Rounded off oil drain bolt - How to remove?

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My recently purchased 03 sable with 3.0 duratec has a rounded off oil drain bolt. 1st time for me changing this car's oil. Not much space to get in there 2-3 inches so drilling is not an option on the vehicle. Tried some of the bolt extractors that fit on a socket with no success. Bolt is on very tight and rounded off so looking for ideas on how to remove it. Tried gripping with vise grips but they were a small pair. Larger pair might work better. Any other ideas?
 
You may need the car up higher, to use a tool with more leverage. Try different types of tools. Spiral, flutes, and the kind which tighten down.

Make sure that you have a new drain plug and gasket ready.
 
If there's room for it to fit, I've had the best luck with a small pipe wrench on rounded oil drain bolts. With a tight drain bolt like yours, you'll need to hit the handle of the pipe wrench hard to crack the bolt loose.
 
Knipex Cobras (big ones) or weld a nut on top of the old nut. Hammering vise grips or a pipe wrench might make it worse.

Does heating with a propane torch and then soaking with penetrant work on oil pan bolts? I assume it is not corrosion holding it on there, unless it is on the outer threads or the shoulder of the bolt.
 
Weld on a nut? Seems extreme but watching Eric on SMA makes it seem easy and fast (for him, anyhow).

Cutting into the bolt seems drastic.

I wonder if, if you lack tools for this, if it's just not easier to pay a mechanic to do an oil change, with fair warning to him. I mean, once on the lift it's a 10 minute job. Sometimes a man's gotta know his limitations.
 
Just thinking outside the box. Could you easily remove the oil pan to get the access to the bolt you need? Would cost you a gasket but...

Worse case scenario is you may need an oil pan anyway. If your luck is like mine.
 
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I tried Walmart doing the oil change and they no longer remove oil drain bolts. They told me it's all done by vacuum extraction for the reason I have a problem. I tried my oil extractor and not a drop as I don't think this engine was designed to have oil extracted through the dipstick tube. Tried the small hose all the way until it would not go farther. Also tried a large hose over top of dipstick tube but nothing. I don't have a welder at home but have access to them at work. I will lift it higher to see if that helps me get better access.
 
I would use one of these, provided there is room. Tightens as you apply torques so you know it will not let go of the bolt.

[Linked Image]


Large vice grips might also work, but you have to make sure they are on square and very tight, otherwise you will mingle the bolt even more.
 
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'nuther thought: pull the grinder (or Dremel) and add some flats to the bolt. Ideally you'd make it the next size smaller, so you could put on a wrench, but maybe just some flats so that Vice Grips have an easier job grabbing might do the trick.
 
As mentioned above, you need a 'sacrificial' socket hammered on to it, easiest way.
 
outside the box thinking..

can you drill a hole through the width of the head, just large enough to slip a small, possibly sacrificial, screw driver, or allen key though it.
then you could get your hammer out and pound on one end...


if you have the room, and a spare slightly smaller socket, then definitely hammer on a sacrificial socket. then you can use a breaker bar(+/-hammer)

or, there's always the hotwrench as a last resort.
 
I would try a 12pt hammered socket first. ( don't bend the pan though.)

Then a large enough vise-grip or small pipe wrench.

If above does not work , mig weld a nut on it.
 
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I had this happen on my Subaru. I used med sized vise grips. It was soft metal and they grabbed nicely. The reason they rounded it off. Used to be 17mm IIRC then they went to 14 MM but with the same large bung thread.

I was going to get a grinder wheel on a small E- Drill and grind it down to the next smaller size.

I bet the vise grips may work. Hammer on it. The Impact loosens it up
 
Originally Posted by supton

I wonder if, if you lack tools for this, if it's just not easier to pay a mechanic to do an oil change, with fair warning to him.


Bring him a new drain plug to install.

Make him bring you the old one.
 
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