aluminum so no magnet will do any good. If you take your time and use alot of grease, you wont have a problem. I took my time, spent over an hour and a half drilling and tapping, so I was confident that no metal got in. There were a few peices right on the inside of the hole stuck to the wall of the pan, but you can run your finger around the inside and feel any of them and get them out usually. Not a bad idea to drain the pan afterwards if you aren't sure, or maby flush a quart of something down the return line while draining the pan if you really want to be safe.. but I found that unnecessary.
#7
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Keep the bit coated with grease, and remove/clean it several times once you break through the pan.
Flush mineral spirits in the whole when complete.
Fill first oil change with cheap **** and run for about 15 mintutes to operating temp (no need to drive)... then change oil to good synthetic.
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#10
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Tell you what sam even if 90% of the people here told me it was safe to drill a hole in my oil pan slap in a fitting and beat on the car. You know what i would do? I would still flush the pan it's what 30$ of oil at most ( this is even at outragues for royal purple prices) Flush it and forget it then if you are a stingy bastard filter the oil and reinsert it. I seriusly don't believe i read that statement geez.
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$30? a can of spirits is like $3....
oil drain plug should be off, and you should be draining into the new fitting.....
Richard, I hope you aren't tapping pans with the oil still in it!
#12
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Well, I did it. Drilled and tapped the pan today. Then flushed it with the mineral spirits. It was waaaaayyy easier than I thought it was. I removed the A/C lines (didnt work anyway) and that made it much easier.
Thanx Guys
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Last edited by levnubhin; 08-12-2007 at 09:52 PM.
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Yeah, I did mine in about 10 minutes. Started with a small bit , just to prevent the larger bit from walking. Drilled it, taped it and installed the fitting.
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#17
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I did mine with a 11/16 hole saw and it worked wonderfully. Compared to a 23/32 bit, a hole saw is cheaper, easier to find, and has a shorter length so it's easier to work with. It also creates less chips (you get a big ring left in the middle).
The slightly smaller size of the hole saw isn't a problem with the thin soft aluminum of the pan. If anything I felt better removing more material with the tap to be sure I got a good complete thread.
The slightly smaller size of the hole saw isn't a problem with the thin soft aluminum of the pan. If anything I felt better removing more material with the tap to be sure I got a good complete thread.
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