Rounded Sump Nut - Now what?

[Sh!tbucket]

When I bought my van, the owner had put a recon engine in and then left the van sat for three years. So it's never had an oil change. It's a 1.9 waterboxer, DG code.

Now I've bought it and it looks although the recon company fitted a chewed up sump nut then painted all the crankcases. Now I've cleaned off the paint, cleaned up the nut and tried a 13mm socket on it - it rounded. I've tried a 1/2" - no good.

I then tried filing it down with a Dremel and knocking on a 12mm, I got good purchase on it, but it's just chewing the the bolt head, it's really soft metal. In a final desperate attemp, I've ground a slot into it and tried some flat bar - nothing.

So, anyone been in this situation and what did you do?

I don't wanna take the oil pick-up bolt out incase, for some reason, there's a nut inside it. That and you don't get all the oil.

Any help?
Ta, Dan.

[Aidan]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IRWIN-10-Pce- ... 43a0f365f8

cheaper than when I bought my set and the best £50 I spent on tools for saving time
use some heat too

[Oldiebut goodie]

A proper stilson pipe wrench is also good for them - I used to use them on on well corroded 28 and 32mm tank top/inspection plate nuts on ships when a normal spanner wouldn't grip. It will work if it is perfectly round.

[Sh!tbucket]

I shall try some of those, Machine Mart sell them and they're open tomorrow (bank hol).

I hope the work, nothing else I've tried has, I'm worried the thread will strip.

Cheers.

[Aidan]

A proper stilson pipe wrench is also good for them - I used to use them on on well corroded 28 and 32mm tank top/inspection plate nuts on ships when a normal spanner wouldn't grip. It will work if it is perfectly round.

wbx sump plug is almost recessed and not big head so difficult to get with stilson or molegrips

if it's tight then threads haven't stripped unless it's been locktited which is unlikely as difficult to clean threads enough to bodge plug in with locktite if previously stripped, the Irwins are directional so you won't go the wrong way and tighten it further, easy to confuse which way to turn to undo when working upside down or blind though often slightly tightening something can help to free it bizarrely

true hex sockets (as per impact sockets) rather than 12 point are best for undoing tight/rusty things as they are driving the flats rather than the corners of the bolt head/nut so less likely to strip

[psychonaut]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IRWIN-10-Pce- ... 43a0f365f8

cheaper than when I bought my set and the best £50 I spent on tools for saving time
use some heat too

I'll second that, you wont spend a better £35.90 on tools again in your life!!

[futbus]

We have welded a length of bar to the plug before. The heat helps loosen the "pooh" bunging up the threads and when the heats transfers into the case expands more and then unwind the plug.

[Sh!tbucket]

Thanks for all the help chaps, I'd proper mashed the sump nut welding things to it, using pipe wrenchs and banging on undersized sockets, all to no avail.

I bought a set of the Irwin Bolt Extractors that Aidan posted the link to, only I got mine from Machine Mart because I needed them straight away.

THEY ARE AWESOME! Got home, pulled the 13mm out of the kit and within a minute it was out, 4 hours of pissing around yesterday were wasted in 1 minute!

At first I thought they weren't working as it felt like it was chewing the bolt head, but the more you turn the tighter it grips and as Aidan said you can't turn them the wrong way, they only work in untighten direction.

Thanks for all the advice folks.

Dan.

[Footprint]

Drive it until it's hot If possible, if not then warm the area with a heat gun - the cases, (aluminium), expand much more than the sump plug, (steel), making the plug somewhat less tight.

[kevtherev]

Quite right footprint
never try to undo a plug on a cold engine..
For those reasons.. and the oil is thicker when cold so it takes longer to drain.

[Sh!tbucket]

It was all warmed up. I never drain cold oil.
I'd taken it on a good long run, got it nice and hot. By the time I'd finished trying to crack it though, that was a waste of time and petrol!
Those Irwin bolt extractors are the dogs danglies though.

Dan.

[kevtherev]

Sorry, I meant that as a general observation ...not directed entirely at yourself Mr Bucket