Need advice -- oil galley plug, What to seal with? Options

[BillC]

I think I found the oil leak on the bottom of my engine. When they rebuilt it, they installed screw-in oil galley plugs. This one, on the front of the engine, appears to be the leak -- it was a little loose and there was oil all over the back of the motor mount bracket.


The plug is 22mm with 1.5mm thread, straight thread (no taper), and is fairly short. It looks like they might have used a very small amount of gasket shellac to seal it originally. They did stake the plug, and it didn't rotate, but it unscrewed very easily and turned-in just a little past the stake when I tried putting it back in.

What should I use to seal this plug? I'm guessing pipe dope isn't the right stuff, since the plug isn't tapered. More gasket shellac? Red loctite? Something else?

Thanks!

[bkrantz]

That's the same plug I fought last year. See my rebuild thread (starting at #6618).
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...193&st=6600

One lesson: the threads on the plug and case have to be clean. I mean really, REALY, ABSOLUTELY clean.

[BillC]

That's the same plug I fought last year. See my rebuild thread (starting at #6618).
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...193&st=6600

One lesson: the threads on the plug and case have to be clean. I mean really, REALY, ABSOLUTELY clean.

@bkrantz Thank you for the link, Bob. Is your brass plug still holding?

I followed a link in your thread and ordered an aluminum plug from Racetronix. I'll try cutting the cap off and see if there's enough hex hole left to install the plug (new Plan A) -- based on the drawing on their site, it looks like it will work. Otherwise, I'll try the (now) Plan B and see if I can turn down and rethread an aluminum pipe plug. Plan C will be a brass plug, if needed.

[bkrantz]

That's the same plug I fought last year. See my rebuild thread (starting at #6618).
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...193&st=6600

One lesson: the threads on the plug and case have to be clean. I mean really, REALY, ABSOLUTELY clean.

@bkrantz Thank you for the link, Bob. Is your brass plug still holding?

I followed a link in your thread and ordered an aluminum plug from Racetronix. I'll try cutting the cap off and see if there's enough hex hole left to install the plug (new Plan A) -- based on the drawing on their site, it looks like it will work. Otherwise, I'll try the (now) Plan B and see if I can turn down and rethread an aluminum pipe plug. Plan C will be a brass plug, if needed.

Holding so far. I don't want to jinx myself, but yes.