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[quote=”nickwarner” post=134494][quote=”BeardedWrencher” post=134447]car is out of town for the next few weeks so I am unable to access it right now. Hopefully a set of those Irwin bolt extractors will work. If not I have a friend with a welder and gonna get a nut welded too it. I really hope the oil pan doesn’t strip or crack.[/quote]
After all is said and done, swing by that quickie lube that changed it last and kick the guy right in the taint with cowboy boots. Seen those guys even put in drain plugs with an impact before.
Those Irwin extractors are pretty good. The harder you pull the tighter they grip. I’ve put an impact on mine and gotten a lot apart. Don’t be afraid of using heat too. You can brakekleen off the residue in the area and remember that the oil in the pan will absorb some heat anyway. Same principle as how a deep fryer works, right?
If it was me I’d cut right to welding a nut over the drain plug. If clearance is tight use a stick welder and bend the rod to get inside. If its hard to get really clean use a 6011 rod, as its more tolerant of poor prep. From your pic it looks like a mig stinger might fit in there OK. If you can get a swivel socket in there use an impact to get it out.
Look over the threads real good before you put the new one in. Had a run for about 6 months of damaged pan threads once, all last serviced at the same quick lube joint. Kept thread repair kits and oversize plugs in stock for it. They must’ve fired the guy doing it as after the 6 months never saw more from there. I had called the service desk and let them know I was really enjoying how much money they were making me but they needed to get a handle on whoever was damaging the customer’s cars. I’m sure a few of the customers that were paying me to fix it were calling too.
Being that the oil pan is an aluminum one, you have enough meat to put a HeliCoil kit in it or an oversize plug that is self-tapping if the threads are trashed. Should also respond well to some heat as aluminum expands easier than steel does. Gets expensive to change the pan.[/quote]
Good stuff but I wouldn’t do the self tapper. At most they would get two oil changes out of it and be right back to square one. I would do the helicoil from the get go.
Maybe its the new rotor causing the problem. A lot of times this happens with new drums but the same thing can happen with rear rotors that have e brake shoes…. they are sometimes not machined right or warped from sitting, being banged around, and other reasons. If it is warped it could cause a noise. I would take the rotor back to where you got it, tell them its warped and ask them for a new one. May not be the problem but it is worth a try. Also the ebrake shoes may be warn funny causing a noise as well.
[quote=”Mr Talon” post=122803]Good reading and info. When I started and still do from time to time. Is if I have to borrow a tool 3 times. I guess it should be next on my list to buy because other techs get upset if you always needing something. In the beginning it sucks because yes you don’t know what to buy and not a need to dump 15k on a brand new setup.[/quote]
This is exactly what I did when I started out 25 years ago… Whatever I borrowed most is what I tried to buy next.
Just based on your post, firing you was way overboard in my opinion. Don’t give up. Not all shops have stuck up techs. Ive worked at a lot of shops in my 25+ year career and now own my own shop.
Couple things… First you have to have thick skin to work in this business. There is a lot of ball busting that goes on at shops. Its just a thing. It has always been. The key is to be able to take as much as you dish out. If you cant take ball busting then you will never be ok working anywhere really. Its just part of the business. Don’t be afraid to ball bust back. Some guys love to dish it out, but cant take it in return. Don’t be one of those guys. Also don’t be the guy that sits there and takes it but doesn’t dish it back.
Sometimes you have to ignore the ego heads and the guys that feel they own the place when they don’t. I would keep personal life out of shop talk until you have been there long enough to know who is who.
Shop owners will usually take the side of the 18 year vet. The reason is because its hard enough to find good technicians…its also hard to keep them. Like I said earlier… you shouldn’t have been fired, but if it comes down to a new guy that’s been there a few weeks or a guy that’s been with me 18 years… I am taking the 18 year vet in most, but not all, cases.
I am new to this forum, but I wanted to chime in because I hope you don’t give up on what can be a very rewarding career.