I've discovered that Ford did something right. I have two vehicles with the 4.6 liter engine. Years ago when I was still working, I let the Ford store do some of the oil changes. I'd do the change once in a while. On one such occasion, I discovered that the Ford tech (what we used to call, "mechanic") had used an impact wrench to reinstall the oil pan drain plug. Not good, it ruined the threads. Fortunately, the female threads in the oil pan were intact, it was the male threads on the drain plug itself that were ruined.
Fast forward to recently. I've been doing the oil changes on my two vehicles with 4.6's now for years. My other car with this engine, when I changed recently, I noticed that the drain plug wouldn't tighten. Right away, I knew what the problem was. And I was right, over the years the threads had given out.
The point: I believe on this engine, they specified softer steel in the drain plug than the oil pan intentionally. I made a point of buying replacement drain plugs from the Ford store; they are a funny colored steel.
I had a 1966 Ford Fairlane sedan that I drove for 34 years. That one had buggered threads in the oil pan itself. I went through a #1 oversize plug, then a #2 oversize plug, then a #3 oversize plug, then a rubber expanding plug that later fell out in the desert, that's another fun story by itself. Finally, I replaced the oil pan with a new one. So I like drain plugs that self destruct and leave the oil pan intact.
Fast forward to recently. I've been doing the oil changes on my two vehicles with 4.6's now for years. My other car with this engine, when I changed recently, I noticed that the drain plug wouldn't tighten. Right away, I knew what the problem was. And I was right, over the years the threads had given out.
The point: I believe on this engine, they specified softer steel in the drain plug than the oil pan intentionally. I made a point of buying replacement drain plugs from the Ford store; they are a funny colored steel.
I had a 1966 Ford Fairlane sedan that I drove for 34 years. That one had buggered threads in the oil pan itself. I went through a #1 oversize plug, then a #2 oversize plug, then a #3 oversize plug, then a rubber expanding plug that later fell out in the desert, that's another fun story by itself. Finally, I replaced the oil pan with a new one. So I like drain plugs that self destruct and leave the oil pan intact.
