I decided to brave the rain and cold to change my oil. Whoops, it's stripped. I know I need to buy an extractor set to get it out. I'd kind of like to replace it with a male end bolt but I'm not sure if it will fit around the anti-sway bar. Any suggestions? Anyone have an autozone/Oreilley's/NAPA part number? Thanks.
Hard to tell how much room there is, but if you can get vice grips on it, it should come out easily. Usually all you need is to break it loose and it'll unscrew by hand. Hopefully you have another vehicle to take the drain plug with you to an auto parts store and match up the threads with their options, you can bet it's not metric.
I have vice grips. Should have thought of that. Thanks. Still don't know why they didn't put the drain plug dead center of the pan and forward of the sway bar. Oh well, it still runs.
I am thinking the threads are 1/2-20. You can also go to you International dealer and get a magnetic drain plug for a Dt-360 they use the same size. I have that in both of ours and surprised how much it picks up!
After getting a friend to weld a half inch bolt onto it I finally got the drain plug removed. Had it sized at Baxter's as a 7/8-16. I thought it looked the same but the new bolt won't thread all the way into the drain pan. So I have to use the old cobbled together bolt which means I have to remove the steering bar or whatever you call it every time I do an oil change. I know the bolt isn't oversized because it doesn't have the slits in the side of it. Does SAE have fine and coarse drain plug threads?
No, but there are 'oversize' drain plugs for damaged ones that you can get. Single and double oversize for sure, they are self tapping to use when you bugger up the threads. Is it possible the one you got is an oversize?
If you can't actually measure the old plug using a caliper and thread gauge, you should be able to take it to a good hardware store (the next time you're changing the oil?) and find a standard nut which fits properly to give you the correct size. There is no special thread standard just for drain plugs. They normally use standard SAE threads, often the Fine series, but the plug may be otherwise modified, as with a wide shoulder to support a lead or plastic seal for example.
