Dealership crossed threaded oil drain plug

[Fishpilot]

2022 Sport S, I’m the original owner with 44,000ish miles. Up to today, the dealership has been doing oil changes with no issues. I started today to change the oil myself. I need a wrench until the last thread to remove the oil drain bolt. Upon inspection, the bolt appears to have been installed cross threaded. I cleaned both the female and male surfaces. The oil filter was very clean and I went ahead and changed the oil and filter. The oil drain bolt went in surprisingly easier than it came out. I really think none of the cuttings from the cross thread got in the pan. Hope the dealership makes it right and replaces the sub oil pan and bolt.

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[Hootbro]

Tagged for outcome.

I bought this thread chaser for some lug nuts but it will also work on the drain bolt hole in the oil pan as they are the same 14mm x 1.5 thread pitch.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H5VBH5P

 

[Fishpilot]

Tagged for outcome.

I bought this thread chaser for some lug nuts but it will also work on the drain bolt hole in the oil pan as they are the same 14mm x 1.5 thread pitch.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H5VBH5P

Ha, that’s the first thing I thought to do. But my taps only went up to 12MM. Well at least the bottom pans are fairly cheap. If dealer does not take ownership, I might just do it myself. Trying to find the specs and cross bolt pattern might for the pan might be a pain.

 

[Hootbro]

Torque spec for the lower pan bolts to the upper pan is 80 in-lbs. Mating flange is RTV'd sealed and a normal crisscross torque pattern is all that is needed. You can look up PPE instructions for their aftermarket pans if you want a torque pattern to follow.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I really think none of the cuttings from the cross thread got in the pan. Hope the dealership makes it right and replaces the sub oil pan and bolt.

There won't be cuttings - the threads will likely simply be displaced.

Just one other comment - you have the solution and Hootbro gave you top advice:

Holy craps - how do you cross thread a bolt that goes in so easily and has a pilot area to guide it straight into the threads?

 

[RHINO79]

Unbelievable

 

[jac04]

Ha, that’s the first thing I thought to do. But my taps only went up to 12MM.

Probably a good thing. You do not want to use a tap to try to restore/clean threads - use a proper thread chaser as Hootbro recommended. A tap will cut/remove material while a chaser is made to re-form the threads.

 

[KevinM60]

Holy craps - how do you cross thread a bolt that goes in so easily and has a pilot area to guide it straight into the threads?

By not taking the few seconds it takes to make sure the threads are lined up or by using an air ratchet that would do the same thing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

By not taking the few seconds it takes to make sure the threads are lined up or by using an air ratchet that would do the same thing.

And yet so many of these things are made to be assembled at the factory with power tools.......... they REALLY screwed up in any case.
Take a look at the progresses and changes in bolts and screws over the last 6 or so decades - why do bolts have this? Why is that type of head used? and so on - it's to help with factory assembly. Slotted screws went to Philips screws which went to Pozi drive which went to torx drive and so on. Same for the bolt shapes.

 

[Janster]

You should’ve just let them change the oil again….. they’d be 100% responsible.

I hope they don’t try to blame you for it.

 

[Janster]

By not taking the few seconds it takes to make sure the threads are lined up or by using an air ratchet that would do the same thing.

I hate using power or air tools to get threads started. I use my hands…..
And sometimes, depending on the situation…..I‘ll go old-school and just use a ratchet for the entire thing. I like being able to ‘feel’ the threads as you tighten and being able to stop immediately if something doesn’t feel right.

All that drives my husband crazy…. He’s always in there with power tools just to save 60 seconds.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I hate using power or air tools to get threads started. I use my hands…..
And sometimes, depending on the situation…..I‘ll go old-school and just use a ratchet for the entire thing. I like being able to ‘feel’ the threads as you tighten and being able to stop immediately if something doesn’t feel right.

All that drives my husband crazy…. He’s always in there with power tools just to save 60 seconds.

I have the air and electric impacts, ratchets and more - still, I prefer to feel that it actually started properly. Sometimes the very end thread can be slightly damaged or dinged, and you can tell that by starting that bolt/nut/screw by hand - not with an impact or whatever. Impact or power tools are made to finish the job you start, IMO.
I understand the factory point of view - my father worked in one for decades, but then they are so used to what they are doing some could do it in their sleep - muscle memory, holding the tool at the perfect angle using the exact right force.
It's different when you aren't doing 100 of them an hour.

 

[MikeNH]

And yet so many of these things are made to be assembled at the factory with power tools.......... they REALLY screwed up in any case.
Take a look at the progresses and changes in bolts and screws over the last 6 or so decades - why do bolts have this? Why is that type of head used? and so on - it's to help with factory assembly. Slotted screws went to Philips screws which went to Pozi drive which went to torx drive and so on. Same for the bolt shapes.

Guessing you may be aware but the power tools at the factory are nothing like what you or I might buy. They do have some ability to detect cross threading (watch a YouTube vid of the machine that tightens the lugnuts) and it can keep track of each task. That is how you see those recalls of like 52 vehicles made on a specific shift that has some random bolt improperly torqued.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Guessing you may be aware but the power tools at the factory are nothing like what you or I might buy. They do have some ability to detect cross threading (watch a YouTube vid of the machine that tightens the lugnuts) and it can keep track of each task. That is how you see those recalls of like 52 vehicles made on a specific shift that has some random bolt improperly torqued.

Yes, that's the other thing - they detect the forces needed and so on. There are screens by many of the workers.

My 2022 was a "clean build" - and yet they somehow found ONE bolt that had been either cross-threaded or had some other issue, and fixed it (got that from a factory employee)

Even back in the 1980s, a tiny company with no money, had a machine that spun the engines (without running them) and with sensors throughout the oil galleries, they knew exactly what was going in in that engine - bearing clearances and more. They sensed the minute pulses or changes in oil pressure at certain points, knew when the holes in the crankshaft were lined up at certain points, and could predict problems before the thing ever got installed.

By this point in time, that's beginner's stuff for automakers.

 

[RHINO79]

You should’ve just let them change the oil again….. they’d be 100% responsible.

I hope they don’t try to blame you for it.

Yeah exactly, and if he did that I wonder what he dropped in the oil filter hole and didn't tell anyone,

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