The oil plug is stripped on my 87 Mercedes. Do I have to replace the oil pan or just the plug?

No, you can purchase a kit that rethreads the hole and uses a new plug. See your local auto parts store.The oil plug is stripped on my 87 Mercedes. Do I have to replace the oil pan or just the plug?
the auto parts store have oversized oil plugs. take you old one with you and get the next sise biggerThe oil plug is stripped on my 87 Mercedes. Do I have to replace the oil pan or just the plug?
parts stores offer plugs just for that
Check with a mechanic. The pan may be able to be re- tapped.
In extremely rare cases only the threads on the plug are bad, - in which case you could just replace the plug! But most likely if the plug is damaged, the threads are bad on the oil pan too!





Take the plug down to your local parts supplier, and show it to him, tell him what your problem is, -and he will measure it, ---- then give you the next ';oversize'; plug. This plug has self tapping portion that enlarges the hole in pan (and re-cuts threads). This should solve your problem!





Next time you take it to have the oil changed, tell them to replace the plug with a ';hand wrench';! Power impact wrenches tear the threads out (by over tightening the plug too much)! They're very quick, but hard on plugs!!





The same thing goes for your lugnuts on wheels, -- check to see if you can get them loose with ';tire wrench'; in the car. If they put them on too tight, -you will have to have an impact wrench to remove them again! This also causes the lug-bolts to break off all too often! And of course if you have a flat ';on the road'; and you can't get the lugnuts off, you are stuck! Your ';provided'; lugwrench in the car is no match to an impact wrench!!
if the pan thread are ok then no, if not then you can ream and tap the pan and rplace the factory plug with an oversized one to match..
just the plug, you can go with an old chevy plug