Oil pan woes...

Oil pan isn't sealing on front edge (just under crankshaft pulley). The bolts that secure oil pan to bottom lip of timing chain cover are stripped and just spin...what's my best option?

 

The first thing we need to know is, what engine?

 

L-Flathead

 

Helicoil the holes and put the bolts back in

 

Or, you might get away with using 3 washers under the head of the bolt so when it goes to tighten, its not at the end where the thread is messed up

 

Sorry.. The bolt is fine, it's what the bolt screws into is stripped

 

Screws into the block? Helicoil. Or drill/tap oversized if there is enough material.

 

Drill and tap might work....maybe 1/8" of material to work with.

 

Think about it like this, only the last bit of thread in the hole is bad, if you only thread into the good portion it will hold. Using washers to space the bolt shallower into the hole it will tighten up, just put 3 or 4 washers on and I bet you it will work, if not, you could also use threaded rod, weld it into the block, then use it like a stud and use nuts to tighten it up

 

I think your best bet would be some of the heavy duty rivit nuts or threadserts. If the existing threads are stripped in the timing cover your 3 options are: 1) replace cover, 2) weld some nuts on the inside of the cover, or 3) drill and use the inserts. If you do use the inserts, I would be putting a good dab of RTV on them as you now have two places for each bolt to leak but the gasket may still constrain it.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-rivet-nuts/=mu35v1
http://catalog.automotivefasteners....hread-sert-174-threaded-fasteners-zinc-plated

 

Got the Jeep up on jackstands tonight to give me some room to work..

Took a couple of nuts to the grinding wheel to shave them down.. Took about 1/2 off, this allows me to slide them on top of the lip in the timing cover... This should work.

 

Howard: make some room in your Inbox. I'm trying to send you a message.

 

I'm in favor of the silicone approach ... it's just splash behind the seal, and the modern gasket cements may be able to seal it. Let it set up overnight before you put oil in the pan and run it.

 

Letting it set up still.. I'll run it this weekend to see what happens.