a different method of gearbox oil fill?

[what2do]

Not too far from ne, I'm in Salisbury and have never let a bolt (upto M85 x 425) beat me yet. Itchyfeet can vouch for this as he now has an operational spare dg which had a sheared head stud when he bought it. I gave up on it 3 consequetive evenings! It came out in the end. I do like a challenge.

[itchyfeet]

Yeh he has some weird fettish about removing stuck bolts with a welding torch

[infidel]

Not too far from ne, I'm in Salisbury and have never let a bolt (upto M85 x 425) beat me yet. Itchyfeet can vouch for this as he now has an operational spare dg which had a sheared head stud when he bought it. I gave up on it 3 consequetive evenings! It came out in the end. I do like a challenge.

I am overwhelmed


this gearbox nut is nothing compared to another sheared bolt I have on the engine casing , so you could have a wonderful time getting to grips with them both.

can I send you a PM ?

[what2do]

Feel free, I feel a challenge coming on. Ps. Itchyfeet has yet to see the engine minus a broken stud - not unless he saw it fetch good money on eBay. Hahahahaha

[what2do]

I keep looking for that pm???

[DavidPallister]

you can also fill via the reverse switch hole but it takes a long time as the oil has to pass through three small holes in the selector shaft bush to get into the box, but it has been done, ideally you want an adapter that will screw into the switch housing

now this sounds like plan!
any idea where I would get hold of an adaptor, or do I make it myself?

first of all of course, I have yet to attempt removing the drain plug

been to Vanfest to pick up a few bits, one of which has taken me four years to locate, so I shall be tackling the drain plug tomorrow.

If you do end up using this method, just make sure you put the drain plug back in first

[handsmann]

Sorry to jump onto this forum, but my Bank Holiday seems to have been blighted by a similar issue.



Not really sure how someone has produced the result that I can see in this photo (circled) but there is not enough metal for me to get any tool onto and turn. Has the welding solution proposed previously had the desired effect for anyone, bearing in mind I have no welding skills and so will need to pay someone to do this for me?

Thanks

A rather fed up Manchester member

[Oldiebut goodie]

There isn't any metal to get hold of - the hex fits into the hole. I can't see any sign that you have used one there. Clean it out well so that the hex tool fits securely and deeply before you start the heaving.

[ZsZ]

as above, and some very light hammering on the socket (or more gently on the screw itself) should help.

Sometimes I try to tighten a bit first to get the rust around the screw broken

[what2do]

Without considering what tools you do or don't have, if I were presented with this I'd first, attempt to get a metric or imperial bolt to fit in the hex aperture, I've tonnes of old bolts of various origin, so there's always going to be one that fits snug.

Next, with a T-bar from a socket set I'd attempt to loosen it (as previously mentioned, when something is stubborn, try to tighten it a little first - you'd be surprised what a difference this makes). If this failed, I'd apply heat, will take a little while longer as the gearbox oil is having a cooling effect on the flame, still no drama. This would more than likely be enough to remove even the most stubborn of plugs.

However, if this fails, I'd pull out the mig welder and 'partially fill' the hollow with weld. This has the effect of 'pulling' the sides of the plug in, thus, reducing it's diameter, resulting in it breaking away from the threaded hole in the gearbox. It's the same when removing bearings, if they've fallen to fits and the outer race is tight in the hub for example, a bead of weld on the inside and they just pop out like the eighth child to a catholic mother!

Fingers crossed you manage by yourself, but if you do employ the services of a garage, discuss it with them first. Repairing modern cars is very different to fixing old ones and some of these techniques are dying out.

May the force of 80-90 be with you! Mitch.

[Oldiebut goodie]

IMHO poor advice, use the correct tool first and there is less chance of messing it up. Other methods considered afterwards. 17mm hex if my memory isn't failing. This poster hasn't attempted to undo it yet and you have him running around the houses already with various methods for a stuck plug!

[what2do]

Obg, 17mm hex or a std boot share the size across the faces! Which is what I stated in my first sentence. May I also add that my message included; if I were presented with this!!

Hate to be accused of offering poor advice but I've spent 5 hours today removing 3 MIGHTY bolts from a chieftan tank - same rules apply, it's all about the technique and tools to hand. The op may not have the required tool but he does have the correct size bolt on the van which could be 'borrowed' for this purpose which in turn would prevent him from having to run around the houses. Just saying like.

I don't think anyone on here has ever reported back that they failed to remove this plug, I hope this is the case for the op.

[handsmann]

For some reason, I've only just seen that this post had some replies - so I've not been ignoring the great advice that's here. I think I've revealed my lack of experience here - and probably panicked a bit too soon. As a workaround, I've managed to realign the plates at the base of the gear lever enough to get 1st reliably *most* of the time, but I will make sure I have everything I need for this job and crack on with it.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement.

Chris