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Old 01-18-2017, 04:58 PM   #1
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Leaking drain pan plug C7

I took the new to me motor home with the C7 into a caterpillar dealer just to have things checked out. They called back and said the oil drain plug was leaking a little bit. They said it was tight and there was not anything they could do without draining the oil and since it was just changed by the dealer I bought the motor home from I did not really want to waste the oil. They were saying the drain plug might be stripped out and it may need a new drain pan probably $1000.00 or more to replace. The pan itself is over $500.00. I have never had a oil pan that needed to be replace because of this. Has anyone else had a problem with a plug that required the pan to be replaced. So far I am going wait and look at it myself. Seems strange to me. I have never seen this plug myself and I do no not know if it has a gasket or a copper washer to seal that might need to be replaced.
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Old 01-18-2017, 05:16 PM   #2
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There are many ways to repair damaged threads for a lot less than the cost of replacing the oil pan. Assuming that the pan is in otherwise good condition (no serious corrosion, previous repairs to the drain hole, etc.) you can probably repair it for a small fraction of the replacement cost.


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Old 01-18-2017, 06:44 PM   #3
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I have the 3126b, and my pan has drain plugs on both sides, see if yours does two and seal that one up, if not clean it real good and seal it till your ready to change your oil again
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Old 01-18-2017, 07:13 PM   #4
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Sounds like they are giving you the worst case senerio. Sence They don't know what's going on, they don't want to open a can of worms, without warning you.

Now you need to decide if you want them to work on it, take it back to the place who serviced it last or tackle it yourself.
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Old 01-19-2017, 03:28 AM   #5
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What everybody is saying is what I was thinking. I know there are methods to repair drain pan plugs but I don't know if a diesel engine is different from a gas engine in this type of repair. I was not going to have them repair it at this. I want to look at it myself and see how bad it is leaking. I was just curious if this was a common problem with this engine. They mentioned that the threads may be stripped out on the pan I don't see how that would happen unless someone did not start it by hand or used air tools to install plug and used too much torque I have changed oil in lots of gas powered vehicles and have never had a problem with stripped threads.
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Old 01-19-2017, 10:16 AM   #6
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Heating man,
No, this is not a "common problem". Drain pan plugs have been around since the dawn of man and, for the most part, are pretty reliable. But, every now and then, one screws up or, the "user err" happens. You've got a fair amount of oil in that CAT, SHOULD BE EXACTLY 19 QUARTS per instructions on multiple CAT references, and, if I were you, I'd do exactly what you're planning on doing, JUST WATCH IT. Unless it's leaking a quart an hour, put some absorption mat or, a pan, or whatever you choose down under it to keep from making a mess.

Now, the C-7 pan, sort of, does have a corrosion problem. I say "sort of" 'cause there's been quite a few reports on here and other RV forums about it, including mine. I bring this up 'cause on super rare occasions, it's been known to happen that some seeping can be observed. But, that's seriously rare. I've changed my own oil in our C-7 so many times I can't remember if there's a copper sealing ring or not, I think not.

Yeah, I'd just keep an eye on it then, when it comes time to change the oil again, then maybe see what, if anything can be done. I'd bet the farm that a simple copper sealing ring would do the trick.
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Old 01-19-2017, 10:37 AM   #7
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Heating man,

With the drain cycle of that engine being what it is, either you - yourself or go to an independent truck garage and do this.

Take teflon tape, pull off 12~15".
Spin it into a yarn.
Under the coach now.
Back the plug out about a turn and an half.
(It may drip a little, but it will not matter.)
Wrap that yarn around the plug and don't worry about the two tails that stick out.
Pull the plug back to seat.

Put a note in your engine log to get this checked out at the next service.

I am a ship's engineer by trade and have used this rig to get by on more than a few occasions.

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Old 01-19-2017, 10:39 AM   #8
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I have a C7 also and do my own oil changes. My plug has an o ring on it and perhaps it just needs to be changed out. It still requires the oil to be drained to do this. I have changed my plug up to an eco drain so I can just drain it with some control.
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Old 01-21-2017, 11:05 AM   #9
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I can't promise it will work on your Cat, but it did on my Navistar. I.E.=

You can remove the oil cap on the valve cover and insert a vacuum cleaner hose in the port. Use some rags or whatever to help seal the port, and turn on the vacuum cleaner. Have someone hold it while you crawl underneath and remove the oil drain plug. Be prepared in case it doesn't work as well as mine, but I lost not a drop of oil with the plug removed and the vacuum running.

If this works, you should have time to either put on a new gasket and/or wrap the threads with the teflon tape.

If it doesn't work, I'll return your check in the mail.
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Old 01-21-2017, 01:23 PM   #10
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I know when I worked at Cat most of the drain plugs used on the engine oil pans where straight thread O-rings plugs. Pipe plugs where marked not for new design in the 1970's which meant you could not use them in new designs.

Now, it is very possible that you have a nicked or cut O-ring and if that is the case than this will leak. The simple fix is you replace the O-ring that is compatible with engine oil. Do not roll the O-ring on to the fitting, that will cut the O-ring also make sure the treads have no burs as this too will cut your O-ring.

If you can live with the drip than replace the O-ring at the next oil change. Have one on hand for your oil change. The Cat dealer should have one on hand and be able to provide the part number of the correct O-ring.
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Old 01-21-2017, 02:06 PM   #11
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I have no idea if this will work on the C7 but I had to repair my sons oil pan drain because he cross threaded it. I used one of these., it worked a treat and hasn't leaked since. Just be patient when cutting the new threads with the new plug. Take a half turn in, then a half turn out, then a full turn in and a full turn out....just keep going until it is seated fully.

You want to back it all of the way out each time because you need to clear burrs and chips as you go.

Also, I am not sure you can get the diameter self threading plug you would need for that oil pan. I found a thread dealing with what size might be required HERE where the OP was trying to determine the size drain plug he needed. Hope this helps some.
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Old 01-21-2017, 04:03 PM   #12
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There are a bunch of suggestions of how a quick or temporary fix could be made.

This MH was at the Cat dealer, with a mechanic working on it. I would think that if they could loosen the plug to make some kind of temporary repair, is roll a new O ring on it, they would have suggested it. Give the Cat mechanics some credit.

My feeling is that when the said the plug was tight and possibly cross threaded, they meant it was so tight that they couldnt even loosen it. They didn't want to make the leak worst while trying, without warning the customer.

Back in my working days, I worked with a lot of Cat " dealer " mechanics and they were all good at what they did.
We're not talking about a Walmart oil change place, here.
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Old 01-21-2017, 07:46 PM   #13
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thanks for all the replies. The cat dealer did not say the pan definitely needed to be replaced they said they would have to remove the plug and drain the oil in order to see what could be done. Replacing the pan was the worst case
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Old 01-21-2017, 07:49 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heating man View Post
thanks for all the replies. The cat dealer did not say the pan definitely needed to be replaced they said they would have to remove the plug and drain the oil in order to see what could be done. Replacing the pan was the worst case
I am wondering why you arn't talking to the people who changed the oil and caused the leak.
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