3x00 Oil pan tap

[Froggx]

people with 3x00 engines, specifically 3400, where are you tapping your oil pan for the turbo's oil return line? I'm afraid the tap will smack into the crank or a con rod if I'm too close to the top.

[Mechanic]

About an inch or so above oil level. Hard to do this without pan removal, as aluminum metal shavings are not nice to an engine.

[Froggx]

the pan is off actually, I will post some pics to show you what I have to work with. I am not quite sure where 1 inch above oil level is, I assume it would be 1 inch above the holes in the dipstick

[Mechanic]

IIRC, the oil level corresponds quite well with one of the horzontal ribs on the outside of the pan. I found the thickness of cast aluminum pan to be sufficient for careful threading with an NPT tap. Just wrapped the threads of the oil return line fitting with teflon tape, and it worked perfectly.

[Froggx]

Ok here is the pictures showing what I have.


As you can see there is an X and below that a + on the oil pan. The X is where I thought it would be best to tap the oil pan while the plus is where my dad thought it would be best.



Here I circled the approximate place the X tap would go to inside the oil pan. My dad says we cannot use this spot due to the fact it is so close to the crank he thinks the tap will smack into the crank.

[Mechanic]

The "+" is the correct spot for the oil return. I am not sure we are on the same track as far as "tap" is concerned. I simply drilled a hole of the correct diameter, and then tapped threads using a standard NPT thread tap. Then I wrapped the oil return fitting with teflon tape and installed. The fitting itself does not protrude into the pan by more than a centimeter or two, so it is unlikely that it would contact any moving parts no matter where I decided to install it.

[Froggx]

Thanks a lot, that is a major help. Do you have any recommendations on what fitting to use?

[Mechanic]

Any fitting with a male end will work, and the exact fittings would be chosen based on your own system design (i.e. the diameter of oil return line and entry angle). I used a 1/2 NTP male/female coupling installed in the pan, with a male 1/2 NPT to hose barb fitting threaded into it. Just the regular old brass stuff you can find at any hardware store. The 1/2 NPT thread tap can be a bit hard to find, and they are typically not included in a standard tap and die kit.