Oil change woes

My grandson, Ian, is home on leave and went to change the oil in the 04 Sebring he bought for his sister. The previous owner is a very good friend of mine and I know the history of the car from the time he purchased the car until a couple of years ago. Since his sister didn't have her license and her mother needed a car she drove it the last couple of years and took it to a Mr Smith's Fast Lube to get the oil changed about 6 months ago. The normal oil pan drain bolt had been replaced by a wing nut POS which required pulling the pan. The threads in the oil pan for the drain plug are stripped almost smooth. This is what was found when Ian finally got the pan off.Attachment 71901Attachment 71902Attachment 71903

timing chain in the pan ????

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Originally Posted by shine

timing chain in the pan ????

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Looks like part of a bicycle chain. The car ran before he attempted to change the oil.

Wow - there are no words for leaving the chain in the pan. Probably fell in and responsible party hoped and prayed that it wouldn't cause a problem. Being heavy, it just sat in the sump until you found it.

I've seen those wing-nut oil pan plugs before and believed them to be an "emergency fix" until such time as the pan can be either repaired or replaced. I once changed oil in a 50-something Chevy that had a hard rubber plug driven in the hole. When I got it out the threads were fine and I as able to use a new stock plug. Previous must have lost the plug and found something that would work.

Go figure... Glad you able to fix it Ken.

Man that sucks. That’s why I won’t let any instant oil Change place touch any of my vehicles. I’ve heard too many of these stories. Even when I lived in an apartment I changed my own oil out in the parking lot.

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Originally Posted by glennsexton

Wow - there are no words for leaving the chain in the pan. Probably fell in and responsible party hoped and prayed that it wouldn't cause a problem. Being heavy, it just sat in the sump until you found it.

I've seen those wing-nut oil pan plugs before and believed them to be an "emergency fix" until such time as the pan can be either repaired or replaced. I once changed oil in a 50-something Chevy that had a hard rubber plug driven in the hole. When I got it out the threads were fine and I as able to use a new stock plug. Previous must have lost the plug and found something that would work.

Go figure... Glad you able to fix it Ken.

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Thanks, Glenn. To say my grandson is pissed is an understatement at best.

I would bet it's from a previous repair in like said earlier, it fell to the bottom of the pan and they just left it. In all reality it's a pretty safe place for parts LOL

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Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

I would bet it's from a previous repair in like said earlier, it fell to the bottom of the pan and they just left it. In all reality it's a pretty safe place for parts LOL

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If so it was between when it was new to around 70,000 miles on the clock as from then on all maintenance was done by the guy we bought it from and in my garage.

Ian finally got everything back together and decided to check the K&N air filter. It seems to have gone missing being replaced by some cheap piece of junk I've never heard of.
If anyone has a Mr. Smith's Fast Lube in their area my advice would be to stay away from them.