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Leaking Oil Drain Plug

Biggus Dickus

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So I had the oil changed at a local shop - I brought the supplies (10qt PUP and a Motorcraft filter) and looked at the garage floor and see oil.:explode: The is oil dripping from the drain plug.

What do you think happened? Should I buy a new oil plug? What is the possibility they broke the pan?

Thanks.
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1 old racer

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what year and type mustang? is it a pre 2018? if so they may not torqued it enough. or yes they could have over torqued it. Last year my daughter had her oil changed at her local dealership and they over torqued the drain bolt, which caused it to leak. When we took it back they said that it was that way when they got it. Lucky for us that that dealership had done all the oil changes and after I had them check their records they submitted and had to change out the oil pan.
If you have a 2018 or later it could be a damaged o ring on the drain plug itself. Did they replace the plug when they changed the oil. If not they should have. I would go back and have them look at it in any case.
 

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what year and type mustang?
Based on him saying he brought 10 quarts of oil, makes me think it's a Gen 3 18+.

The new plastic pans and plug are tricky to set correctly, and there's really almost no way to overtorque it and/or cause damage to the pan because it's not a normal bolt. You might break it or the little wings, but that's about it.

Most likely it just needs tightened, or the orings in the plug are bad and just need replacing. You should put in a billet plug anyway as the plastic ones are easy to damage.
 
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Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus

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what year and type mustang? is it a pre 2018? if so they may not torqued it enough. or yes they could have over torqued it. Last year my daughter had her oil changed at her local dealership and they over torqued the drain bolt, which caused it to leak. When we took it back they said that it was that way when they got it. Lucky for us that that dealership had done all the oil changes and after I had them check their records they submitted and had to change out the oil pan.
If you have a 2018 or later it could be a damaged o ring on the drain plug itself. Did they replace the plug when they changed the oil. If not they should have. I would go back and have them look at it in any case.
2019, no

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Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus

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Based on him saying he brought 10 quarts of oil, makes me think it's a Gen 3 18+.

The new plastic pans and plug are tricky to set correctly, and there's really almost no way to overtorque it and/or cause damage to the pan because it's not a normal bolt. You might break it or the little wings, but that's about it.

Most likely it just needs tightened, or the orings in the plug are bad and just need replacing. You should put in a billet plug anyway as the plastic ones are easy to damage.
yes-2019

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Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus

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If you have a 2018 or later it could be a damaged o ring on the drain plug itself. Did they replace the plug when they changed the oil.

Do you know what the part # is for the plug? I'm having the damnedest time finding it.
 
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Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus

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How much has it leaked?
It's hard to say - there was only a small spot on the garage floor (4 x 4 inches) , but the car was parked outside during the day in the street because we had our house painted. I dont know how much it leaked then.
 
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Biggus Dickus

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The best thing to do in those cases is get under the car and investigate. The majority of times it's spilled oil, and not an actual leak, but the only way to tell is to get under there, clean everything all around, and see if it leaks again. Checking oil level should reveal if there's a real leak or not. As far as plugs, I don't trust the metal ones, but I treat the stock one as one-time use. If somebody finds the exact same Butyl O-ring, I'd only replace the O-ring, but so far nobody has posted such finding. So I'm going to replace the entire plug. Last time eBay conned me and sent me an aftermarket 'OEM like' Dorman plug, which has held fine so far, but have a genuine OEM one (with the square hole) waiting for next oil change. Good luck.
 
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Biggus Dickus

Biggus Dickus

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UPDATE: I used Mr. Old Racer's factory plug and so far, so good. Interestingly, the washer on his plug seemed larger than the one on mine, which is the original stock piece. Now I will use new plugs w/ every oil change.
 
 




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