Oil Sump Plate Replacement

[scherb]

Gentlemen and ladies,

Dont change your oil, while you discuss with your wife a purchase of a new house... numbers get in the way... 37lb-ft sounds like 39lb-ft and shortly thereafter you think of why specialist are paid to do certain things, such as change the oil on your car. But putting aside the discussion of wether a Porsche owner should do or not simple things as oil changes, I come to you with a request for confirmation.

(in case it was not clear I stripped the oil drain... yes 39 is not 37)

I found 996 107 031 55 on ebay for $175 , do you all believe that is all I need? Can I re-use the bolts holding the plate? What torque should I use to tighten the bolts on the sump plate?

Appreciate your feedback and I welcome the teasing on my failure to do a simple oil change correctly...

Edited May 2, 2011 by scherb

[Loren]

Use Drei Bond Silikon - type 1209 - to seal the pan (you have 5 minutes after applying the sealant).

The service manual does not say a torque spec - but on an M6 bolt I would not go over 7.5 ftlb. -- that is not very much so if you decide to torque them use a short handle torque wrench that is properly calibrated. You really don't want to snap one of these off.

BTW... there are 2 or 3 newer design oil pans that the .55 (.57 and .58) and they are only about $150 MSRP at your dealer.

The bolts are 900.378.035.01 and they are only $0.84 each MSRP -- there are 13 as I recall.

[mcmike27]

No worries...trust me the worst words you can hear in a similar situtation I had when doing a adjustment of the parking break were after I made a 'simple' mistake were " How much is that going to cost us" aahhhh music to my DIY ears...NOT...

I had to replace the gasket on our 986...it's easy but messy...be prepaired for at least 1/2 qrt more of oil to come cascading out when you crack the gasket and the pan comes down. It's a large area and my drip pan is large but not that big. I got a large thick yard leaf bag and then got some cheap 1X2 ferring strip (or old 2x4) and made a square 'catch' basin to hold the extra oil. When I was done I had the oil in the bottom of the bag and then cut the center out and discarded it properly. I let mine sit ovenight in the garage as the seat on the sump cover and the seat on the bottom of the engine MUST MUST be clean...I wiped it down with rubbing alcohol and then bought 4 M6 bolts at Home depot and cut the heads off with my dremel and used them as guide pins when I put the pan back on. Loren is correct once applied you only have 5 min to get the pan on evenly...the guide bolts help allot. Evenly press the pan and hand tighten the bolts on with a drop of blue loctite. When they are all on use as Loren suggests a small accurate torque wrench. GO SLOW and tighten them like you would a wheel (alternating pattern) I let mine sit for about 2 hours before I refilled it and checked for leaks.

Patience and CLEAN and it's easy...a bit messy but easy.

Good luck

m2

[logray]

I wonder if there is enough metal there to just helicoil / timesert it? A much cheaper alternative.

I can't remember if there is a tightening order or not for the copious amounts of hardware on those plates or if it just crosses like the previous poster suggested. Edit: nothing in the work shop manual so probably no order other than crossing..

Edited May 3, 2011 by logray

[JFP in PA]

+1 on Loren and McMike27's comments; I would only add that you should use an inch pound torque wrench on the sump cover bolts, much more accurate at low torque levels..............

[scherb]

thanks Loren, Mike and others for the notes, recommendations.

I will keep you posted.