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Like it says, last time I did my flush and fill the left side drain plug was stuck. I was afraid of striping out the hex hole so I left it. Anyone have any tricks to get this plug to start without damaging it and killing my chances of ever getting it out?
I have used a hammer type impact driver to remove these, the hammer blow helps hold the bit in the plug and the driver converts the blow into the twisting force. They are available at a lot of auto parts stores and Amazon like this one TEKTON 2905 3/8-Inch Drive Manual Hand Impact Driver Set, 7-Piece
You can also try the hot/cold thing, but that works best on 2 different metals frozen together. Goes like this: Heat area with fastener that is stuck (this is male plug in female threads), put ice cube on male for just a few seconds. Then smack it with impact.
Heat expands, cold contracts, sometimes gives you that little bit you need -- has worked for me...
I just ran into this 15 minutes ago on both sides.
3/8" ratchet - nope.
1/4" Milwaukee impact - nope.
1/2" Snap-On 14.4v impact, nope.
1/2" IR air impact, Yes. Second tap shower.
Driver's side
Yes, no shower.
(I do learn).
It's a steel fitting with a deep hex. For mine no corrosion on threads, just adhesion of the O-Ring.
Very timely Jack... The shop that did mine, gave me back the plugs, the o-rings on the plugs, and the o-rings I had gotten FOR the Fumotos
I had a chat with the mechanic that did the work and he said he ONLY uses pipe sealant (looks like Rector Seal to me), and has never had one come out, but he has had problems with o-rings...? Go figure...
Great timely would have been before he ordered the tool.
I have a different view. As long as you use an o-ring tool to walk the ring over the threads I’ve never had an issue using them. Even multiple times. The compression of the rubber is pretty high when you do the load calc, and as long as it’s not hardened it should maintain pressure to keep from backing off, and seal with the thermal changes. One of the surfaces will be cut for ring retention too. But if you nick it going on it will eventually hurt you.
No o-ring, then either Teflon or the Loctite hydraulic sealing compound is what I’d use, and I don’t think Teflon is a good fit here. And the Loctite stuff, it would be a bear to get out later.
I’m kind of in a self-made bind here. I need to do a flush and going to replace the oil cooler, but without the engine running I can’t. So when it goes back in and actually runs, then I do the flush, pull the top off and replace the cooler after the flush. Not the most expidicious way, but without hot tanking the block I don’t feel I have a choice.
Back to the OP issue, I would not be worried about screwing up the hex.
Rector seal #2 in emergencies but other wise O-rings.
One way to get an O-ring over threads is cut up a plastic
milk carton and roll a tube in a slight cone shape around
the threads. Place a lubed O-ring on and slide it down into
place. This way you skip the threads doing any damage.
Here are some examples. The bottom left one is what I am talking about.
If you do a lot of them then making the tool from something like brass.
One other way to cool the plug and control what is getting cooled would be an
upside-down can of dust off aka canned air. Just use the little plastic tube to
direct the gas where you want it. The can when it's turned over will cool things
very quickly.
I usually coat the o ring with either oil or vaseline and then slide over the threads. Have never had a leaker doing it that way. That includes the fuel filter o rings.
im getting ready for a flush and replace with HD ELC
I bought my Fumotos with the o-rings included from a fellow FTE'er that couldn't get either of his block drain plugs loose. The Fumotos came with gaskets back then, so I'm not sure if they had a machined o-ring groove.
Someone may have to help here, because I was thinking that the o-rings that you can get for the stock plugs are too large in cross section for the Fumotos, so one had to get a finer o-ring. I have to look around in my mess of a garage and see if I can find both and verify that...
The one's I purchased buy never installed, and don't know that I ever will, came with a hard fiber gasket. It's the stock plugs as I showed above that have the o-ring.
Here are pics of my block drains w/ o-rings, and the o-rings that were "for" the Fumotos. I crawled under my truck and verified there are no leaks, no signs of backing out, but I also could not tell if the gaskets that came with the Fumotos were used (fingernail under head of Fumoto felt like there was some "give", more like a sealant).
...... One of the surfaces will be cut for ring retention too. ......
Originally Posted by diesel_dan
..... The Fumotos came with gaskets back then, so I'm not sure if they had a machined o-ring groove.........
Scott
The engine block has a counterbore on it to capture the o-ring and not let it squirt out sideways. Because of that if you use the hard fiber gasket it needs to get distorted somewhat to seal better, and ideally you should clean the surface outside of the counterbore for that seal. If you pull the fiber gasket and use an O-Ring it will fit as designed. So it is better engineering wise to use the O-Ring.
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