Crack in oil pan
Robert Myers
bob at chips-ur-s.com
Tue Nov 2 01:34:14 PDT 2010
*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(r) Pro*
Hi Y'all,
And... The final solution to the problem... Do whatever is
necessary to provide a usable pan and then get rid of the old drain
plug and install a proper valve from http://fumotousa.com/ The
Fumoto valve completely eliminates the typical galling problem our
Audis develop. Been using them with GREAT success for many years.
Bob
At 11:34 PM 11/1/2010, Fred Munro wrote:
>*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(r) Pro*
>Jay;
>
>I don't know about the A6, but the large M26 drain plug on the UrS oil pan
>can be very difficult to remove if it is overtorqued on installation - as in
>impossible to remove. I recall at least one lister who had to weld a socket
>onto the oil pan plug to get it off after stripping the head and exhausting
>all other alternatives. When I bought my UrS4, the drain plug head was badly
>mangled and the plug was extremely tight. I've found that torquing the plug
>to the 25 ft.lb spec makes it easy to remove at the next oil change.
>Anything tighter and it can be very difficult. If the A6 pan has the same
>issue, the plug may have extremely tight and the tech cracked the pan
>wrestling with it. If that is the case, they know what they did. What kind
>of shape is the hex head on the plug in? Is it a new plug? (i.e. they
>mangled the old one and replaced it).
>
>HTH
>
>Fred Munro
>'97 S6
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com] On
>Behalf Of Jay M
>Sent: November 1, 2010 10:37 PM
>To: esanborn at gmail.com; chance9121 at gmail.com
>Cc: quattro at audifans.com
>Subject: RE: Crack in oil pan
>
>
>Thanks everyone for your replies. I am not the original owner of this A6 and
>Eric's reply below got me thinking....I asked the guys at the garage what
>size wrench they used to loosen the drain plug and they said 19mm. If my
>memory serves me correctly my other car...the UrS6's drain plug is 19mm but
>this car in question here is a C4 2.8 6 cylinder. I am pretty sure, or maybe
>I am having a senior moment here fellas but I thought my other 2.8 C4
>vehicles had a 17mm drain plug right?? or wrong?? Anybody know for sure what
>the stock size C4 A6 2.8 oil drain plug is?
>
>Anyway, after considering the advice given here on the forum by this
>wonderful Band of Brothers, I have decided to replace the pan instead of
>repairing it. However, I am an inquisitve SOB and just to satisfy my own
>curiosity, would like to know how this crack could have happened. The car in
>question has 132,000 miles on it. I have had 4 or 5 other C4 Audis with more
>than 200K miles and I have never had this problem. The shop that did the
>work is comprised of two young guys that are VW specialists, turbo upgrades,
>etc. and they were genuinely very nice guys working hard trying to make an
>honest buck; very admirable in my eyes. I am not 100% sure they are actually
>at fault. The facts: Prior to my arrival at their shop my car was not
>smoking and/or leaking any engine oil at all during the drive and after my
>arrival at the shop. It has been over 2,000 miles before I even had to add a
>drop of engine oil to top off the oil level prior to this oil change so it
>is safe to assume this car does not burn or leak much oil. I was in the
>garage when the belly pan was removed for the oil change and the underneath
>of the belly ban was bone dry. However, in a nut shell, there was absolutely
>none, not even a miniscule hairline crack in the oil pan BEFORE I brought
>the car in for the oil change. As mentioned above, I am not the original
>owner of this car and I am sure this car has been to Jiffy Lubes and the
>like where the local wrenches over torque the oil drain plug upon tightening
>causing stress to the aluminum oil pan. It has never happened in my 30+
>years changing my own oil but perhaps it is possible that somewhere down the
>line of this car's oil change history, that, in this particular instance,
>when this particular mechanic loosened the drain plug, he unknowingly and by
>no fault of his own, caused the crack to the oil pan??? Even after talking
>to the mechanic after my smokey 10 mile ride home after the oil change I
>asked him, "Are you sure you initially loosened the drain plug instead of
>tightening it when you were draining the oil?" He responded correctly saying
>lefty loosey..tighty righty, blah, blah blah.... Maybe this is just a huge
>coinicidence and this mechanic was just in the wrong place at the wrong
>time?
>
>Your thoughts and previous experience on the matter are appreciated.
>
>
>
>From: esanborn at gmail.com
> > Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2010 19:55:59 -0400
> > Subject: Re: Crack in oil pan
> > To: chance9121 at gmail.com
> > CC: quattro at audifans.com
> >
> > We got my wife an '03 GTI earlier this year with the 1.8T. The previous
> > owner had used a speedy lube and the first thing I had to do was replace
>the
> > aluminum pan. They had stripped out the pan and then used an over sized
> > self cutting plug. I didn't realize this of course until I got it home and
> > proceeded to change the oil. That was an expensive oil change. My
> > local independent VW shop keeps 5 or 6 good used pans on hand at all
>times.
> > The later ones have steel inserts for the drain plug the earlier ones did
> > not.
> >
> > While there is a chance the crack was there and his work on it just opened
> > it up further, I would imagine it was related to their work. I wouldn't
> > trust anything but welding or replacement. In order to weld it correctly
> > you would need to remove it so you might as well get a good used one and
>put
> > it on.
> >
> > -Eric
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 7:47 PM, NIck Miller <chance9121 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Aluminum oil pan and too much torque. Like impact wrench style.
> > > Somethings
> > > gotta gives
> > > On Nov 1, 2010 5:46 PM, "Grant Lenahan" <glenahan at vfemail.net> wrote:
> > > > i have no idea, but i would not. Too critical.
> > > >
> > > > How did he crack it?It might not in fact be his doing, although one
>would
> > > think he should at least have seen it.
> > > >
> > > > Grant
> > > >
> > > > On Nov 1, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Jay M wrote:
> > > >
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> I took my 1996 A6 to a local independent garage today for a quick oil
> > > change, first, and needless to say last time I will take my car there
> > > again.
> > > On the drive home I noticed a lot of smoke coming from engine bay. I
>pulled
> > > over and checked oil level and I was down 2 quarts after driving about
>10
> > > miles. I added oil and got the car home for inspection and noticed oil
> > > dripping from a hairline crack totalling about 1 1/2" in the shave of a
>V
> > > near and around the oil drain plug. After much discussion with the
>mechanic
> > > who did the oil change, he flat out denied responsibility for the crack.
> > > Can
> > > this crack be successfully repaired with JB Weld on the inside and/or
> > > outside of oil pan, or TIG welded or do I have to source a new pan to
>fix
> > > the problem. I am just curious if there are any BTDT's that have used JB
> > > Weld or similar products to repair cracks in their oil pan. Any input is
> > > appreciated.
> > > >> _______________________________________________
> > > >> quattro mailing list
> > > >> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro
> > > >> http://www.audifans.com/kb/List_information
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > > Grant Lenahan
> > > > glenahan at vfemail.net
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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