I Almost Cried Today.....

[rraulston]

I was doing an oil change today. No big deal right??!! Heck, i worked in the copper mines for 15 years doing oil changes. Well i was tightning up the pan plug. and it just wouldnt sinch up. Then i felt it give. I liked to have died!!!! I thought i stripped the plug. The washer flange came apart from the threads and fell apart. !! Oh my god!!! I have never seen anything like that!! I ran down to the dealer and told them the engine was under warranty. They looked at me like i was stupid. Then i told them this was the 5th vehicle i bought from them. They said "your right, it is under warranty"!! gotta love Bill Breck Dodge in Tucson!! RRR

 

[John]

That POS OE drain plug has been nothing but a MAJOR PITA since Dodge started using it! The problem is the flanged head is too thin (. 105") to be made out of the low grade steel it is fabricated from (considering the torque value assigned to it by both Cummins AND Dodge). After examining my fractured drain plug, it looked suspiciously close to low carbon steel that had been case hardened. (JMO)



Anyway, get in line as it has happened to a great many Dodge/Cummins owners who own and use a torque wrench for the tightening of the drain plug.

 

[Jim Fulmer]

Mine did the same thing on my first oil change after I bought the truck... . enpty feeling for a bit, but I cheated. I just pulled out the tig and welded it back together, got a spare and now have that bad boy from Geno's for the next change.



Jim

 

[azcummins]

John-

I never torque mine. Just get it fairly tight then go drive it. I've never had one leak or come out.



What are the torque specs anyway?

 

[Tomeygun]

Originally posted by azcummins

John-

I never torque mine. Just get it fairly tight then go drive it. I've never had one leak or come out.



What are the torque specs anyway?

same with me, by the way, with shell rotella what should the oil change interval be (small amount of towing) ?

 

[HGDMARTN]

Same thing happened to me New Year's Day 2001. My very first oil change and I had a horribly abcessed tooth in my mouth. Decided I felt good enough to swallow so I thought I could change my oil. Finger tightened the plug and then busted out the dusty torque wrench. I did not even get close and the same thing happened. Talk about a PITA. I just knew I had stripped the pan flange. I arc welded the flange back on to get me to work the next 3 days until my Geno's finger touch plug came in. What a cruddy feeling; I know exactly what you felt.



Oh yeah - The absolute first thing I did was post a message on the TDR and had many replies within an hour reassuring me that the flange was probably OK.

What a great site!



David