OEM "Skid Plate"

ok, you guys with the second gen 2.7s answer me something. why in the hell is the oil filter pointed straight down ontop of the "skid plate"? stupid...

anyway, i'm not sure if i'm the only one that does this but when i change my oil i remove the skid plate that is directly under the front diff and the oil filter. just so that way when oil comes running down, it doesnt just sit on top of that skid and run all over later on. yesterday i was changing my oil. went to remove the 2 front bolts (the ones that are set up in) and of course with my luck they snapped off. so i continue with my oil change and wait until i'm finished to try and fix the problem. i tried using my screw extractor and that failed. so i started grabbing drill bits. luckily those factory bolts are soft metal. drilled right up through them in no time. one side worked fine, the other however now has a portion of my drill bit stuck up inside there too. i'm still left with some of the bolt in the threads and can't get a new bolt in on the other side. i hate this....i'm not entirely sure if i need all 4 bolts to hold that skid up there, i see it has the metal tabs that extend over in the front. maybe just that and the 2 bolts in the rear is enough? thoughts, help?


also, i'm sitting at my desk at work and its entirely too early...if something doesnt make sense in what i just typed i blame it on my lack of coffee at 745 am.

 

Considering that my 98 with the 3.4 has exactly the same issue you would think that by 2005 Toyota would have figured out how to put an oil filter on an engine that doesn't leak all over when you change it(see GM 350 or 454). As to your Skid plate issue you will probably have to either find another way to fasten the skid plate where that bolt is broken(will rattle like crazy I imagine) or get a high end drill bit and clean out the hole completely and rethread it.

 

Drill out the snapped bolt and tap the threads. Could try to easy out the bolt just don't snap it off. When that happens the fun begins.

 

yeah i think i may end up having to drill a hair bigger and then re thread it.