Car Doctor: Over

Q: I have a 2004 Saturn Vue with a 3.5 liter V-6 engine and ia all-wheel-drive.

I recently changed the engine oil. When I was removing the drain plug, some of the treads came out of the plug from the oil pan. I finished changing the oil and put the plug back in very carefully and it has a slight weeping. I know the next time the oil needs to be changed it might strip right out.

The oil pan is aluminum and I have been trying to get an over-sized repair plug but I am not having much luck. Do you know where I can get one?

Years ago, I know they used to make a rubber one. Do you know if anyone still has them? Do you think a Heil-Coil would work or is there something similar that would work?

Secondly, do you think a shop could make an aluminum bung for it, drill it out, weld it and tap it for a plug? From what I’ve seen, it looks very labor intensive and costly to remove the oil pan and replace it. I know the exhaust system is in the way.

Do you have any idea how many hours the repair would take and also price of oil pan?

A: You can buy an oversized oil drain plug from an auto-parts store. Dorman, which makes a variety of labor-saving parts, should have a self-tapping plug. The oil pan is aluminum the installation is pretty easy.

Regarding having someone fabricate a repair, I believe it would be cheaper to replace the oil pan. The factory oil pan is about $360, although you can buy a replacement oil pan online for less than $100. It will take at least a couple of hours labor to replace the oil pan.

The exhaust is the only other component you need to replace, but it really depends how easy the 16-year-old exhaust pipe comes off the engine.

Q: We just had dead battery replaced in 2018 Toyota Camry. Once the battery was replaced the power windows would not work with exception of the driver's window. What happened?

A: When the battery was disconnected and the new battery installed, the windows needed programming. This a simple procedure. Start with turning the key to the on position, then push the window control, all the way down, hold it for four seconds and then run the window up and hold it for four seconds. This should activate the other window controls. Depending on the model, you may have to reprogram each window using the same method.

Q: I bought a low-mileage Toyota RAV4 last summer. When putting on snow tires, I noticed that the dust covers on the back of all four disc brakes are badly rusted and falling apart. Replacing these would require a lot of work. It appears that the rear dust shields would involve disassembling the hubs and bearings. It's not clear to me what these covers are good for and I've put off doing anything about them. What is their value and how anxious should I be to replace them?

A: The dust shields serve two functions. They provide some cooling by directing air flow. The other function is keeping dirt mud and other debris out of the brake system. If they weren't necessary, the manufacturer would have saved money and left them off.

Look at aftermarket parts to save some money. With the low mileage, it sounds like you want to hold onto the car and it would make sense to perform the repairs. Perhaps you could wait until the vehicle needs brakes and brake pad replacement which could save some labor time.

Q: My 2015 Subaru Outback is experiencing a problem with the battery going dead. I installed a new 800 CCA battery and it was dead the next morning. My local mechanic could not find the source so he believes it may be control module related. This is very frustrating. Do you have any ideas what could be wrong?

A: Some Subaru models did have battery problems. In my opinion, the issue was two-fold.

The first issue was the latest Subaru models have a fair amount of parasitic drain. In other words, there are many electrical components that are designed to stay activated even when the car is off. All batteries have reserve capacity and the Subaru battery did not have enough reserve to handle the electrical discharge.

The second issue is, that to save fuel, the charging system is designed to limit charging while driving. I believe under certain driving conditions the original problem was a combination of both factors.

I believe you have a more serious issue with your car. I would assume an 800 CCA battery would have a rather robust reserve capacity. For that battery to fail overnight, there is a component that should shut down but isn't shutting down.

If the Subaru technical bulletin regarding a charging system update is applicable, that needs to be performed first. Then a complete check of the charging system should include a check for parasitic drain.

Some common issues that I have seen is power seat motors and air conditioner clutches that stay energized when the key is off.

John Paul is the AAA Northeast Car Doctor. He has more than 40 years of experience in the automobile industry and is an ASE-Certified Master Technician. Write to John Paul, The Car Doctor, at 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence, RI 02904. Or email [email protected] and put “Car Doctor” in the subject field. Follow him on Twitter @johnfpaulor on Facebook.