steel or aluminum plug for aluminum bung?
 

this is probably a dumb question....



i'm going to have a bung welded into my oil pan for my oil return. (might as well while the motor is out! :bowrofl::bowrofl:) i wont actually be using it for a while, so i'm going to put a plug in it. should i use an aluminum plug, or steel?

how do i seal it up? anti-sieze? teflon paste?

It shouldnt matter

its not going to seize with all the oil seeping into the threads all the time

:laugh: is it going to drip oil?

Not with the proper thread and torque applied. NPT FTW.

not if you weld in quality aircraft fittings and send me nudes of your girlfriend.

pm sent....









not really

I would keep it all the same material. Same expansion/contraction rates when temps change.

Aluminum,So that it expands and contracts with the pan plus it wont Gall the threads like steel might.Use teflon tape and It will seal and facilitate removal when the time comes.
(G)

thanks, thats what i'll do....

Definitely aluminum. I had a -10AN aluminum bung welded onto my pan, and it's the awesomer.

Brass. Make sure you overtorque it also.

stupidest god damn thread ever why dont you be a real man and run that shit wide open.

Some times your responses lead me to believe you are posting in the wrong thread.

WTF are you talking about?

run it with just a hole in the pan is what i said J

seriously?

is that a serious suggestion?

I really like Greg's answer...but in all honesty it doesn't matter much. Steel will be easier to find.

You'll notice every fastener connected to our aluminum heads is steel, but this is why using proper torque is so important.

In your case, I'm assuming 3/8" NPT, your going to want to stay within 95-135in-lbs. (that's INCH-lbs, not ft-lbs). If you don't have a hex bit to put on your 1/4" drive torque wrench, use an allen key and a fish scale (seriously). Measure the allen wrench's long side in inches, and divide the above torque numbers by the largest whole number. Then apply that many pounds of pressure on the fish scale, with it's hook attached at the point where that whole number of inches fell.

I like your method of measuring torque,In instances such as this I quesstimate,though i do have the odd occurance of over tightening.On A motor I use the right torque wrench.
(G)

Yeah, I'd quesstimate too on a plug, just mentioned it for other more critical situations, and since I can't think of what combo of sockets and adapters I'd use for that size hex key (1/2?) that would mate up to my in-lb torque wrench.

Just put it in, put a regular ~4" allen on it, and act like you're curling a 25lb weight at the gym, something all of us besides hustler can relate to.