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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Sunday July 22nd, 2007 12:32 am |
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Right well first of all I'm well cheesed off because I've just recently MOT'd and taxed our Mini after the 3 year period that it was laid up and now I have a problem with the sump plug.
Earlier today I had intended carrying out an oil change and draining the cheap 20W/50 oil I had previously filled our Mainstream Mini Cooper with, which was only being used temporarily and as a means of flushing the engine until I was ready to fill up with the lovely highly recommended Duckhams Q Classic 20W/50.
I first noticed all was not well when I spotted a patch of oil beneath the car and as bad luck would have it the area around/beneath the sump plug was wet with oil too.
Strange though because my sump plug hole was heli-coiled several years back after the original threads gave up, but my Mini was laid up for almost 3 years and nothing leaked in that time?
All I did a week or so back was change the oil and so the sump plug was removed and refitted with the correct copper washer and done up as usual. I'd only driven it a few miles or so since, but now it's leaking and I've discovered that it feels like the thread has gone again.
It's also strange because it appeared fine after the oil change and it certainly wasn't leaking then, even though I hate the sump plug that got fitted because it is different to the original type, has no magnet on the end and doesn't feel secure enough until it's fully tightened up.
The company that heli-coiled it fitted an extra long sump plug and I know that the original plug with the magnet on the end now doesn't fit properly. Or at least I could never get it to tighten when the washer was used.
But now the extra long sump plug just spins and won't tighten up properly because naturally I tried to tighten it after spotting the oil leak and when I turn it I can feel some resistance but then it just spins again and even leaving it at the point of resistance still isn't enough to prevent the oil leak either.
Anyway I now need to sort it, so should I: -
A: Try using some plumbers tape on the sump plug? Would this help make it tight and safe?
B: Order a tapered sump plug from Mini Spares but be careful not to over tighten as it can crack the sump?
C: Try and get a different sized sump plug from a local motor factors like Halfords?
D: Pay to get it re-heli-coiled, that's if it's actually possible?
E: Get a road tax refund and stop using my Mini for another 3 years?
Okay the last one was a joke, but any advice would be greatly appreciated and you'd think a heli-coil would last much longer than 6 years? Especially since my Mini wasn't used for 3 of those years!
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DaveShreeve
Administrator
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Posted: Sunday July 22nd, 2007 03:30 am |
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Couple of problems with option B. Minispares tapered plug is designed to fit into standard sump plug hole, if standard plug won't fit into helicoil your likely to have more problems trying to fit the tapered plug. Also, helicoils are stainless so don't distort to the tapered plug like alloy.
Have you removed plug yet? I wouldn't expect problems with plug to helicoil but has helicoil to case interface broken down? I'm not sure of thread but knowing BMC/Leyland/Rover it'll be something odd, helicoils are available in Unified and Metric both coarse and fine, so that may be the reason for the change of plug. If gearbox thread looks good I'd suggest trying to determine exact size and thread and trying to find a plug to match.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Sunday July 22nd, 2007 11:48 pm |
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| Thanks for the advice Dave and I hope to be checking it out tomorrow.
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smi88y
Member
| Joined: | Saturday August 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: Saturday August 18th, 2007 04:19 pm |
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Hi Tim Thanks for the reply to my ID plate- Guess what --- I found it today --- lucky eh.
I had a thought on your sump plug- could you drill your sump plug and tap it out to a bsp thread, say 1/4 bsp and get a new 1/4 blank. Then locktite the drilled out sump plug into place. There are some very strong lockties on the market that would hold this in place.
Good luck
Smi88y
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Sunday August 19th, 2007 07:30 pm |
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Thanks Smi88y but after checking the sump plug hole it turns out that no heli-coil was ever fitted.
Okay I sound pretty daft now for not being aware of that fact, but I honestly assumed they'd fitted a helicoil several years back when the threads failed and I had the gearbox rebuilt.
So they ripped me off and just cut a new fine (metric?) thread instead and that's why I've had to live with a monstrously long bolt instead.
I've been in touch with a different local heli-coil and gearbox/clutch specialist and they claim that they can easily sort the problem with a heli-coil and I'll then be able to use the original sump plug with a magnet too.
They also said that they would have done all the repair work for a fraction of what we paid to the rip-off merchants that we used back in early 2002.
Anyway we'll probably give this company a go and with any luck our problems will be solved at last.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Sunday August 19th, 2007 07:31 pm |
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| Oh and it'll cost us the grand sum of £60.00.
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Mini4Ever
MCR Member
| Joined: | Saturday March 17th, 2007 |
| Location: | Netherlands |
| Posts: | 502 |
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Posted: Sunday August 19th, 2007 08:31 pm |
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Had the very same problem with one of my cars after I just bought it  I decided to put a helicoil in. I did so and could still use the original bolt. Nevertheless, I had the whole engine/box removed and dismantling the box to ensure that no remaining chips of the drilling etc would stay in the box.
On another box, the hole was totally gone and no serious plug would fit. This one was actually welded up and a new hole with original threads was made. That repair cost around 65 UK Pounds.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Monday August 20th, 2007 11:52 am |
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Thanks buddy and I'll be asking them about the possibility of chips and swarf etc.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Tuesday July 29th, 2008 01:07 pm |
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Just an update to this thread: -
Well the job got done and the engine didn't have to come out. In fact it was done within a few hours and there were no chips or swarf whatsoever (that's a lie, so read on).
They couldn't use the original sump plug because the thread was slightly different. But they altered the sump plug to suit and it looks identical, has the magnet fitted in place and it works a treat.
However when I carried out an oil change soon after, there was a tiny piece of metal attached to the sump plug magnet. So I instantly imagined the worst and thought my gearbox was on the way out.
Anyway I posted a picture of that piece of metal on another Mini Forum and I was told that it was just the metal tang that was snipped off the end of the heli-coil insert.
It should have been removed but it obviously fell into the sump and got picked up by the magnet.
So almost a 12 month on the sump plug is still working fine and it hasn't leaked a drop of oil.
I got mine sorted via 'Dragon Engines' of Merthyr Tydfil and I'm sure any good auto engineering firm can do similar.
 Last edited on Tuesday July 29th, 2008 01:08 pm by taffy1967 |
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