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RetiredUSNChief

RetiredUSNChief

Get over it, snowflake.
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I REALLY wanted to post this in Tortuga because I REALLY wanna use some colorful automotive repair language.

But I won't, because I'm sure we all know how our blood boils on this subject.

I hate starting a job on a car when I don't have all the parts I need on hand. I REALLY hate it when I think I have all the parts on hand only to find out in the middle that they're not the right parts at all.

Today's PITA: the oil pan drain plug on my youngest daughter's 2007 Edge.

She sent me a text that her brother couldn't change the oil when it was due "because the drain plug is stripped".

(A teaching moment coming up for my son on this... it's not stripped, the head is just rounded off. Likely meaning it was either over tightened or the wrong size wrench used or both.)

So I look up a replacement and see several on the parts store websites hovering around $5 or so.

Scrolling, I see "M14-1.5" on the first few. ..followed by a few "M12-1.75"

WTF, OVER?!?

And it's like this on several parts sites. And I used the VIN for her car in the searches, not just year/make/model.

Grrrr...

Look up the OEM part on a Ford site...part number "F75Z-6730-BA". No fricking thread info.

Search the OEM part number for thread size and get "M14-1.5" finally.

Now to pick one up at AutoZone so I can fix this next time I get home. And yes, I'll match threads with the old BEFORE installing it.


On a related note, it simply AMAZES me exactly how fricking useless an owners manual is for routine maintenance parts because NOBODY seems to have a straight-up useful and easy-to-find cross reference for OEM part numbers to things like light bulbs and fluids.

Some things are straight forward. But just TRY to find that #@&%^ tiny bulb in the owners manual for the backlight bulb for the gear shift indicator in the 2000 Lexus RX300. And if a bulb you need DOES happen to actually be listed in the manual, just TRY cross referencing that part number with common bulbs at the parts store without FIRST taking panels apart to pull the old one out for comparison.

I long ago generated a Word table for any car I had which I kept in my glove box that properly identifies all the routine maintenance stuff I need. Bulb sizes, fluids, filters, etc. I've expanded it to include all the vehicles our family owns, and it's a God-send in time and aggravation savings.
 
That’s why I like companies like Moog that will let you cross reference the heck out of their parts, and search by pitch, OAL, etc. I had to relocate my steering rack in the race car and ended up using one of their parts finders to find shorter tire rods from a different make/model based on overall length and thread. It was glorious.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
Some things are straight forward. But just TRY to find that #@&%^ tiny bulb in the owners manual for the backlight bulb for the gear shift indicator in the 2000 Lexus RX300. And if a bulb you need DOES happen to actually be listed in the manual, just TRY cross referencing that part number with common bulbs at the parts store without FIRST taking panels apart to pull the old one out for comparison.
Click to expand...
here you go https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-1st-gen-1999-2003/673236-diy-shifter-light.html
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
(A teaching moment coming up for my son on this... it's not stripped, the head is just rounded off. Likely meaning it was either over tightened or the wrong size wrench used or both.)
Click to expand...

I'll let you borrow my channel locks if you want.
 
As promised, the post oil change update.

And as widely predicted, the M14-1.5 thread size that I looked up directly from the Ford OEM part number for her specific VIN... ain't the right size.

M12-1.75 is the correct thread size. At least for this exact 2007 Edge. Who knows what another 2007 Edge would have?

I ended up taking the old plug to NAPA down the block and for less than $3 got exactly what I needed.

Effin' Ford.

Other than that, a simple oil change. The problem was the hex head on the plug was rounded off. It wasn't over tightened at all. Nothing more than not using the correct wrench, probably.
 
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