I just removed and replaced the oil pan on my 95 Sport. It was a pain! Removed my starter, steering stabilizer, drag link, sway bar, and the lower bolts on my front shocks. Even after that, it took me 15 minutes of wiggling, jiggling, twisting, and turning to figure out the tilts and angles necessary to maneuver the oil pan over the bell housing and out towards the rear of my Jeep!

During the reinstall using a FelPro gasket with four starter pegs, i discovered that both front corners each had a free spinning bolt that I was unable to torque. They are both 11mm and not the larger 13mm that are next to each spinning bolt. In addition, I have one bolt hole about a foot back on the passenger's side that simply would not accept a bolt. I tried forever and the bolt just wouldn't thread in (11mm)! So...I let the rtv I put on the four corners of the engine block cure for 24 hours and went for a 20 minute drive at 75mph today. The result: after shutting off my engine, I had a small seep coming off the front end of my oil pan. Because I park on an incline, I don't believe it is seeping out of the open bolt hole, as I can't see the engine oil moving uphill against gravity to drip off the front. Rather, I think oil is seeping out from one of the free spinning front screws and dripping off the front of the oil pan.

So, I am looking for solutions that hopefully don't involve dropping the oil pan again. Can I use a tap tool and cut larger threads into the engine without taking off the oil pan? Can I just remove the spinning screws and cut new threads directly above the pre drilled holes in my oil pan cover? Please advise! I'll pull the pan if necessary. Also, I've never used a tap to cut new threads before, so I have no clue how easy or difficult it may be. I just don't want to make my little problem worse.

 

OK.. First, the correct answer...And as you've already guessed that involves a threaded insert like the heli-coil brand... With that being said, Could you retap to a bigger bolt ??? Possibly...But if you don't get it right your done...What I would consider an easy way out {with no pan removal} is cleaning out the hole{s} and installing 2 studs using a two part epoxy like JB weld to make sure they stay in there..Let it dry and use nuts....And if by chance they don't hold you're still back where you started for the first two options...

 

Dropping that oil pan is a nightmare, so let's avoid a full redo if possible. For the spinning bolts, try tightening them with upward pressure sometimes that gets enough bite to hold. If not, carefully drill and tap for the next size up (likely M7 if they're M6 now), but go slow to avoid metal shavings in the pan. The stubborn unthreaded hole might just need chasing with the correct tap again, grease the tap heavily to catch debris. If leaks persist after trying these, a thin bead of ultra-black RTV around the problem areas (without dropping the pan) could buy you time. But honestly, if it keeps weeping, you'll eventually need to pull it for proper thread repairs. Not what you wanted to hear, I know.

 

Go to the next size up, 5/16" or 8 mm. No drill, tap the 2 holes. Loctite & screw in the bolt or a stud as mentioned above. 50+ yrs fixing items like this. No big deal

 

The front 4 bolts actually go right into the bottom of the timing cover, which is just cast aluminum and very easy to make new threads in. I stripped out the two middle ones somehow and just used a tap to go up to the next size. Didn't even have to remove the pan.

 

Did you drill the holes out first?

 

Nope, just went right in with the tap a few turns in and then a few out to clean the tap, add a spritz of lube and repeat. Only took a few minutes. I also had to do another hole on the front of the block for the cover as its bolt had worked loose and was being battered by the harmonic balancer and beaten up the threads a bit.

 

Update...I drilled out and easily tapped new bolt holes for the two front free spinning bolts that go into the aluminum block. Now, i just need to do the hole with the missing screw further back. Will it be significantly more difficult in that it is not being tapped into aluminum?

 

Same process, only turn about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn back out lube and repeat until complete. You don't want to snap off the tap in the block, that's a whole bag of worms on its own.

 

Block is cast iron. Go slowly for sure. Torque on bolt is not real high, 5-6 threads will do the job.