Subject: [Shop-talk] Drilling a hole in aluminum oil pan

From: Miq Millman <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2020 08:56:39 -0700

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Here's what I want to do:

Drill a 23/32' hole in the side of the oil pan for the (1/2 NPT-AN10 steel
braided line that allows the oil from the turbo back into the block.  I
have the NPT tap ready.

Here are the complications:

1) pan is bolted and sealed to the block -- I would rather not remove it
2) oil pan is aluminum not steel
3) there is already a threaded hole for 3/8 NPT
4) engine is newly built long block, with most of the ancillaries still to
be attached, on an engine stand.
5) there is an additional hole on the opposite side of the pan for an oil
temp sensor

Here is what I am thinking:

1) coat the drill bit in some red grease to collect aluminum shavings
2) seal off water and vacuum passages with tape
3) set air compressor to something very low, like 20 psi, and thread into
the oil sensor hole (1/8 NPT)
4) fabricobble up a reduced hose to the shop vac line and point that at the
drilling point
5) drill in short bursts, possibly cleaning the bit and grease each time,
and reapplying grease
6) after I tap the hole (also a challenge due to the length of the tap and
the baffle inside the pan) dump 5-6 quarts of the cheapest 10 w oil at the
FLAPS and kind of "slosh" it around by slightly rotating the engine on the
stand, drain and repeat again
7) check second pot of drained oil for metal shavings, if found try gas or
diesel followed by 3rd round of cheap oil flush

Open to options and opinions.  Including telling me not to be an idiot with
my $8000 engine and just pull the pan.

--
__
Miq Millman   [email-masked]
Tualatin, OR  Big Llama Productions

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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Here&#39;s what I want to do:</div><div><br></div><di=
v>Drill a 23/32&#39; hole in the side of the oil pan for the (1/2 NPT-AN10 =
steel braided line that allows the oil from the turbo back into the block.=
=C2=A0 I have the NPT tap ready.</div><div><br></div><div>Here are the comp=
lications:</div><div><br></div><div>1) pan is bolted and sealed to the bloc=
k -- I would rather not remove it</div><div>2) oil pan is aluminum not stee=
l</div><div>3) there is already a threaded hole for 3/8 NPT</div><div>4) en=
gine is newly built long block, with most of the ancillaries still to be at=
tached, on an engine stand.</div><div>5) there is an additional hole on the=
 opposite side of the pan for an oil temp sensor</div><div><br></div><div>H=
ere is what I am thinking:</div><div><br></div><div>1) coat the drill bit i=
n some red grease to collect aluminum shavings</div><div>2) seal off water =
and vacuum=C2=A0passages with tape</div><div>3) set air compressor to somet=
hing very low, like 20 psi, and thread into the oil sensor hole (1/8 NPT)</=
div><div>4) fabricobble up a reduced hose to the shop vac line and point th=
at at the drilling point</div><div>5) drill in short bursts, possibly clean=
ing the bit and grease each time, and reapplying grease</div><div>6) after =
I tap the hole (also a challenge due to the length of the tap and the baffl=
e inside the pan) dump 5-6 quarts of the cheapest 10 w oil at the FLAPS and=
 kind of &quot;slosh&quot; it around by slightly rotating the engine on the=
 stand, drain and repeat again</div><div>7) check second pot of drained oil=
 for metal shavings, if found try gas or diesel followed by 3rd round of ch=
eap oil flush</div><div><br></div><div>Open to options and opinions.=C2=A0 =
Including telling me not to be an idiot with my $8000 engine and just pull =
the pan.</div><div><br></div><div><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature=
" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature">--<br>__<br>Miq Millman=C2=A0=C2=A0 <a=
 href=3D"mailto:[email-masked]" target=3D"_blank">[email-masked]</a><br=
>Tualatin, OR=C2=A0 Big Llama Productions<br></div></div></div>

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_______________________________________________

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Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk http://autox.team.net/archive

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From: Mark Miller <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2020 16:08:48 -0700

Personally I try to avoid any possibility of having to call myself an 
idiot after I do something that in retrospect seems questionable 
enough.  But you do you.

That said: do you actually need a 1/2" return line for the oil? Will 
running the line into the existing 3/8" port via a reducer still give 
you sufficient flow? That would be way simpler.

Regards,

Mark Miller   707-490-5834
[email-masked]

> On 2020-10-03 11:56 a.m., Miq Millman wrote:
>> Drill a 23/32' hole in the side of the oil pan for the (1/2 NPT-AN10
>> steel braided line that allows the oil from the turbo back into the
>> block.? I have the NPT tap ready.
>>
>> 4) engine is newly built long block, with most of the ancillaries still
>> to be attached, on an engine stand.
>> 5) there is an additional hole on the opposite side of the pan for an
>> oil temp sensor
>>
>> 2) seal off water and vacuum?passages with tape
>> 3) set air compressor to something very low, like 20 psi, and thread
>> into the oil sensor hole (1/8 NPT)
>> 4) fabricobble up a reduced hose to the shop vac line and point that at
>> the drilling point
>> 5) drill in short bursts, possibly cleaning the bit and grease each
>> time, and reapplying grease
>> 6) after I tap the hole (also a challenge due to the length of the tap
>> and the baffle inside the pan) dump 5-6 quarts of the cheapest 10 w oil
>> at the FLAPS and kind of "slosh" it around by slightly rotating the
>> engine on the stand, drain and repeat again
>> 7) check second pot of drained oil for metal shavings, if found try gas
>> or diesel followed by 3rd round of cheap oil flush
>>
>> Open to options and opinions.? Including telling me not to be an idiot
>> with my $8000 engine and just pull the pan.
>>
>> --
>> __
>> Miq Millman?? [email-masked] <mailto:[email-masked]>
>> Tualatin, OR? Big Llama Productions
>>
>>

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From: Mark Miller <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2020 17:16:14 -0700

I just read what I wrote over again when it posted and want to apologize 
to the OP as my self deprecation came back to me as sounding insulting.  
Not my intention at all and I'm sorry.

Regards,

Mark Miller   707-490-5834

> From: Mark Miller <[email-masked]>
> To: [email-masked]
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Drilling a hole in aluminum oil pan
> Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> enough.? But you do you.
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