I spent a good hour trying to get my front diff fill plug out today. Tried heat, breaker bar, etc. Gave up, just gonna hit it twice a day with PB blaster until next weekend. Thank god I didn't drain it first.
Thanks for the video. I had the same problem on a 2010 Subaru Impreza rear end drain plug. I wired brushed the plug area with a electric drill with a wire wheel attachment before heating it up and then after it cooled I applied some Nut Blaster and waited about 10 minutes. It took a little time and muscle but it came loose. Thanks again
Good job on the music choice too, and not too loud, thanks. I'm presently attempting to loosen drain plug (10mm hex insert/allen) on '01 4Runner front differential. Getting the fill plug loosened-up was tough, but the drain plug now hasn't budged. Am taking a break from trying, before I strip something and make a bigger mess.
Those are always tuff, i recommend driving it while its in 4x4 , not too far, but far enough to get some heat in the diff, also i use a socket and breaker, use a floor Jack to jack up to the back of the socket to put pressure on it so it doesn't jump off [ providing you have the bottom plug ]
@@rick3090 Thanks for the idea of using a jack to keep pressure on the socket, in my case here a 10mm allen. It faces sideways, so maybe I can wedge something in there to keep it in position.
For $12 you could’ve weld it in a dream fill plug on the top of the rear differential cover housing and that way you wouldn’t have to screw with us when you want to drain the rear differential you just remove the bolts to the cover and it drains put everything back together remove the plug from the top but your welded in unscrew it fill it and then screw it back in.
Shit just took my front plug off my 92 Buick roadmaster with the 7.5 10 bolt. Came right off with a little 3/8 ratchet and extension. Extension definitely a little loose but just take your time. No heat needed and I doubt the PB blaster did anything to the coated in diff fluid plug from the leaking for years? pinion seal.
My 1988 GMC s15 has the drain plug above the flange, not below like in this video making it even harder plus GM made the plug square hole so shallow nothing would bite into it. And it was rounded off as well. They should have just put a square head on the plug to begin with. I will have to weld a short extension or nut onto the plug in order to remove it. Car designers are not reality based and if you can't even get the dealership mechanics to be able to remove the plug, then you know you have a f**ked up design flaw for something so simple. Dumb.
It seems that the last person that services these gets paid by the hour and it's not theirs so who cares, right, I've had them never back out, even cold chisled them flat with differential surface! Drilled a hole thru the plug still nothing! So filled it with fliud and j b welded back shut! But nothing is better then the rear end out from under vehicle so a person can put a 1/2 inch bar grinder down with a 4 foot cheap bar on it, 😊! Corrosion sucks ask brakes!!!
we had lubie working for us some time back and he just did his job , but then we hired another lubie from another shop and he started finding most of the previous plugs were on so tight that some were quite hard to get out.
Now when you go to buy a new diff filler plug where the heck do you get one been looking for ages and went into some local stores and they never have it in stock just on the website Have no idea how to find out the size
Was that a half inch breaker bar you grinded down? Or did you just square up a 3/8ths? Jw cause mines actually stripped sort of so i was going to try to grind down a half inch extension since my 3/8ths is too small now?? Am I on the right track here?
Why are these drainplugs so difficult to remove ? Is it only corrosion , or are they over-thightened ? Isn't there a seal / washer on the outside , that prevents corrosion to the thread ? The inside is oil , so that would prevent corrosion. My Mitsubishi Montero (22 years old) has the same problem. A mechanic from my garage has ruined the bolt with an air-wrench :-( Next, I want to try you method with heat. An maybe weld a nut on the bolt. Would it be smart to mount the new drainplug with copper-grease or ceramic grease to prevent the same problem again ? Thanks for advise !
They put some kind of thread locker and sealer on the plug threads. It is to prevent the plug from backing out and diff fluid from leaking out. That's why it is so hard to remove these plugs. I bought a new allen wrench stainless magnetic plug from Yukon, and then used Permatex high temperature thread sealant. Product number 59214. I didn't put a lot of sealant the threads. Just enough to prevent it from leaking and backing out.
wow. .. that was great. Mine was . .. .well, is stuck like that. I didn't try heat, but I will. But mine is full of oil. Will the heat ignight anyting?
2005 Honda CR-V both differential 3/8" were stripped by dealership. They refused to take the blame. How do you know remove those bolts when I have tried all your steps?
@@rick3090 It's just not enough room to use welder or torch on CR-V. The 3/8" square bolts were rounded when I inspected. Fluid was never drained nor installed. But was billed.
@@angelisone honestly i dont think any size of drain plug is a 3/8 inch on a honda, most everything is a metric , if they did in fact use a 3/8 it usually is smaller than a 10mm which is typical sizes however some are 12, 14, and 16 mm metric , that may explain why its stripped and also considering alot of the japanese makes have bolt, nuts, etc . that are very tight on initial loosening ( super tight from the factory) if they used the wrong size tool for the procedure it could in fact strip, good luck with getting them to help, you may have to find a good reputable shop to help.
@@rick3090 Correct bolts/nuts are in metric. ATG, Raymond & Thomas Magliozzi, Scotty Kilmer & Ericthecarguy use 3/8" to remove the Transmission Fluid Drain Bolt and Rear Differential Bolts. There is no way that a metric tool will fit nor able to remove these bolts.
@@rick3090 Again, have any other suggestions on how to removed those 3/8" square bolts when they are rounded? Yes, tried with bolt extractor, didn't work.
That feeling when it first starts to turn is the best feeling in the world. Been there done that.
That was so satisfying - thx. Love it when a plan works out.
I spent a good hour trying to get my front diff fill plug out today. Tried heat, breaker bar, etc. Gave up, just gonna hit it twice a day with PB blaster until next weekend. Thank god I didn't drain it first.
Did it work for you?
Epic! ... At least, it sounds that way.
Perfect volume balance with the music.
Thanks for the video. I had the same problem on a 2010 Subaru Impreza rear end drain plug. I wired brushed the plug area with a electric drill with a wire wheel attachment before heating it up and then after it cooled I applied some Nut Blaster and waited about 10 minutes. It took a little time and muscle but it came loose. Thanks again
Good job on the music choice too, and not too loud, thanks. I'm presently attempting to loosen drain plug (10mm hex insert/allen) on '01 4Runner front differential. Getting the fill plug loosened-up was tough, but the drain plug now hasn't budged. Am taking a break from trying, before I strip something and make a bigger mess.
Those are always tuff, i recommend driving it while its in 4x4 , not too far, but far enough to get some heat in the diff, also i use a socket and breaker, use a floor Jack to jack up to the back of the socket to put pressure on it so it doesn't jump off [ providing you have the bottom plug ]
@@rick3090 Thanks for the idea of using a jack to keep pressure on the socket, in my case here a 10mm allen. It faces sideways, so maybe I can wedge something in there to keep it in position.
I cut off a short 1/2" extension and ground it square so it was a tight fit with a hammer. Used a 1/2 long ratchet with cheater but it came out.
I had the same problem on my truck, had to have a budy come over and weld a socket onto the plug.
My drain plug rusted so only half the bolt is left. Scared to try to put a socket on that. may just suck what I can out from the fill plug and add??
Ol'e!..Victory from the jaws of deafeat!..nice music too!..maybe next time something from NFL films..lol
For $12 you could’ve weld it in a dream fill plug on the top of the rear differential cover housing and that way you wouldn’t have to screw with us when you want to drain the rear differential you just remove the bolts to the cover and it drains put everything back together remove the plug from the top but your welded in unscrew it fill it and then screw it back in.
Gave up on my plug, filled through the vent tube with a lot less issues.
Great video
Shit just took my front plug off my 92 Buick roadmaster with the 7.5 10 bolt. Came right off with a little 3/8 ratchet and extension. Extension definitely a little loose but just take your time. No heat needed and I doubt the PB blaster did anything to the coated in diff fluid plug from the leaking for years? pinion seal.
Thank you for shareing..
I got one like that right now I need 2010 Subaru rear differential the drain plug came out no problem but the filler plug it is not budging
Hey thanks for that video
No problem
Thank you for that tip.:)
My 1988 GMC s15 has the drain plug above the flange, not below like in this video making it even harder plus GM made the plug square hole so shallow nothing would bite into it. And it was rounded off as well. They should have just put a square head on the plug to begin with. I will have to weld a short extension or nut onto the plug in order to remove it. Car designers are not reality based and if you can't even get the dealership mechanics to be able to remove the plug, then you know you have a f**ked up design flaw for something so simple. Dumb.
Literally just explained what’s going on with my c1500 1990 🤦🏻
Nice
Spray WD 40 on it would help Loosen up and melt Rust:))
Doesn't do a thing to two of those 3/8" bolts.
It seems that the last person that services these gets paid by the hour and it's not theirs so who cares, right, I've had them never back out, even cold chisled them flat with differential surface! Drilled a hole thru the plug still nothing! So filled it with fliud and j b welded back shut! But nothing is better then the rear end out from under vehicle so a person can put a 1/2 inch bar grinder down with a 4 foot cheap bar on it, 😊! Corrosion sucks ask brakes!!!
we had lubie working for us some time back and he just did his job , but then we hired another lubie from another shop and he started finding most of the previous plugs were on so tight that some were quite hard to get out.
Does the heat make it harder actually, as we know the heat swells the metal? Do you think using the heat torch helped? Thanks
This time it helped, probably softened the oil around the threads.
Now when you go to buy a new diff filler plug where the heck do you get one been looking for ages and went into some local stores and they never have it in stock just on the website
Have no idea how to find out the size
i bought several at rockauto because my locals wouldnt stock them
Can you use heat on the drain plug if the dif is still full of oil?
not many would recommend that , i might do it in a pinch on my own stuff, by heating the plug it will likely swell and be even harder to remove..
Ive done it. It helped loosen the plug but didn't really effect anything else at all.
Was that a half inch breaker bar you grinded down? Or did you just square up a 3/8ths? Jw cause mines actually stripped sort of so i was going to try to grind down a half inch extension since my 3/8ths is too small now?? Am I on the right track here?
this was a 3/8 bb , hopefully you will be successful, good luck.
Why are these drainplugs so difficult to remove ?
Is it only corrosion , or are they over-thightened ?
Isn't there a seal / washer on the outside , that prevents corrosion to the thread ?
The inside is oil , so that would prevent corrosion.
My Mitsubishi Montero (22 years old) has the same problem.
A mechanic from my garage has ruined the bolt with an air-wrench :-(
Next, I want to try you method with heat.
An maybe weld a nut on the bolt.
Would it be smart to mount the new drainplug with copper-grease or ceramic grease to prevent the same problem again ?
Thanks for advise !
welding could help the situation ,the heat would be ideal for removal , plus a new place to put a wrench or socket couldn't hurt.
Yep went to change my fluid and someone already stripped the head of it out, always something😂 thank you very much.
They put some kind of thread locker and sealer on the plug threads. It is to prevent the plug from backing out and diff fluid from leaking out. That's why it is so hard to remove these plugs. I bought a new allen wrench stainless magnetic plug from Yukon, and then used Permatex high temperature thread sealant. Product number 59214. I didn't put a lot of sealant the threads. Just enough to prevent it from leaking and backing out.
wow. .. that was great. Mine was . .. .well, is stuck like that. I didn't try heat, but I will. But mine is full of oil. Will the heat ignight anyting?
some heat may help, but i wouldnt go crazy with it , you just want to expand the area around the plug a bit to help loosen it.
Heat will help but if the plug gets stripped thats another story . proceed with caution but def try heating it up some first.
What is flash grinding?
I was referring to the edge of the tool, grinding so it would bite harder into the plug without stripping it more. As chrome can do.
@@rick3090 thanks for the reply I get it so you strip all the chrome on the sides and ground the face creating sharp corners. Thanks for the tip!
1/2 breaker bar
2005 Honda CR-V both differential 3/8" were stripped by dealership.
They refused to take the blame.
How do you know remove those bolts when I have tried all your steps?
the alternative might be harder, if this plug wouldn't have come out for me i would have used a welder to weld a nut over the plug to get it loose.
@@rick3090 It's just not enough room to use welder or torch on CR-V.
The 3/8" square bolts were rounded when I inspected.
Fluid was never drained nor installed. But was billed.
@@angelisone honestly i dont think any size of drain plug is a 3/8 inch on a honda, most everything is a metric , if they did in fact use a 3/8 it usually is smaller than a 10mm which is typical sizes however some are 12, 14, and 16 mm metric , that may explain why its stripped and also considering alot of the japanese makes have bolt, nuts, etc . that are very tight on initial loosening ( super tight from the factory) if they used the wrong size tool for the procedure it could in fact strip, good luck with getting them to help, you may have to find a good reputable shop to help.
@@rick3090 Correct bolts/nuts are in metric.
ATG, Raymond & Thomas Magliozzi, Scotty Kilmer & Ericthecarguy use 3/8" to remove the Transmission Fluid Drain Bolt and Rear Differential Bolts.
There is no way that a metric tool will fit nor able to remove these bolts.
@@rick3090 Again, have any other suggestions on how to removed those 3/8" square bolts when they are rounded?
Yes, tried with bolt extractor, didn't work.
Metal plug would expand with heat your making it harder for yourself