I was more worried if what I said made any sense. That's why I included the huge pics (w/ amazing photo-editing skills, of course).

I'm glad you understood, and yes, your response was just fine.

Thanks so much CoachK. The drain valve is on order as of this afternoon.

 

Mine looked like it was leaking from the plug, but in actuality it was coming from the seal of the pan itself...got so frustrated confusing it w/ the lines and/ or drain plug - I just replaced the whole damn pan...prob solved.

 

CoachK, can you please elaborate on what is needed and specs of the tap you used for the 18mm 1.5 thread valve and how you ground down the fins without hurting the rest of the pan

 

The tap is going to me a M18 x 1.5. I think you want to know the size of the drill bit he used to drill out the old hole to a bigger size before tapping. According to two websites I Googled, a 16.5 mm drill bit will be what you want. That is equivalent to about 41/64 standard drill bit. Another site said to use a 21/32 bit, and yet another said you need a 17.25 mm. I think the 17.25 mm is a tad out of place, so I'd say look for 41/64, 21/32, or 16.5 mm bits to drill the hole to accommodate the 18 x 1.5 Fumoto. How in the worrrrld are we going to find bits in those sizes?

I'm guessing a good way to grind down the fins would be with some stone grinders, like these, that attach to a drill.



Help us, CoachK.

 

the bit just has to be close, esp with aluminum. Plus just go to Ace hardware, they sell single drill bits. Also, alot of taps come with the bit you need. Thats a pretty huge tap though, do you even have a source for that?

Also, a machine shop could easily mill the pan for you, for cheap to ensure everything was flat and leak free.

 

I see what you're saying. If the right machine shop does the work, they would probably be able to make it look OE-ish.

But since this is so straight forward, I think I am going to take care of this myself. Just a steady hand and the right grinding bit. I think I'll be able to source the drill and tap. I hope a tap that big fits in my my tap drill thingy. Eh, I'll figure it out.

We'll see what CoachK says.

 

IIRC I used a 5/8" drill bit which is equivalent to 16mm. I can check for sure tonight when I go thru my bits. Also just use a small grinding stone and take your time with it.

 

I'm not so much worried about the grinding of the fins, as I am about the drilling before the re-tap. I'm thinking the only way to guarantee a properly perpendicular, straight-down, point of entry for the drill bit is to use a drill press and not just a regular hand drill like I have. And if I can't find a friend who has a press, I'm probably better off just having the machine shop do it since any machine shop would have one. The price of the tap + drill bit, since they seem a little uncommon, may equal the price of the machining anyway.

 

I went to my buddies shop and used his drill press..I should of mentioned that.Its really pretty easy just take your time.

 

And when you're grinding the fins down right next to the flat/machined drain plug hole area it just takes a steady hand so you don't score that flat area with the grinding stone bit, right? I'm accident prone, so I like to be mentally prepared for even the most simple tasks