yariks

Hello,

When I was changing the oil last weekend, I overtightened the oil pan bolt and damaged the thread in the oil pan on my 99'A6 2.8L. So, now the oil is dripping from around the bolt head. I looked through the forums, and the suggestion was before trying to buy a new oil pan to fix it with heli-coil or make a larger threaded hole in it. But I need to remove the pan first. I looked there and it seems easy, except the rear row of bolts is covered by some kind of crossbar linked to suspension on both sides. It is held by 2 brackets usind 2 bolts on each side. Regretfuly, I don't have repair manual (will have to buy it though), so I wonder if I can just unbolt those 4 bolts and let this crossbar hang while I am unbolting the oil pan? Will something else fall with it? Are there some addtional issues anybody knows of?

Thanks.

4Driver4

And buy a torque wrench and some drainplug gaskets.

absolutcq20v

...due to Jiffy Lube stripping out the drain plug and folks hitting debris on the road. It's very simple and takes less than an hour...be sure to pickup the sealant when you get the oilpan; they come from the factory with a gasket, but replacements call for the 'special' white sealant.

A6turbo530

and re-tep the thread then put what ever size bolt you want it it. good luck

yariks

Thanks. Do you know where I can buy the pan? I couldn't find it cheaper than $165. Should I go to the dealer for sealant?
And MAJOR question still remains: is it safe to just unscrew those four bolts and lower crosslink while removing rear bolts?

yariks

Thanks. The pitty is I HAVE torque wrench. I just didn't use it this time (
Also, do you know what the torque values are for oil pan bolts?

Jim Clark

Drain plugs are generally made of soft material and are even hollow. The reason is so that they will not damage the pan threads if over tightened.

When you try to remove the plug the head will likely snap off. It may have a hole through the middle of it and the oil will drain, could take a little while. Then use a reverse thred screw extractor to remove the threaded portion of the plug. If it's not a hollow type, you'll have to drill a hole for the screw extractor.

Then you can check the pan threads to see if they actually were damaged. If not, just get a new plug and use a torque wrench this time.

Jim Clark

My BMW is 18 ft lbs, not sure of he Audi spec.