Another stuck ATF drain plug

[billt460]

Originally Posted by JamesBond
No penetrating oil will work on these, the threads are already sitting in oil. When I drain the atf or mtf on my hondas I use a 3/8 in breaker bar and a rubber mallet to strike it. You might be able to use the mallet on the 3/8 ratchet but sometimes these ratchets are still kind of short and also hammering on them could break them.

Originally Posted by SLO_Town
...... the drain plug looks like one of those broad shouldered ones that has a o-ring underneath the shoulder of the bolt head. It's been my experience that these plugs can be very difficult to remove, even when they are torqued to spec. Scott

This is why it is useless to apply any type of penetrating oil on this type of plug. 1.) As mentioned, the threads are already sitting in oil. 2.) That plug has an O-Ring seated in a flange to seal it. So no penetrating oil you apply will ever get to the threads from the outside. The O-Ring itself will prevent it.

Get the best fitting and longest breaker bar you can find, then put yourself SAFELY in the best position you can get yourself into in order to administer maximum torque, and something will give. Just hope it's the plug. (From your picture that casting already looks cracked on the left side going to the plug).

 

[Leo99]

The risk of cracking the pan might outweigh the benefit of servicing the ATF. How long has the fluid been in there?

 

[paulri]

The fluid has only been in there 30K miles. I don't know how long the plug has been in there.

Originally Posted by Leo99
The risk of cracking the pan might outweigh the benefit of servicing the ATF. How long has the fluid been in there?

 

[paulri]

Weather report says rain & wind today, and I've been battling a cold, so I'm not going to venture out to work on it today, unless it clears up. I'll get back to you folks on Monday or thereabouts.

 

[billt460]

Just to be safe, it might be a good idea to get a line on a new pan, just in case the pan gives instead of the plug. (Or in case the threads gall up or strip out). You could call the dealer and find out if they stock it, along with how much. You could also look and see how much of a PITA it is to replace. That way if you have to replace it, you'll know what you're in for, instead of being unpleasantly surprised at the last minute. Much like Don Corleone, it's always better to be informed of bad news at once.

 

[LeakySeals]

Just curious. Are you doing a drain and fill only or are you draining to drop the pan and do I filter change?

 

[paulri]

Drain & fill.

 

[240_Ed]

I swear by the long piece of metal pipe over the end of a long bar method - almost every stuck nut/bolt I've ever had has eventually come free that way. Torque is your friend.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by 240_Ed
I swear by the long piece of metal pipe over the end of a long bar method......

A piece of 1" Schedule 40 PVC works well also. And it's a lot lighter to manipulate in tight quarters.

 

[dlundblad]

Ran into this issue when my brother had his Blazer.

We were doing a rear axle gear oil change and couldn't get the same style plug out. The GM 7.625 has the fill plug in the axle housing and not in the cover. Oreilly had diff covers with plugs and it was my understanding that it was for his model so we pulled the cover and drained the oil. The pan didn't fit so I figured we were hosed. Ended up putting a 3/8" extension on an impact at the lower setting. We both pushed in as I ran the gun in reverse and it came right out. The plug was pretty messed up, but we ended up getting a pipe plug at the hardware store.

I would try an impact. Maybe give it a few ugga uggas forward and then go in reverse.

 

[Sayjac]

For those asking about a "pan drop", there's no pan to drop on these or filter to replace.

I read where your Civic was/is up on ramps, once you get the plug loose my advice would be to keep it hand tight, take it off the ramps and drain it on level ground. Also, leave the dipstick in to start the drain process, let it drain a bit then remove it. Ime that will keep the fluid from pouring out at first, saving a mess.

I just took a closer look at your drain plug pic which btw is very good. I hope what I see at ~10 o'clock on the housing is just extra cast material like that at ~1 o'clock. Probably is.

 

[paulri]

Hate to say it, but its a bit windy here and I'm a bit sick, so I will check Monday morning and report back. At this point there's nothing I can do to uncrack it, if it is cracked.


Originally Posted by Sayjac

I just took a closer look at your drain plug pic which btw is very good. I hope what I see at ~10 o'clock on the housing is just extra cast material like that at ~1 o'clock. Probably is.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted by LeakySeals
Just curious. Are you doing a drain and fill only or are you draining to drop the pan and do I filter change?


Originally Posted by paulri
Drain & fill.


A cooler line exchange is just as easy as a drain and fill. And more efficient because you can exchange all of it less often instead of constant blending. It's the only way I do it now.

 

[2K2AcuraTL]

As an anecdote...
I can sympathize with this situation...
case in point.. .... I wanted to do my first oil change in the rear diff on my MDX
I spent an afternoon under my X trying to take the fill plug off.. did everything...
i was using my impact driver with a 6" 3/8 extension.. to the point the extension got so hot, I could not hold it my hands..

I took to a garage the next day.. " yah it came off no sweat.....................just used a breaker bar...."
you can only imagine how pi$$ I was...

leverage................ ill stop here..
J.

 

[paulri]

Today it was too windy until I had to get ready for work, so I'll see if it lets up early tomorrow. Weather report says Wed morning should be good, if not before.

At any rate, I'm a bit spooked by the folks here talking about a possible crack in the pan. I put it back up on ramps and took another pic, which I've left in the original size so folks can get a better look. I honestly can't tell myself whether it is or not. The lines at 1-2 PM on the new pic have a slight grainy feel, that suggests that those lines are not a crack. The lines close to dead center in the new pic, extending towards the left side, don't have that feel, although I'm not sure if that means those lines are a crack or not.

 

[cjcride]

That 10 o'clock line looks like a crack.
Who last torqued that bolt on?

 

[paulri]

I don't know. My mechanic flushed it 30K miles ago; I don't know if it was drained & filled 3-4 times (receipt says it used 12 quarts atf), or if there was a machine that sucked it out (or if such a machine exists?). If it wasn't touched then, I honestly have no idea when it would have been touched before. I did not check the atf since 80K miles when I bought it, before that time.

 

[cjcride]

The good news is it does not appear to be weeping.

 

[paulri]

Yes, although if in fact I cracked it in the last couple of days trying to twist off the plug, the engine has hardly been running.

Would that matter, though--whether or not the engine was running? Perhaps if it is a crack, it has not formed an actual break in the metal.



Originally Posted by cjcride
The good news is it does not appear to be weeping.

 

[cjcride]

I would go with LeakySeals suggestion to do a line exchange if you must change the fluid.