PhiHalcyon

My brother has an '86 2WD 22R, and today he broke down on the road with a missing oil pan drain plug. We put a new one in, filled 'er up with oil and it was very noisy. Just it off. Waited a few. Tried it again and she purred like new. Thinking it was okay, we took off down the road and it wasn't 100 feet before he was pulling off the road again. Went back to where the truck was, and started it up. A significant amount of knocking and scraping noise. I figure he's looking at a bottom-end to complete rebuild (just six weeks after a $1,000 head gasket/timing chain job!). This is so absurd though. I have never heard of an oil pan drain plug just falling out. All I can think of is that the last time it was removed, it must not have been fully tightened to the proper torque specs, but would it really have taken six weeks to come fully unthreaded on its own?

FingerMan20

Did he have it oil-changed anytime after the timing job? If so, the problem is obvoius. Or, if the techs torqued it too much and stripped it, then it might take 6 weeks to work itself out... Maybe?

The most logical explanation would be that it wasn't tightened enough, and it just backed itself out all that way, and it just spilled it's guts (as logical as that sounds, I guess).

Saint_Berzerker

Geez...what an awful thing to happen. Argh...

This is why I'm so paranoid and always watch my oil pressure and temp gauges. I bet (if you even have one), that the pressure was really low. I blew an engine before for the same reason, except it was leaking out of the oil pump, and ever since, I'm paranoid about it.

AH64ID

I agree gauges will help, but by the time the oil pressure drops your out of oil. I am always watching, and bugging my wife to do the same on her rig. It never hurts to know what normal is.

97Limited

Yeah that is an awfull thing to happen!!

I always have my eyes on all my guages as well!!

yota_krazy

i have never seen a drainplug just work its way out unless someone didnt tighten it. Tey prolly changed the oil when they did the head job and timing chain anyways wouldnt they? i imagine all kinds of ÅÅÅÅ fell down into the oil pan when taking the front of the motor apart.

Nix_Toy

My drain plug fell out of my brand new motorcycle a few years back. I was on a road trip from Phoenix, Az to Long Beach, Ca. Well, my drain plug fell out in San Bernidino, which siezed the engine. The bike only had 500 miles on it!! Well, it was the dealers fault for not tightening the drain plug after it's initital servicing. I got a free ride home and a rental car for 2 months from them!

kyle_22r

generally on these engines the top end really starts clattering before the bottom end starts knocking. toyota knew what they were doing, the top end of the motor will die to save the crank and rods.

however running with no oil pressure is the sure way to kill ANY engine, if that light comes on, shut her down!

bob200587

That sucks somethin awful, hope that you aren't responsible for the repairs.

PhiHalcyon

Well, Bob, I'm not responsible for the repairs in the sense that I'm the one who presumably failed to properly tighten the drain plug (those people don't seem to be inclined to accept that responsibility - and with the difficulty in proving that they were at fault, what can you do?). Nevertheless, since I purchased an '87 2WD 22R with a blown head gasket with the intent of rebuilding it, I have all of sudden become responsible for trying to do the same with my bro's '86. I don't know, yet, if I am to be envied or pitied - but I do know that I'm having a lot fun buying tools!