Sump plate on wrong?

Slider79SC · Slider79SC's Garage

So I have seen several pics of sump plates installed and everyone keeps saying that this is wrong. (see pic)

So is it? Please help me out because mine hase been like this since I can remember and there have been no ill affects...

Thanks everyone

dfw911 · 09-16-2003, 01:36 PM

It looks ok to me. The main thing you have to worry about is having the plug interfere with the sump pickup, but the pickup is farther up towards the transmision than your plug sits in the picture. The only other thing is to make sure that the exposed lip of the plate is facing down, not up towards the engine. I can't tell from the photo (I found that out on my first oil change and didn't figure it out until 2 quarts were on my garage floor)

tops911 · 09-16-2003, 01:39 PM

as long as the drain plug does not block the pick up tube I don't think it matters. I think mine is on a side but I'm at work so I cant look and my memory sucks. When I put it on I just made sure that the plug was not blocking the pick up tube and I did not worry about where the plug was at. Hope this helps

SC-targa · 09-16-2003, 01:40 PM

This photo shows what I believe to be the correct orientation for the sump plate. Recently I rushed through a job and installed mine clocked 90 degrees off. (The drain plug towards the front of the car)

I found my oil pressure fluctuating, my oil temp rising and my oil level gauge indicating empty. I believe that the oil was not getting picked up out of the sump and the tank was running low, leading to the erractic pressures and temps.

Changing the orientation to the configuration shown above fixed everything.

Jerry Kroeger

pwd72s · 09-16-2003, 03:47 PM

FWIW, my '72 drain plug has been oriented towards the rear of the car since I bought it. As in the first picture. But I have seen later cars with it pointed toward the side. Perhaps a difference between pump pick ups as the years passed?

UTKarmann_Ghia · 09-16-2003, 04:14 PM

Jerry, that is the correct orientation for an '82, but not the 78SC. Slider's does not have the updated sump screen and the orientation should be correct for his. On ours, you would have to really, really bend the sump screen and mangle it to install it incorrectly.

Jeff knows his drain plug is correct, he just wants to show off his CLEAN engine...bastard.