My son was driving back to Virginia on 81 last night in the STR when he experienced a sound he described as someone throwing rocks at his car.
He exited the highway and stopped at the Flying J truck stop and realized the plastic pan under the engine was loose in the back and dragging on the highway held on by 2 screws. He was able to remove the screws,stoe the 3' x 3' plastic skid plate in the trunk and get on his way.
He has his oil changed regularly at the "quick lube". I think they must toss a pan screw each time they change the oil, no wonder they are so quick!
Can anyone tell me what type of fasteners/retainers he will need to repair this? I cant find a drawing of this item. Now the left front plastic skid plate is loose too, a few nylon wire ties are keeping that from flapping.
Are these plastic covers really necessary?
Thanks,
Cheers.
Bob

 

The belly pan cover you are refereeing to really just keeps the engine and the bottom clean for the most part. I know some people on this forum have removed theirs for inconvenience. So in closing its really not necessary to have it on, but others on here can chime in about the exact size for the screws/bolts needed, just hang in there for now.

good luck.

 

The fasteners are a 6mm X 1.00 with an integral washer, usually 8mm AF (across the flats).

bob gauff

 

Dunno if there were maybe differences for the STR but my daughter's 3.0L (2003) takes 5 of those:
3 M6-1.0's at the front into tinnermans clipped onto the rad air deflector, can't remember order as you go back, but 2 sheet metal screws then 2 M6 nuts or vice-versa, then 2 more M6-1.0's on the rear corners. The nuts have integral washers as well, if you can find them.

 

The belly pan is indeed a major inconvenience to deal with when servicing the car, but keep in mind that it offers a measure of protection to some very costly low-hanging components. The HVAC compressor is down there, and you don't want that puppy or its hoses and fittings being blasted by road debris. I don't enjoy having to remove and re-install the belly pan every time I do an oil & filter change, but it's staying put on our car primarily to protect the costly low-hanging fruit from rock strikes....

To ensure that it is always installed properly with no loss of hardware, always remove it yourself before you take the car somewhere else for service, then re-install it yourself when you have the car back in your possession. That's what I've done the few times I've had to have it worked on by others....

 

Working front to back, I think mine has:
2 cross-head screws & 3 8mm-headed bolts (which have captive washers)
2 studs (captive bolts) with 8mm nuts (and non-captive washers)
2 (or 3?) 8mm-headed bolts (which have captive washers)

I wonder if the 2 cross-head screws are non-OE?

It's certainly a PITA to remove & refit but there are far worse jobs.

 

Cross-head = Phillips?

Mine are torx

 

I believe yes "cross head" = Phillips.

I think it's one of those "spanner" = "wrench" type things between the UK and US.

Mine are Phillips on the 03 STR.

 

We use the P word. I thought maybe you didn't!

 

I agree that ALL screws should be in place at all times for covers various. It looks very sloppy indeed when screws are left out. I could always tell when video recorders had been 'got at' by simply looking for missing or mangled cover screws.
I cut a hole in the undertray right under the engine sump for fitting a heater, but it had the added bebefit of making the oil change much easier. Nonetheless, it was made a neat job, looking almost like a factory one. It's worth the extra time I think.
Leedsman.

 

Actually had mine fall off last winter. It was dragging under the car all the way down the freeway and apparently part of the fender well came loose enough to make contact with the tire once in awhile, so that made a hole in it. Don't suppose there's a cheap way to fix that? I have the bottom panels hanging in the garage, but frankly I think the tabs for the fasteners are too messed up to reattach it.

 

Not only the HVAC compressor but mine came loose recently and somehow and somewhere I took a rock to the transmission cover necessitating a replacement to the tune of about $400. Make sure the cover is properly replaced every time you get the car serviced

 

As I've said before, the only way to ensure that the belly pan gets properly removed and reinstalled if you are paying someone else to service your car is to do it yourself. Far too many places will lose some of your screws/bolts, not bother to look for them, use zip-ties instead, or just slap it on with the four or five screws they can find and send it out the door....