Ford 5.0 Oil Drain Plug Design Change

[bKennedy]

I have the old style plug and replace the O rings about ever 3rd oil change. I measured one of the rings and ordered a paage of 10 from a company online, they work fine. It looks like the new ones are a different size or I would give you the information to order a package.

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[kz]

From my opinion both the oil pan plug and the plastic pan are junk. With an engine as big as the 5.0 it should have a steel pan period. The plastic pan saves Ford money but in the long run the steel pan gets the nod. Ford realized their mistake and has switched back to the steel pan.

And how did you conclude that ? Is it based on tens of thousands of cars running out there with plastic pan / plug perfectly fine or you have some insights on why is it junk because the dots don't connect here.

 

[T Fades]

It seems pretty common sense that a metal pan and plug is superior to cheap plastic.

It's also ridiculous that the plastic plugs have play when installed.

 

[kz]

It seems pretty common sense that a metal pan and plug is superior to cheap plastic.

It's also ridiculous that the plastic plugs have play when installed.

Pan is composite - it doesn't look like shiny carbon fiber that people use stickers of to "decorate" their interior or GT350 owners brag about having a piece of in the engine bay but it is, it very clearly works fine on a much greater sample of vehicles than we have here.

Is metal better ? Probably given the application. Is plastic one junk ? Pretty idiotic statement to make given field history.

Ford isn't in a business of best, ford is in business of making money on cars and key to that is manufacturing them as cheap as possible - and it was also probably an attempt of weight saving on already overweight car.

 

[CCII]

I have the old style plug and replace the O rings about ever 3rd oil change. I measured one of the rings and ordered a paage of 10 from a company online, they work fine. It looks like the new ones are a different size or I would give you the information to order a package.

I would love to know the details for ordering replacement old o-rings. Seems like a great solution to a new plug every time!

 

[John S]

It seems pretty common sense that a metal pan and plug is superior to cheap plastic.

I can confirm that plastic transmission pans are significantly lower cost than stamped steel pans but they are not "cheap plastic." It's reasonable to assume Ford saved a bundle using plastic engine oil pans but I don't know what led to the switch back to steel on the engine side of the business when the same proposals to switch to stamped steel pans were shot down on the transmission side of the business. It's about time Ford released a double-O-Ring plastic drain plug with a drain slot. It would be nice if the O-Ring material was a flouroelastomer (Viton) but its a static seal so the demands are lower than a dynamic application and I trust Ford chose the appropriate validated polymer for that application. I'm not confident aftermarket drain plugs are any better than OEM after this latest revision.

 

[T Fades]

Pan is composite - it doesn't look like shiny carbon fiber that people use stickers of to "decorate" their interior or GT350 owners brag about having a piece of in the engine bay but it is, it very clearly works fine on a much greater sample of vehicles than we have here.

Is metal better ? Probably given the application. Is plastic one junk ? Pretty idiotic statement to make given field history.

Ford isn't in a business of best, ford is in business of making money on cars and key to that is manufacturing them as cheap as possible - and it was also probably an attempt of weight saving on already overweight car.

Not sure what your point is about a carbon fiber sticker.

As far as saying my comment is idiotic, lol! YOU even state that metal is better. The composite pans are in fact cheaper to produce and more prone to impact damage, hence my 'cheap plastic' comment.

Lets take a look at pros and cons of plastic vs metal:
- Metal is stronger and more resistant to impacts. It is heavier, but I doubt the weight savings would mean anything. There is a reason they moved back to aluminum pans.
- Composite plastic is lighter, cheaper to produce, and resistant to rust. They are however, known to leak and can be damaged from an impact.

If I had the option, I would want the strongest material available, not a cost saving piece of plastic. That goes for the plug too. I would much prefer a proper metal drain bolt with crush washer over the wiggly plastic. And now they don't even color code the orings properly to designate intended use.

 

[John S]

If I had the option, I would want the strongest material available, not a cost saving piece of plastic.

If Ford really cared about building a quality vehicle, they would be using stamped steel pans across the board and the GT500 aluminum pans on the performance Mustang models. Unshielded plastic pans on underbody applications screams cheap penny pinching junk from the manufacturer.

 

[kz]

Not sure what your point is about a carbon fiber sticker.

As far as saying my comment is idiotic, lol! YOU even state that metal is better.

Blah, blah, blah. Go and read what I wrote - comment that plastic pan is junk (which wasn't yours) is idiotic. It's working fine in thousands if not millions (forgot if 2018+ F150 had same pan or not) of vehicles without any issues / recalls / engines being replaced due to oil loss.

 

[kz]

Unshielded plastic pans on underbody applications screams cheap penny pinching junk from the manufacturer.

LOL, it's like people here don't understand how corporate world works.

I work for manufacturer of infinitely more complicated mass transportation-related products that are absolutely safety critical and a lot of what we do is figuring out how to manufacture it in the cheapest possible way.

Ford wants to make a good enough quality for absolute least amount of money and it being just a car, it allows itself to miss here and there (which this particular thing clearly isn't a miss).
They have huge team that their only job is cost reduction opportunities. After product release it's likely larger than design team.

You'll may not like it and think you bought the best thing ever but is the reality of anything you buy that is mass produced.

 

[bKennedy]

I would love to know the details for ordering replacement old o-rings. Seems like a great solution to a new plug every time!

globalindustrial.com is an industrial supplier and O rinsg are one of the products they sell. Go to their web page and do a search on Inventory stock # B2272251. These work perfectly on our drainplug, I have been using these since 2020 and never had a problem. The price I paid in 2020 was $3.40 for a pack of 5, I see now that they are $6 for a pack of 5. This link should take you right to the page for them.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/viton-o-ring-dash-208-pack-of-5?q=b2272251

I would order a couple of packs as I believe there is a shipping charge and if you change them every 3rd oil change 10 O rings should last you a long time.

​ ​ Product Description​ QTY Price Total Viton O-Ring-Dash 208 - Pack of 5​ 1​ $3.40 $3.40 Item #: B2272251​

 

[Strokerswild]

I have a car in my fleet that turns 60 next year. Its engine still wears its original stamped steel oil pan, with zero issues. Beyond that, I fully expect it to outlive me by a substantial margin.

I have my doubts that the plastic pans will have near the same longevity, given the same exposure to the elements, internal engine heat, and oil. I'll probably not be around to see this hypothesis proven either, but I'll bet on metal every time.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

LOL I have the old style and have reused the factory one since new(currently 58,000 miles) and have had 0 leaks. Would never have crossed my mind to buy a new one every time or so. Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess.

 

[Hack]

From my opinion both the oil pan plug and the plastic pan are junk. With an engine as big as the 5.0 it should have a steel pan period. The plastic pan saves Ford money but in the long run the steel pan gets the nod. Ford realized their mistake and has switched back to the steel pan.

They do function fine, but my old fashioned brain doesn't love having a consumable oil pan. I like how the LS engines have a thicker cast aluminum pan. It behaves more as a structural element and I'd say it's better than the stamped steel pan on my 2017, for example.

And Ford did it right on the GT500 with an aluminum pan. It improves the rigidity of the engine block and should help with longevity.

 

[Sig556]

And how did you conclude that ? Is it based on tens of thousands of cars running out there with plastic pan / plug perfectly fine or you have some insights on why is it junk because the dots don't connect here.

KZ how did I conclude that? Ask FORD why they switched back to the steel pan. I will bet even money FORD lost a lot of money due to failure or the plastic crap and customer complaints. A large company DOES NOT change back unless they are losing money.

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