Metal Shavings from Oversized Drain Bolt?

[Horatio]

Hi there, I installed a +1 oversized oil pan drain bolt over the weekend but it occurred to me that it might have put some metal shavings into the crankcase so I thought I’d ask around a bit for opinions on whether I should pull the plug out again and pour a little oil through the fill tube to try and flush anything that might have got in there or if that’s just a waste of time and oil? There should be a screen on the oil pickup and an oil filter in place. I tend to think once one of those oversized bolts is in place, it’s best to leave it alone.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Greg

Topic

[Mike]

Trying to flush metal shavings, which may or may not exist, out of the pan is going to be a hit-and-miss proposition. Suppose you do this and nothing comes out. Does that mean there aren’t any shavings in the pan? No.

The absolute best fix would be to remove the pan and clean it out. A lot of effort for a problem which may not be there. However, provided your oil pan is steel and not aluminum, clipping a magnet onto the drain plug head should cause any ferrous floaters to eventually cling to the drain plug and you can remove them the next time you change the oil.

[Author]

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