how to remove a drain plug

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
What is wrong with these people. A firm sung is all that is usually needed.



SOME of these punks do this deliberately at times to prevent DIYers from being able to do such simple jobs themselves, having worked in a number of $tealers over the years it's true.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON whatsoever to use that much force, you literally have to purposely gorilla that! Not an accident.

 

[BigD1]

Some times I have gotten plugs out easier by tightening them just enough to get them to move, and then unloosen them. Like Trav said earlier, smacking it with a dead blow helps too.

 

[spasm3]

Might not hurt to hold a piece of dry ice on just the bolt, at -60 it might help. get it good and cold so it contracts a bit and hit it with a good impact gun.

 

[KrisZ]

I had something similar happen on my sister's in law car. Fortunately for me, the plug wasn't install super tight and I was able to remove it with vice grips.
Hammering in an extractor piece or even a bigger sized allen bit is a good idea. Of course get yourself a new plug before trying to remove the bad one.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Originally Posted By: Eddie
What is wrong with these people. A firm sung is all that is usually needed.



SOME of these punks do this deliberately at times to prevent DIYers from being able to do such simple jobs themselves, having worked in a number of $tealers over the years it's true.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON whatsoever to use that much force, you literally have to purposely gorilla that! Not an accident.


Given all the other over-tightened bolts I found afterwards, I'm left thinking the same thing. It was deliberate.

Makes me really wonder just how well the diff was done...

I don't think a fluid extractor will work. When I got the fill plug out, I stuck a finger in to see what the oil might look like--and there is a "shelf" under the fill. Maybe a tube will get in and deep, maybe not.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: cjcride
Originally Posted By: supton
I don't think a deadblow will do it--the splines are giving out.

You know how they strip that?
It is done not with an impact. It is done by using a Metric hex instead of SAE or vice versa.


It was actually in pristine condition when I started--all that damage is from me.

When I started, the 10mm hex fit in good and snug--slight rap to make it seat fully. After an hour of alternating with a breaker bar and impact, it looks like that. The 10mm hex fits in fine just the same, but it's clearly moving metal splines, not the drain.

*

I had a thought last night, I wonder if it's half my fault. I don't have a 1/2" drive 10mm hex. I used a cheapo 1/2 to 3/8 reducer. I noticed it warming up after using the impact. I now think I was loosing some of the hammering effect due to it twisting and soaking up the effectiveness of the impact.

Maybe a bit of heat on the aluminum case will help, dunno. Have to wait until I source a new drain plug.

Oh, and no way to get my cheap pair of vice grips in there. I have a pair of thin pliers (water pump pliers I think is the term) which I can but would have a very short turn. Drain is recessed, go figure. A chisel might work, and I will have to look into that. Once I get the replacement drain, of course.

 

[Trav]

If the hex is still intact get a 10mm stubby 1/2" drive socket like this one and get a good pull on it.
The longer bits tend to tip in the plug and round it out. The fact it is recessed is limiting your options.

http://www.americastoolwarehouse.com/aut...CFYEmHwodJtMOrA

 

[dlundblad]

My Jeep was like this the first time I did the transfer case fluid. I was able to use a slightly larger hex key and gently tap it in. Bought 2 used plugs off a grenaded transfer case from a Dodge 1500.

Maybe try an 11mm hex (HF has hex sockets.) Gently tap it into place and use JB weld.

Merk's idea is a good one too.

 

[meborder]

I've had a stupid amount of success with heat and a cold socket.

Put your socket in the freezer for a while and get the drain plug and case as hot as you can with a torch.

The cold socket will pull the heat from the plug and shrink it enough to break the bond.

I've even just used heat and poured lemonade over the socket/wrench and had that work.

Sounds silly, but it works more often than not.

I'd probably use the impact gun though.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I'd hammer in a square screw extractor and if I couldn't get enough bite, I'd drill a hole through the plug and hammer the extractor in again. Drilling a thru-hole would allow me to get the extractor in deeper for more bite. The extractor tells you which drill to use.

This is what I would do also.

I had some wheel lug locks on one car. Could not find the key so I took it to the Ford dealer and had them remove all the locks.

The tech must have been having a bad day as he seemed a bit annoyed he had to go look through all the keys to find the right one. When he put the new lugs on it was so tight I could not hardly get them loose when I got home to properly torque them down.

 

[Trav]

If you are close to Nashua i will take it out for you. It takes only a couple of min, I face this sort of stuff on a regular basis.

 

[4wheeldog]

I would smack that thing with a 16 ounce flat hammer. Or with a chunk of steel, between the hammer and the plug. If you hit it hard enough to bounce it just a bit in the threads, it will come out.

I have found this sort of problem when an idiot failed to use a washer. Then keeps tightening until the leak stops. Just sayin'.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Trav
If you are close to Nashua i will take it out for you. It takes only a couple of min, I face this sort of stuff on a regular basis.


I used to drive down to Braintree for service on my VW--never thought I'd drive that far to fix a Toyota!

But I live in central NH, usually don't go more south than Manchester.

Thanks for the offer, though, I appreciate it.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
I would smack that thing with a 16 ounce flat hammer.

Yep, agree.

But otherwise a sharp chisel is the answer.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
I would smack that thing with a 16 ounce flat hammer. Or with a chunk of steel, between the hammer and the plug. If you hit it hard enough to bounce it just a bit in the threads, it will come out.

I have found this sort of problem when an idiot failed to use a washer. Then keeps tightening until the leak stops. Just sayin'.


This was pretty much what I was going to write.

 

[The_Eric]

Was going to add that some tractors will use a similar setup for their various drains- flange headed plug and aluminum crush washer (re-used a million times and rock hard) or an o-ring. Guys will crank them in there good and tight. All that accomplishes is to jam everything together. Neither will compress all that much so they're near impossible to get back apart. The trick is to take a hammer and SMACK it... Done right you can just about take them apart with your fingers.

 

[supton]

Hit it just like a nail? Ah, I see, to compress the crush washer a bit. Or the threads even. Gotcha. Interesting, maybe I will give that a try. Easy enough to try.

Picked up new plugs today. $16 and change.

 

[Silverado12]

For something like that, I use a chisel and they usually come right off. Hold the chisel in a position so it gets a grip on the edge of the plug and work it off.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I can see now how a chisel would work. Of course, when in the thick of it, there was no way I could do that: need the truck to get to the parts store to get the replacement plug.

Forgot to go to Walmart this morning and get one of those cheapo air chisels.

 

[Trav]

Use a hand chisel on the outside edge only, even a pro doesn't have enough control to use an air chisel on that job. Think of it as controlled and precision brutality.
Do not dig it into the aluminum housing. Once it begins to move you can use the hex bit.