Oil Drain Plug Leaking??

Holy shit!

Once again I'll thank the good lord I don't live a the rust belt.

 

Oil pan is two pieces.

Upper pan is aluminum, Lower pan is steel.

 

^Unfortunately the 4-cyl pan drapes over the front diff, not like the small V6 lower pan.

 

Good luck on your repair. You may fall into a pattern that adds things to your project though since you will be creating access to other issues.

I'm late to this thread but as I read the discussion of plug threads, I kept thinking that the threads do not accomplish the seal, it's the interface between plug flange and pan nipple. With a good gasket and ability to torque the plug to spec you should not leak.

 

on my Gen1 taco 4 cyl the oil pan rotted out and we used JBWeld and some metal and JBWeld on after that to patch it up

my dad tractor oil pan is still holding after 10 year with same JBWeld fix

 

Not sure there's many shops that would be willing to take over halfway thru a job like that but who knows..

 

One important thing about torque specs is that they are usually given assuming the mating faces of the threads are dry and clean (sometimes called a "dry" torque spec). As soon as there is some other medium between the threads (e.g., oil, debris, Loctite) the coefficient of friction between the mating faces of the threads changes. As a result, the same torque applied to the fastener (drain plug in this case) will generate significantly different amounts of clamping force (and shear stress in the threads).

The numbers given here are rough, but enough to demonstrate the point: A 30 ft-lb torque applied to dry threads at a steel-steel interface for threads this size might develop a ~3600 lb axial load. Whereas 30 ft-lb applied to lubricated threads may exceed a 5000 lb axial load. Even then, I believe the actual spec for the 2.7 is 28 ft-lb, which I might adjust to ~20 ft-lb due to the inevitability of getting oil in the threads.

For an M12 x 1.25 fastener (which IIRC is the thread size of both V6 and I4 engines in our trucks), a 20 ft-lb torque would likely generate, as just a back of the envelope calculation, a ~3400 lb axial load (whereas a clean/dry interface would produce a ~2500 lb axial load), which very likely represents a huge margin over what is actually needed to keep the plug retained and prevent leaks.

 

There's an upper pan which is more like a block girdle to provide strength, and a steel lower pan. At least @blm won't have to dick around with the timing chain cover or transmission bellhousing bolts like he otherwise would with a one-piece pan...

 

See @ClassyTacos' video. Front diff removal is the same between 2nd & 3rd gen, 4-cyl & V6. Only exception is you probably won't have the front diff temp sensor, so one fewer plug to disconnect:

https://youtu.be/TnRm7S-ha1k?t=152

I've attached the FSM section for removing and installing the oil pan. Consumables you'll probably need:

Oil pan sealant: Toyota 08826-00080 or Permatex The Right Stuff 90-minute sealant
Axle nut cotter pin: 95381-04050 x2
Front diff seals for CV axle: National P/N 710596 (LH), National P/N 710595 (RH)

 

Looks like those instructions are general teardown of the engine....
Not showing what it entails to perform the repairs in-frame, if possible...

 

^You remove the diff, then you have wide open access to the lower pan.

 

never seen one or looked under one, can you just lower the diff & snake the pan out, or does it truly need to be removed completely?
Doing it for a living for fords, ALWAYS trying to make life easier & find short cuts when appropriate,
Alot of times on fords we just lower the diff, leave the cv shafts attached,
Giving us just enough room to cheat it out.

Sometimes workshop manual states to remove subframe on certain shops, we unbolt from the body but stays in the car still attached to either sway bar links or tie rods, but hanging down low enough to do what needs to be done....

 

^This FSM figure shows the shape of the pan more accurately than the parts catalog:



Because of the oil pickup tube, you have to drop the pan a fair bit before you can move it sideways. The front diff housing's pinion portion sits to the left of the pan, *on top* of the rear crossmember, so you can't lower that by much either.

I included the FSM section basically to show page EM-186, which gives the tightening sequence of the pan bolts, as well as the working time of Toyota FIPG sealer.

 

Well I'm no expert on the subject but i have been looking up threads and watching videos for pulling CV axles, dropping diff,etc.
I read where one claimed to just lower the diff a little but not pulling the axles. Claimed it was possible to remove the pan with the axles still connected by unbolting the pickup tube.
To be honest my 2013 has 98K miles on it. I am considering replacing the CV axles and the hub/bearing assemblies at this time. Also new rotors and front brake pads.

 

^Keep in mind the pan has to be installed with a bead of FIPG sealant. If you use the Toyota sealant specified in the manual, you'll have only 3 minutes to install the pan and tighten the 20+ fasteners. You need open access to do this. Otherwise you'd most likely smear the sealant and have to re-do.

 

Well I discovered Felpro makes a gasket for the Tacoma 2.7 oil pan.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/fel-pro/fel-pro-oil-pan-gasket/fel0/os30784

 

^Mahle and Dana (Victor Reinz) also make gaskets for the 2.7 oil pan:https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,2013,tacoma,2.7l+l4,3015099,engine,oil+pan+gasket,5436

However, since the pan flanges were designed for FIPG, it will probably leak with an aftermarket gasket. The fact the Fel-Pro gasket still includes three tubes of sealant should be telling.

Whichever way you choose, good luck! I'm not spending more time on this.

 

I’m sure the above will work.

If by chance it doesn’t, you could use permatex “the right stuff”. The one thing I don’t like about it is the claimed cure time is much more than it says.

 

On second thought maybe the Felpro gasket isn't the best solution. Think I'll go the sealer route.