I set out to change the tranny and diff fluid a few days ago.. the tranny was no problem.. but then when I go to drain the diff.. the plug turns ever so slowly with all of my strength and begins stripping (yes the square part) its seized or rusted or something, I cant budge it anymore.. and its stripped to almost nothing.. I know this probably couldve been avoided, but the damage is done and I need a way to remove this damn drain plug! I dont care how damaged the plug ends up.. I need it out without wrecking my diff housing!

I've tried everything! heating it up.. using sprays and penetrants, vise grips.. nothing works....
my new bright idea is to weld a nut onto it and just use a socket.. ?

anyone got any ideas?
Thanks

 

get one of those extractor kits and a heafty torque bar and grunt for 5 hrs and it will probably come out =)

 

that would work.. I just need something to grab the pesky drain plug by the ***** without slipping and i can torque it out... grabbing it well enough is the hard part

 

nice set of vice grips should keep ahold of it. If you need someone with more strength to get ahold if it, don't be affraid to ask a buddy.

 

The way i dit it is get a drill bit drill a hole and then hammer an extracton on to the hole. the drain plug came out like nothing!

 

you're turning it counterclockwise right?

 

Doesn't it just take the 1/2 in drive from a socket? I remember i used a wratched with a breaker bar.. and these muscles

 

needs more muscle pawr

 

ok take the axle out drain all the fuild then get a small hand held torch and heat the crap out of it then spray wd 40 on it then heat agian then spray heat then try to remove. that will do it...dont use a cutting torch!! use just a el cheapo advanced torch for 8 bucks there just a heat torch every garage should have a heating torch.

 

it uses a 3/8 drive ratchet head.. trust me.. muscle power is not an issue I used a 1/2" breaker bar with a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter, and it twisted the head of the adapter right off, so I found a better adapter, and eventually the square bolt head went round, so then i took out the vise grips, clamped them down HARD, harder than i've ever clamped anything, and put a pipe over the vise grip handles as a lever.. and it just shredded the metal right off of the drain plug, I take off the vise grips to find metal imbedded in the teeth... .. this thing is damn tight.. I think the only way is to hammer something in and try it

 

and yes I was turning it counter clockwise lol... it unscrewed about half a thread and stopped

 

Why? WD40 isn't a lubricant, it's a water displacer. It helps prevent, not remove, rust.

 

Take it to a muffler shop and get them to remove it. Failing that, take it to a transmission shop.

These shops must have to deal with difficult to remove bolts every day and know the tricks of the trade.

 

Thanks for the tips all..
I give up.. I managed to get a good grab inside the plug today.. so I felt triumphant finally!

Fired up the air compressor, sure this would work.. 1/2" air impact does NOT budge the drain plug..

If that doesn't work... nothing I can do will work

 

wd 40 is good when you heat stuff up it kinda penitrates into the groves while hot
all i know is i had the same problem on a white gsl. and i got it out with big vise grips and heating it several times then spraying with wd then repeat.

 

ill get it out

 

ok. on my way! lol..

I have a white GSL too.. must be cursed :P

 

longer torque bar! =)
haha surprisingly my GSL was pretty easy to take out.

 

y'all are lucky!
my plug is stripped too... and its so tight an impact wrench cant even take it out.. i'm SCREWED

 

P B Blaster and heat. Then run it in and out with an impact wrench to clear the threads.

 

Sounds to me like the plug was cross threaded when installed last, not really that hard to do actually. When you crossthread something, its not all that hard to screw in, its usually when taking it out again that something snaps off. This might be your problem, and with the size of the threads, will be extremely difficult to deal with. If you can't get it out, you'll be stuck with drilling the plug out and getting something else in that hole.

 

Yup.. sounds like what happened to me.. it make sense...
I have a feeling the only way is to drill..
Thanks everyone for their input..
any last minute ideas before i drill?

 

drill is probably the best option.
you would probably have to re tap the hole before putting anything new in.

 

take a dental pick and scrape around the thread. getting rid of all the pesky rust particals.
then hit it with PB blaster. Wait
then dental pick again.
now tighten it back up and try to open it again. i bet it goes no problem
Love ,
Matt

 

Makes sense that should work... but I cant even tighten it in anymore.. even with the impact gun.. i cant move it with anything..