Could I get some suggestions on two stripped oil pan bolts? I pulled and fastidiously cleaned the mating surfaces of the oil pan and windage tray on my B2200. I then reassembled both using Permatex Ultra Black RTV. All is well except two of the mounting bolts on opposite ends of the oil pan are stripped. One appeared to be already that way and one I caused my cross threading (I know, it was 11:00PM at night, I wanted the job done, and should have slept on it!).

I know that I could (and probably should) pull the pan again and either retap those bolts or do a helicoil repair. I don't want to pull the pan again because that job sucks.

Questions: First, if you are of the "do it the right way, do it once" mindset, you are correct and I agree - I may even go down that road. However, my question is about your collective opinion on the relative merits of other options?

Option 1: Ignore and just see if it leaks. The two stripped bolts are about as far away from each other as possible and that pan is stuck on there like crazy. Maybe I just wait and see what happens?
Option 2: Both bolts actually pass through the pan, windage tray, and edge of the engine with the tips exposed (under a bit of dry RTV). I could pull them and put in a small bolt and nut that passes fully through and maintains the compression in that area.
Option 3: Retap to slightly larger size in place. This is definitely doable for one of them. For the second - the one that I stripped in my ill-advised late night wrenching - it requires that the ratchet be at a slight angle, so this is almost certainly a bad idea there.
Option 4: Other solutions you all propose?

Thanks for any and all advice, suggestions!

 

NO




YES !!! I HAVE THIS FIX ON MY OWN B2200 ENGINE OIL PAN, UP FRONT BY THE OIL PUMP. Just get a longer 6.0mm x 1.0mm bolt and 6.0mm x 1.0mm nut/lockwasher.


You could tap to 7.0mm x 1.0mm and use hex head bolts of that thread from Ace Hardware, or 7.0mm x 1.0mm might just thread in without tapping threads. You may want to use a 1/4-inch drive socket, even grinding on narrow if need be. To go to 8.0mm x 1.25mm, you'd need to tap threads.

As to helicoil repair: I don't have their tools so haven't tried them; but I have used solid threaded inserts on other vehicles, and like those; that way you could continue to use 6.0mm x 1.0mm bolts. If you do use 7.0mm x 1.0mm bolts or 8.0mm x 1.25mm bolts, I'd paint the bolt heads and use a paint pen to remind yourself where the larger bolts go.

A 1/4-inch drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight is great for the oil pan and valve covers; oil pan gets gray RTV and NO oil pan gasket!!!

 

Leave it alone and keep an eye on it for leaks. I am most definitely a "do it right the first time" guy/mindset, but it is not a engine killer situation unless it starts leaking profusely, so I would just monitor it.
If the time comes to fix them, then I would probably tap to the next size.......those are small bolts as it is, and a slip-through bolt would be of a really small diameter......but I doubt it will even come to that.
Are the two stripped holes in the engine block (cast iron) or in the rear seal housing (aluminum) or the front oil pump housing (aluminum)?

 

Thanks Cusser and MeB2000. Appreciate the insights! It’s in the cast iron portions, not the aluminum.