My oil sump plug ...

[jamesandtheopenroad]

... is stuck. Fast.

Whoever tightened it last - not me - has done it way to tight. And to make things worse, the plug itself seems to be made from chocolate. Cheap chocolate at that.


The thread went straight away so I tried JB welding a slightly larger socket on - no good - and forcing a smaller socket on in the vain hope of some purchase - hopeless.

So now I'm stuck with a fubared, non moving sump plug on a van needing an oil change.

I'm terrified at what you guys are gonna say but ... please, hit me with it.

[Ian Hulley]

Bliddy soft southerners !

You are actually undoing it aren't you ? Easily done ! While you are the right way up make sure it's undoing ... i.e. anti-clockwise. Get a new sump plug ready from Brickwerks or GSF and then tap onto the old one an 12mm or 1/2" AF socket and start again, working your way down till a socket fits on properly. There are also 'recovery' sockets which bite into the head of the bolt.

If the worse comes to the worse get a pump and pump the oil out of the filler tube.

Ian

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

if you want to be brutish about it, and Ian's socket suggestion doesn't work, then you can use a cold chisel and try and knock it round until it moves, then you should be able to finish it off with molegrips.

Good luck sorting it out

Ewen

[Ian Hulley]

I meant to say use a hexagon socket, bi-hexual ( sniggers ) ones ... especially cheap ones ... can round even the best of bolt heads off.

Ian

[ermie571]

James......they MAY have used araldite to hold it in if the thread had gone and it was loose....Have no idea how you would tell, other than it won't come off....


Em
xx

[jamesandtheopenroad]

He (or she ) who dares - wins!

Thanks chaps and chapette, grabbed my danglies, swallowed hard and had a go. Got the bleeder out and gave her a little oily massage. Mmm mmm.

I was using those bi-hexagon sockets so think an investment in some mono-hexagon sockets may be in order.

Now to sort out the intermittent reverse light and the bush squeak and the ...

... ad infinitum.

[Ian Hulley]

Now to sort out the intermittent reverse light

Switch contacts passenger side of gearbox, disconnect plug, clean contacts, spray with WD40 and refit plug.

Squeeks up front are normally the upper wishbone bushes Try squirting a silicone service spray along/around the centre bolt ... pictured here ...



Ian