Jiffy Lose stripped mine awhile back and though I haven't been back there, I still drip a bit here and there. It's got a temp plug in it now, so I would just as soon fix it before it blows the plug and leaves me stranded with a dead engine. I have somewhat limited knowledge of cars, but I'm a quick learner and willing to try. I just got done swapping out the radiator, hoses, thermostat, and fan switch on my wifes Civic getting to the bottom of an overheating issue. Is replacing the oil pan comparable? Any special tools I need?

 

a 10mm socket and ratchet will take the whole pan off real easy job. make sure to drain oil first.. and also get a new gasket.

 

Sounds good. Any tips on the oil pan? I looked on ebay and found the OEM one for about $200 with gasket. Autozone has an aftermarket for $100 and another $15 for the gasket, but after this radiator fiasco, I'm inclined to go OEM.

 

There's a repair kit where you re-tap the hole and use an oversized plug, you could try that first.

When replacing the pan you will need to take the exhaust pipe off of the manifold and lower it down in order to get the pan out. That is typically the toughest part of the job because the manifold studs and nuts are going to be badly rusted.

 

Sometimes a large rubber mallet helps to knock the pan loose from the block.

But I agree with mk. It might be cheapest and easiest to tap a new bolt hole, if you can obtain the tools.

 

they sell the oil pan rubber plugs at autozone and they seem to work pretty good

 

Yikes, that sounds like a suck. The guys over at Valvoline said they would retap it at no charge, so maybe I'll try that first. Thanks!