On Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:29:11 -0000, "James Wilkinson Sword"
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:26:16 -0000, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:

jim wrote:
vw sump plug slow drippy leak....

I believe these vw plugs seal on the thread rather than the
"crushable/copper washer against the sump body" style....

This one drips even with a new sump plug.

Much goggling warns of stripping threads in sump body through
overtightening and dropped/damaged sump plugs wearing the
threads of the sump and causing the leaks...

Which is why I don't do as Mr Pounder suggests and change the oil myself.

I was asked to advise a lad who was considering doing his own car
servicing about the tools he would need and I put 'torque wrench'
right up there. The point is, if you are 'new' to that game you may
have no idea what 20 ft/lb feels like and therefore there is a good
chance you could damage something.

But just like any subject there are 'tools for the job' and the saying
'you can manage what you can measure is no less true for tightening a
sump nut (especially where they are known to be 'fragile') or testing
a battery or broadband speed.

Now, *when* you know what you are doing you can sometimes get away
using less than optimal tools (especially needs-must etc) and I have
often tested my Leatherman PST II Multitool to what I thought would be
beyond it's limits (including where I should have used a spanner).

Now, if you don't have any patience or are 'cack handed' then it may
be best to bend over and leave it to the professionals. ;-)

Re the sump plug ... depending on the age, value and general condition
of the vehicle and the lack of any 'better' solutions and based on the
idea the thread is stripping in the sump itself ... I might get a new
sump plug (nice fresh thread) and drill and tap the middle as large as
possible (on my lathe g) to take a bolt and copper washer and then
bond the plug back into the chemically cleaned sump hole using
something like 'Liquid metal' epoxy.

You could first drain the sump with the drain hole at the lowest point
then jack the car to raise the hole and leave it a while before
cleaning the sump threads out with some acetone on a cotton rag.

Cheers, T i m