Hi guys,<br />
<br />
I've been scratching my head over something that has happened today, I started an oil change on my brothers mk2 1.2 8v pinto active and I tightened the sump after draining the oil.<br />
<br />
I used an Allen bit and tightened the sump plug by hand to ensure I didn't cross thread it, for some reason the sump plug continued and as now gone through the sump (along with the Allen bit I tightened it with!)<br />
<br />
I have a new sump plug coming tomorrow but honestly I have no idea how this happened, I know the depth of the sump probably means I can leave the old plug and Allen bit in there (although I have my reservations) has this ever happened to anyone else? What do I do?

kristian94 said:

Hi guys,<br />
<br />
I've been scratching my head over something that has happened today, I started an oil change on my brothers mk2 1.2 8v pinto active and I tightened the sump after draining the oil.<br />
<br />
I used an Allen bit and tightened the sump plug by hand to ensure I didn't cross thread it, for some reason the sump plug continued and as now gone through the sump (along with the Allen bit I tightened it with!)<br />
<br />
I have a new sump plug coming tomorrow but honestly I have no idea how this happened, I know the depth of the sump probably means I can leave the old plug and Allen bit in there (although I have my reservations) has this ever happened to anyone else? What do I do?

Click to expand...

Gotta take sump off to retrieve it

You do not want it getting wacked by crabk and throwing a hole in the sump

U dont want it been sucked up into the strainer and blocking oil pickup...

U need to get it out...

Ziggy

I'm afraid someone would say that, the guy at a motor factors said that it would be fine, I strongly thought otherwise but what do I know.

I started attempting to remove the sump and access is an absolute pain in the a***, I did think of purchasing a magnet but I somehow think it will be ineffective in removing a sump plug via the hole it fits in :woot:

Any guides going through with this? Will I just need some gasket maker to get the sump back on?

you sure your sump isnt rusted through?

Positive, can see the threads and there doesn't appear to be any corrosion around the drain hole.

Funny thing is... the sumo plug is tapered... so that u can tighten it up and create a seal...

So either the torque wrench wasnt setup and it just worked through

The taper has worn off?

U may get lucky and get it over the hole and work it out... but tbh... id just get sump off

U can get sump properly cleaned out
Or fit a new one if its atall rusty...

As age does kill the sumps on these... rust and road blast create pin holes

Ziggy

The sump plug is a tapered thread, so no gasket or washer is needed on the plug. They get tight as they are screwed in, and that seals. The usual problem is they are screwed in too tight, and won't come out again, having jammed in.
For it to go right through suggests one of two possibilities.
1. Wrong plug, with parallel sides, so doesn't go tight. A new plug will fix this, but MUST get the old one out. If it gets picked upand hit by the crankshaft, it will come out, by making a hole in the sump or crankcase, plus doing damage inside.
2. Been put in too tight many times and has worn the threaded boss in the sump bigger until it allows the plug to go through. A new plug will not fix this, will need a new sump. They are available on Ebay and other places at reasonable cost.

Either way, sump must come off. Once all the little bolts are undone, and the exhaust moved out of the way, you'll find it stuck very tightly. Now you need to go around the gasket face with a blade to release the sealant.
When the sump drops, be careful not to bend the oil pickup inside, its been done, and no oil picked up destroys an engine.

Currently it is inconvenient. A new sump and new plug will do the job properly, and avoid the usual issue of it rusting through.
To seal the new sump, requires a silicone sealant, so both faces must be clean and oil-free. Hard work under the car, but persevere.

Ziggy and I typing at same time!

Cheers guys, the funny thing is I was tightening it by hand, I didn't even get round to torquing it up as there was no resistance at all, then it fell in...

I'll get on to it tomorrow

i reckon the thread bit in the sump pan gave way thats why it fell in
anyway
these sumps can be really tough to remove
i strongly recommend you get a Sump/Joint Separator 5026 Laser tool
drop down the exhaust
and be careful as mentioned that you dont clout the plastic oil pick up these are quite brittle and if they get a hairline crack in them you will rebuild everything back up but fail to get any oil pressure ,
sumps are cherap on the bay now
buy a quality sealant not the cheapest
i really suggest you leave sealant to go off overnight before filling with oil and driving as ive bought quite a few puntos over the years with new sumps recently fitted but loosing oil, i reckon its down to garages getting cars in and obviously getting them out again soonest as sumps rot through on these cars just above the max oil level

pic?

This is interesting! In all my time I've never come across this, plenty of stripped threads, cross threads, but not this, was it hard to remove? I just can't believe it went in that easily. (As the Bishop said to the actress)

I wonder if this sump has been replaced already and as we know some aftermarket come with hex head screws and some with plugs and somewhere along the line a square peg got put in a round hole ?

Hi. Just wondering if it's the thread on the sump that's stripped,perhaps having been cross threaded in the past. You say that it was easy to tighten up which may indicate there was not much thread left on the sump. I fully agree with Portland Bill on this issue.

Evening all, I actually managed to retrieve the plug (and the hex bit I used) by using a neodymium magnet on a cable, was just a case of positioning it over the drain hole and carefully removing it with a magnetised Allen bit, I was so happy when it caught the threads!

I had ordered a replacement sump plug and after comparing the two I noticed that the plug that fell in was not tapered and had a much smaller thread depth, new plug in now and car is all sorted, relieved I don't have to remove that sump!

kristian94 said:

Hi guys,<br />
<br />
I've been scratching my head over something that has happened today, I started an oil change on my brothers mk2 1.2 8v pinto active and I tightened the sump after draining the oil.<br />
<br />
I used an Allen bit and tightened the sump plug by hand to ensure I didn't cross thread it, for some reason the sump plug continued and as now gone through the sump (along with the Allen bit I tightened it with!)<br />
<br />
I have a new sump plug coming tomorrow but honestly I have no idea how this happened, I know the depth of the sump probably means I can leave the old plug and Allen bit in there (although I have my reservations) has this ever happened to anyone else? What do I do?

Click to expand...

Hi I have seen this before when I worked in a garage. we had the punto towed to us with sump plug screwed right in and lose inside the sump.
I fiddle for a while with no joy and then thought why bother fiddling if it has gone through the sump then the thread in the sump which supposed to tighten to seal and prevent the plug going in to far is shot. New sump was about £30 take front exhaust part off and easy job bit messy but cleaning the bottom of the block refitting new sump and refilling only took
a couple of hours. I wouldn't leave a loose sump plug in the there just asking for major trouble.

jumpin said:

Hi I have seen this before when I worked in a garage. we had the punto towed to us with sump plug screwed right in and lose inside the sump.
I fiddle for a while with no joy and then thought why bother fiddling if it has gone through the sump then the thread in the sump which supposed to tighten to seal and prevent the plug going in to far is shot. New sump was about £30 take front exhaust part off and easy job bit messy but cleaning the bottom of the block refitting new sump and refilling only took
a couple of hours. I wouldn't leave a loose sump plug in the there just asking for major trouble.

Click to expand...

Did actually get this sorted as above, unfortunately the car us my brothers and I was over at my families house for a couple of days to see everybody, I couldn't wait around for a new sump as I had to be back over at mine the following day.

Fortunately the sump is fine, although I did paint it while I was under there to stop it from eaten alive by salt, grit etc

Looks like the previous owner bought a replacement non OEM plug that was not tapered, so replaced it and all was good!

A good result, and a crisis averted. Well done.

Good result:worship:
Don't get cocky and start leaving keys and cards near ventilation holes on the dash