I just was a cpmplete dumb ass and cross threaded my oild pan bolt. Any advice please please tell me

You can always rent a tap to either clean up the cross threading if it is not too bad, or to make the open a bit larger, and then get a bigger drain bolt.

After that perhaps it is time to get a Topsider or similar?

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

I will try the tap when my uncle gets home. I trust he has done it before. The thing that drives me crazy is I started it by hand and then used the rachet. The threads are gone in some sections. And to make things worse tonigh was the track night and I don't know when I can do again
Thanks
PS I'M BUYING A TOPSIDER AFTER I FIX THIS!

Go grab your bolt, measure the size, go get the proper size tap out of the toolbox, go to the store with the tap to make sure you get the right size bolt, get the proper crush washers, get somoe oil install the bolt, fill it up with oil, and run it!

Kuan

When tapping be sure to coat the tap with grease to catch the filings.

You may want to try the new quick-drain thing you'll find near the oil filters and wrenches, it has a self-tapping nipple that replaces the drain plug and will cut its own thread, then you need only turn the lever to drain in the future, "Quik-drain" or "Sure-drain" or something it's called.
-Tom

__________________
RIP "Betsy" (Oo=*=oO)
'96 E 3 2 0 (W 2 1 0) M 1 0 4 (Totalled)
Spaces in sig so as not to screw up the SEARCH; every time someone searches for that MB they don't want my sig!

2004 Audi A8L
'98 VW Passat 1.8T 5M
'87 Alfa Romeo Milano 2.5L 5M
'67 Impala convertible, 327cid

What happen yesterday after my post

AFter work my uncle came home and looked at it. First thing he said was it was not your fault as he is pulling threads out of the hole with a screwdriver. I asked why he said that and his awnser was someone put and insert in here once before and did a real crappy job and more than likely over time and people using impact it tore it apart you were just the unlucky one it came apart on. So that made me feal a little better because I knew that when I started the bolt it was in straight and witht the threads.
I went to NAPPA and got a self tapping drian plug that was pefrfect except it had a ring around it with a gasket that would not let it fit my oil pan.

After that I started calling around for oil pans finding the cheapes a used from an 88 535i for 135 in GA.

Went to NAPPA again looking for a drian plug without the ring no luck.

Came home my uncle said he thinks I should try a Heli-Coil (something I had never heard of before yesterday) All of them he had were to small so back to NAPPA I go.
Asked about the Heli-Coil kits the guy goes ya it will work you just need enough metal there to grab onto. The problem is the factory bolt is a 12 1.5 all i have are 12 1.25 and 12 1.75.
So I bought a Heli Coil kit with the 12 1.75 and yet another drian plug. Came home got a massive drill out and a 31/64 bit rilled the hole clean and then tapped it. Stuck the coil in put the bolt it to break the tab at the end of the coil and then dumped 5 quarts of used oil in and let it flush as much as possible into the drian pan. By the time I was done it was 9pm and it was to late for the track and pretty much to late for my day off
thanks guys for your advice