Come laugh at the newbie
 

I'd post this in Diesel Discussion or Tech Help, but frankly I'd feel too foolish, and I think it's best left to professionals at this point anyway.

Today I set out to do my first oil change on the 1985 300D I picked up from a forum member about 3 or 4 weeks ago. With oil, filter, tools, and the car up on ramps in the garage, I set out first to remove the top of the oil filter housing. The first danger sign was that I couldn't budge either bolt. I marinated them in WD-40 for a while to no avail, then asked my boyfriend to have a try. I wanted to know if they were really stuck, or if I was just 'being a girl'. He had to apply considerable effort, but he was able to dislodged both -- strike one for the girl :)

Next, remove the drain plug from the oil pan. The boyfriend, confident that nothing could possibly go wrong now, is on his way home, ten minutes into his drive when I call him: "So, how long should I have to turn this thing, anyway?"

When I first started ratcheting on the plug, it was tough -- very tough. So tough, in fact, that remembering with shame my earlier 'girl trouble' trying to dislodge the bolts for the oil filter housing, I resolved to brace myself and/or apply any leverage necessary to get that thing turning. The alternative, after all, was to wait until tomorrow, when the boyfriend would turn back up to rescue me, and I didn't want that.

I braced my feet against a tire and really hauled on the ratchet. Nothing happened. I tried again. It was verrry hard, but it moved a bit. I hauled on it some more, and slowly it started to give. Soon, I could ratchet one-handed. Five minutes later, I could still ratchet with one hand. Shouldn't something have happened by now? I expected the plug to fall out by now. Haynes didn't say anything about ratcheting until your arm fell off.

That's the point I called my boyfriend. "Do you see any threads?" he asked. Well... no. "If you turn it the other way, does it tighten up?" I tried it, and nothing changed. But after several seconds of ratcheting, it turned even more easily! I turned some more with renewed enthusiasm, but soon realized, I'm still not seeing any threads. At his suggestion, I tried loosening it by hand, but couldn't. There's no play in it at all, either, although more oil seems to be getting on my fingers at this point. It certainly can't be pulled straight out, and no matter how many times it's turned, it isn't coming out.

The conclusion seems obvious: I've singlehandedly managed to strip the threads on the drain plug, rendering my new Mercedes undrivable the first time I tried to do any maintenance on it.

I've gone inside for the night to ponder how to get the thing towed to someone who knows what they're doing well enough to fix my problem and maybe change the oil while they're at it. I'm also wondering how much the tow truck guy is going to laugh at me, and what this means for my future attempts at working on this car.

How bad a screw-up is this? Does this happen to everyone, or is this an indication of my blinding lack of aptitude? Has anyone else done anything this unforeseeably silly the first time out?

Maybe you stripped the pawl on the ratchet?

What direction did you try to turn the drain when you 'really hauled on the ratchet'? Clockwise tightens.
Counterclockwise loosens. If you're lucky, you stripped the tool.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Dah!
 

Yikes! I guess I don't know my own strength. I even use new drainplug washers each time too, and clean and de-crud the threads; replace the plug if it looks messed up at all... I didn't torque any of those bolts, and I certainly didnt take it to any crummy lube shop that would have...
I had mobil 1 15w50 full synthetic in there too... (was only about 2k miles on that oil/filter, by the way)
SORRY!!
(still, it's pretty easy once you've done it once or twice)
hope it is better in the morning!!
k

Just checked... clockwise was my original direction of turn :(

Oh no, I'm certain this is me not knowing what I'm doing, and not a fault in previous maintenance. Somehow I need to learn the difference between a bolt that is hard to turn because it's part of a 19-year-old vehicle, and one that's hard to turn because I'm doing something drastically wrong. I hope I can start learning that in a way that isn't quite so destructive... :(

Cannot laugh anymore
 

Hello,
You just had some bad luck, that's all.
Over the years, I have scrapped good carbs and other expensive car parts by applying too much force to screws, nuts and other fasteners.
I hate to tell you this, but it happens.......even to the pros.
DO NOT be shy of asking for help if unsure about repair procedures.

sorry to hear of this dilemma.

gosh now it seems you have nothing to lose. get an adjustable or right size wrench and try to turn the plug counterclockwise. if it won't start to come out try to wedge a thin screwdriver between the plug and the oil pan, and with the screwdriver still in there, use the adjustable again.
good luck.

It's likely, if that drain bolt has any threads left inside the oil pan, they're so mangled it will never come out. (At least not with any force you can apply with a thin screwdriver) But, at this point, what have you got to lose? You'll probably need to remove the oil pan, cut the bolt head off and drive the stub INWARD to clear the hole. If the oil pan threads are ruined you'll need a new oil pan.

Now for the good news. According to my manual, the 5 cylinder diesel has the older style 2-piece, upper & lower oil pan. The lower section, containing the stripped drain, should be easily removeable, without having to pull the engine. Worst case - you'll need a new lower oil pan & gasket and drain plug & washer.
You'll need an allen wrench for the oil pan bolts. Just don't turn them the wrong way!

Happy Motoring, Mark

I dont' know... I might be wrong on this but...

If the drain plug was in correctly and wasn't turned
the wrong way, wouldn't it be hard to strip the
threads?
Now, if someone cross-threaded it while putting
it back in then I can see this happening.
No doubt some smart a$$ used an impact wrench on it.

Just a thought.


Louis.

webwench don't worry we all make mistakes. I have stripped many fasteners, I just stripped the head out of the 9mm hex head bolt that holds my passengers side engine mount on. Who ever put that bolt in was sick! If you want a challenge you could pull the lower pan yourself and replace it? I have never been under a 617 but from what others have said it is not to hard.

Thanks for the moral and technical support
 

Things look a little less dire this morning...

I will try the screwdriver trick, after which, if unsuccessful, it looks like the next project is dropping the bottom half of the drain pan. You are correct that it is a two-part pan and it looks easy enough -- messy though! I'll report back tonight with results.

OK, No big deal. A new lower oil pan, gasket and drain plug is only about $40 and very easy to change, even though it's a bit messy. I had to do this on my 240D when the oil pan got a hole punched in it. With the car on ramps you can do this in about 15 minutes.

Except for propane bottles
 

Webwench always chant this mantra when you're working on the Benz....'Lefty loosey , Righty tighty', even when you're upside down if the wrench is at the 12 o'clock position turning it to the left will loosen it and to the right will tighten it. Also always look for where your knuckles will end up if the wrench slips or loosens suddenly , don't ask how I know this :rolleyes: .Good luck , Kyle.

nope. I put it in, by hand. no impact wrench.

No laughing. That would be rude, incensitive and impolite.

I must commend you on your writing skills. You tell a story very well. Great style.

You seemed to have tightened your drainplug instead of loosening it. Tightened it so much that you stripped all its' threads. You should be proud. Not many would have had the strength to do what you did.

Always remember: Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

Good luck.