Snapped Oil Drain Plug – DIY Repair

[pokeybritches]

Snapped Oil Drain Plug – DIY Repair

While removing my oil drain plug, the bolt snapped… most likely it was over-torqued or run in with an impact gun in the past.

Fortunately, the fix was simple. You’ll need:
1. EZ-Out or equivalent screw set. I bought mine from Pep Boys.
2. Small open-ended wrench sized to fit the end of your EZ-Out
3. Hammer
4. Drill (if your drain plug is solid)
5. Small magnet for debris




Insert the EZ-Out into the drain plug. I was lucky because my drain plug was hollow (likely aftermarket). If your drain plug is solid, you will need to drill out a small hole in the middle of the drain plug.





With light-medium force, tap the end of the EZ-Out with a hammer. It should only take one good tap.





Using your small open-ended wrench, turn the EZ-Out counter-clockwise. The damaged drain plug should start backing out.





Remove drain plug





Use your magnet to remove any debris. I had no debris because my drain plug was hollow. Had I needed to drill out the middle of the drain plug, I’m 50/50 on whether I would remove the oil pan to ensure no debris remained that could contaminate the oil. Besides being a big job, oil pans can leak once removed and reinstalled. Then again, oil contamination can destroy and engine.

[Reborn_]

Nice work. I would probably combine the magnet with flushing 10+ qts through the engine if drilling were required in lieu of dropping the oil pan.

[StickMon]

Then replace it with one of these:
http://www.fumotousa.com/

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by StickMon

Then replace it with one of these:
http://www.fumotousa.com/

I got one of those snap off in my hand while trying to install one a few years back. Luckily I was able to use a flathead screwdriver to back out the broken piece. Been using the suction method on all my cars since. As funny as it sounds, having a dipstick was a requirement on my last car purchase, which ruled out most new BMWs

[kaybat]

i have one, it won't clear the bottom pan on my ride. never used it....

[RossBMWZseries]

This is really cool, first time I see car related GIF's............................

[pokeybritches]

Haha, well I looked for a hosting service that would let me turn off auto-play. After a while the gifs hurt my head.