Sump plug leak.

mick the builder said:

That's what's I was thinking, been a while since I did plumbing and forgot the names of fittings. So, weld on 3/8 female bsp boss, 3/8- 1/2 male - female ,elbow . Ball valve, 1/2" female end cap?
Did you mig weld it?

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Yes, mig welded.
No, everything is 3/8" BSP no 1/2" anywhere.
All the pics show the correct male/female orientation. So the plug to go in the ball valve would be 3/8 male same as the hose tail which would fit in the Ball valve once that plug is removed.

Flossie said:

Yes, mig welded.
No, everything is 3/8" BSP no 1/2" anywhere.
All the pics show the correct male/female orientation. So the plug to go in the ball valve would be 3/8 male same as the hose tail which would fit in the Ball valve once that plug is removed.

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Lovely, thanks flossie. Had in my mind a compression ball valve with 1/2 "male thread.

Flossie said:

View attachment 203257

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That looks ok until you hit a rock and it gets ripped out, as it looks vulnerable

johnlad said:

That looks ok until you hit a rock and it gets ripped out, as it looks vulnerable

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It's quite well protected to be fair, from memory something heavy duty gets in the way of a direct hit but I forget what.
Too wet outside to crawl underneath and remind myself.
I used to do a lot of off roading, not so much now, and it was modded around 14 yrs ago with no off road mishaps to it although I dented diff guards and fuel tanks

Flossie said:

It's quite well protected to be fair, from memory something heavy duty gets in the way of a direct hit but I forget what.
Too wet outside to crawl underneath and remind myself.
I used to do a lot of off roading, not so much now, and it was modded around 14 yrs ago with no off road mishaps to it although I dented diff guards and fuel tanks

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Also, if it lays to the right, it cant vibrate loose.

You'll need PTFE tape on the threads btw or suitable locking compound.
I used tape with no issues.

Flossie said:

You'll need PTFE tape on the threads btw or suitable locking compound.
I used tape with no issues.

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Of course.

johnlad said:

On my td5 defender I bought a kit from Ebay that contained new plugs of various sizes along with the correct taps and drills to re cut a thread. All worked well and did it in situ.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/252571370222
Something like this.

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Jesus that IS cheap! Might get one for my Disco whose sump plug is so impossible to get off I have to pump the oil out the dipstick tube.
By "Did in situ" do you mean you drilled and tapped it without taking the sump off? You must have been very careful to get all the swarf etc out. not sure I'd dare, although getting the sump off would be a total pain. (The Pluriel was a barsteward too with bolts hidden inside the flywheel casing, engine side)

"I replaced the sump plug with a drain plug, basically a valve that you thread a pipe onto to drain the oil, this opens the valve and lets the oil drain out through the pipe into a container. No more gushes of oil down the arm."

Femco Drainplug (alternatively known as the Difflock Drainplug as they were marketing them heavily at the time).
I first came across them when my (then) new 300TDi went in for the initial 500-mile service at the main dealer, they managed to strip the drainplug as soon as they touched it. I also knew someone who had a similar problem with his new 300TDi Disco and although I knew that this dealer would never be touching my vehicle again I decided that if the drainplug was a weak point I would do something about it.
I took over the servicing when my warranty expired and the first thing I did was to fit a Drainplug, it has been there ever since and I thoroughly recommend it (oil & filter changes every 6-months since new). Apart from risking the thread on the sump another bonus is that it prevents splashes of oil on the driveway at servicing time as the oil drains through the hose directly into the pan.
Also had one on my wife's TD4 Freelander (removed & sold separately when she got rid of the vehicle hence the used one in the photos below).

I use a Difflock drain plug as well, the hose is far and away the most pleasing part of it, drain direct into old oil cans.
The other option would be to use a "Dowty Washer", I'll try and find a link.

I would be very worried about any valve or pipe fitting etc hanging below the sump in case it hit anything and got snapped off resulting in a very rapid loss of oil and engine failure.

johnlad said:

On my td5 defender I bought a kit from Ebay that contained new plugs of various sizes along with the correct taps and drills to re cut a thread. All worked well and did it in situ.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/252571370222
Something like this.

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I looked but cant find any with a drill.

Just an update. Engineering mate came round with 1/4 bsp tap and brass blanking plug. Luckily the plug had lost most of its thread so just run the tap in and nipped up the new plug. Relief or what? Not going to touch it now. Just ordered a neodymium magnet to stick to bottom of sump to be sure to be sure.