Another stripped thread thread

Just finished changing oil and gear oil. First opportunity, replacing gear oil fill plug and it didn't stop turning. The treads on the plug are only about 1/4 in long. Those threads in the hole are gone. But upon looking, the threads in the tranny wall are about 1 in long. No problem, I'll just find a longer one. Yep, at the local parts store, M22-1,50 3/4 in of threads. I'm home free. Second opportunity, can't get the new plug started. Tried over and over, plug would start and about 2 turns dead stop. Didn't want to force it. Tried cleaning the threads of lose debris, no help. Had a great idea, remove the tranny plate, after draining the new gear oil and screw the plug in from the inside to clean out and straighten the threads. Second opportunity, not enough room between the wall and 2nd gear to get the plug in. Had to pray, yep, it came to that. Another great idea came. I took the old plug, cut the flange off and started it through the hole from the inside with the hex socket on the outside. Worked like a charm, cleaned and straightened the threads all the way to the outside. New plug went in very easy.
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Done!

 

Thanks, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. To do it right would be next to impossible with the engine in the car. Redrilling, taping and helicoil would be hard to get dead on straight. But there was no way I was going to pull the engine, send the bare block to the machine shop and then put it back together just to have the "correct" fill plug.

 

I thought about that, but you still have the same problem, you have to keep the tap straight and pick up the same threads without making new ones.

 

Yes, it did act like a tap, started on good threads and straightened out the bad ones near the outside.

It won't happen next time, because "I" will be doing the wrenching and this plug is longer and will pick up more threads. This is the second plug that had been over tightened by PO. The first one cracked the oil cover.

 

Wow, there must be a story behind that.

 

Maybe, if the drain was on the side, but that hanging down would surely catch something on the road.