Oil Change From Hell......

89_Red_Xr7

Registered User
well, i just went out to change the oil in the cougar and when i went to take off the oil drain plug it wouldnt budge. i used the same 16MM box end wrench that iv'e used for two years to do the oil. after about 5 minutes of pulling on the wrench i was about to give up when i gave it one last tug..... then the bolt stripped.

the last time i changed the oil, i only tightened the plug, i got it snug and then tightened 1/2 turn.

why the hell would it be so hard to get the plug off??!?!?! would it help if the car was at normal operating temp?( i tried to change the oil while the car was stone cold) it doesnt matter how messed up the bolt is when it comes off, since i can use the drain plug off the other engine in my garage.


any help is Immensely appreciated!!

Andrew:mad:
 
The head of the bolt rounded off, right? Or do you mean that the threads stripped out and the bolt is just turning?

-Rod
 
craftsman

Sears has a set of sockets to get rounded/stripped bolts and nuts off. It looks like it would work, it is worth checking it out. You can always take it back if it does not work, or even if it does work. But they may be useful to have around.

Were you using a 6pt or a 12pt? If a 12 point, and it only rounded a little, try a 6pt. They are much stronger.

Good luck

Aaron
 
the head of the bolt is just rounded off.

i have been using a 12pt, but will try a 6pt tomorrow when i get a chance.

if that doesnt work ill try that craftsman set

Andrew:cool:
 
I've used a 17mm socket, and a 3/8" torque wrench for the longest time, to remove the plug - no problems, whatsoever.

The drain plug eventually locks itself into the threads, within the 2500-3000 mile timeframe, where there's heat expansion and contracting of metal, at the threads of the pan and plug. I always make the plug snug-tight after an oil change, but like I said - it locks into the threads, making it 5x tougher to get off, 2500-3000 miles later. :)

I usually, start the car and let it run for a few minutes, then turn off the motor, before I attempt to loosen the drain plug. I'm not too comfortable loosening it, on a cold motor, especially in the Winter. The plug comes out easier on a warm motor. Just my .02.
 
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Vice grips are more useless, than an actual wrench or socket. Vice grips can slip easily, too. Plus, they're not meant for leverage.

Torque wrench/breaker bar and the CORRECT socket is the way to go. No sense wasting your effort, twisting a pair of vice grips around a bolt that won't come off, without the proper leverage. You'll risk stripping the bolt, just like this guy did.

If you were able to get that kind of steady leverage out of a pair of vice grips, breaker bars would be obsolete.
 
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his bolt is already stripped, I was reccomending the grips for getting the old one out. I have never had grips slip on me. You just gotta get them on there really tight.
 
Re: craftsman

Bigme574 said:
Sears has a set of sockets to get rounded/stripped bolts and nuts off. It looks like it would work, it is worth checking it out. You can always take it back if it does not work, or even if it does work. But they may be useful to have around.

Were you using a 6pt or a 12pt? If a 12 point, and it only rounded a little, try a 6pt. They are much stronger.

Good luck

Aaron
GatorGrip is garbage and not worth the 10USD that I paid for it. It couldn't take off a starter bolt that was rounded. Email me and I will give to anyone for FREE!

Calvin
 
He's talking about Craftsman Bolt-Out sockets, not Gatorcrap.

BTW, not that this has anything to do with the bolt getting stuck, but I've always thought it was better to change the oil hot, not cold, because it drains better and more junk is suspended in the oil. If it's cold, stuff has settled out.
 
I know when my bolt was really hard to get off, I drove to strauss auto, got a new plug, and then took a breakerbar to the old one, got that puppy off and put on my new plug ;) ... You can buy new plugs for under $3... incase you didnt know :-D
 
The Bolt removing sockets have reverse teeth in them that grib the bolt and dig in as more torque is applied in the counter clockwise direction. No good for opposite direction threads but fine for problems like this.

A 6 point socket with a breaker bar is always a good first step. Vice grips are the last step, and you need to know how to use them when you do. The proper vice grip will also have jaws cut so that as you turn, they bite into the bolt head tighter. That's why you need to get them very tight to start with, otherwise as the teeth grip more into the bolt, the grip becomes loose.
 
I feel that a 12pt. socket 'locks' much firmer onto the bolt head. The 6pt. is odd - it won't lock onto the bolt head as well, unless the bolt is in AT THE VERY LEAST, near-perfect condition.

Again, just my .02.
 
Had this problem on a drain plug bolt in a Subaru a few years back after it locked itself hard core into the oil pan. Tried every tool we could think of, and bought a bunch more to no avail. Finally, I walked into the garage and grabbed the large size plumbers wrench. Tightened its grips onto the bolt as best I could, and gave it a turn. Came right off.

Good luck
 
I use to work at an Oil Change place..

We had this problem several times a day...

Nothing works better than a 5 pound sledge hammer.. :)

an if that doesn't work.. you always have the hardened. High speed drill bits..


Ahhhh... Just kidding.. hahahah...
 
Ahhhhhhh

Nothing works better than a 5 pound sledge hammer..
Wow, If my car was in for an oil change and I saw someone going under my car with a five pound hammer..... Lets just say they would be walking funny with no hammer in sight.
 
Re: Ahhhhhhh

carguyinok said:
Wow, If my car was in for an oil change and I saw someone going under my car with a five pound hammer..... Lets just say they would be walking funny with no hammer in sight.

hahahaha... I agree with you...


Ahhh.. I hope you do know I was kidding... just trying to be funny... of course the thought ofit on your car isn't funny... :)

:D :D
 
It's IMPOSSIBLE!

well, i took another crack at the plug today and it wont come out at all.

i borrowed that craftsman set that is supposed to take out stripped bolts and it didnt work.

next came the vise grips an a breaker bar,
i had teh grips set so tight i had to use channel locks to lock the vise grips. after all that effort to get the grips on, all that they did was shear off.

so the plan is to take the car to my friendly neighborhood sc guy and have him drill a 1/8 or so hole through the bolt to drain the oil, and then get it out using a tap.
:mad: :mad: :mad:

Andrew:mad:
 
Re: It's IMPOSSIBLE!

89_Red_Xr7 said:

next came the vise grips an a breaker bar,
i had teh grips set so tight i had to use channel locks to lock the vise grips. after all that effort to get the grips on, all that they did was shear off.

Exactly what happened to me; then I used the plumbers wrench and it came right off.

Its at least worth a try...
 
no offense, but you probably don't have a strong enough grip to get the vice grips tight enough. My dad could sqeeze vice grips on tight enough so I could beat them with a hammer and the wouldn't come loose. (Sucked to get them to release).

A pipe wrench is a good idea as they grip tigher as you turn them.

Now, another no offense comment, but are you sure you are trying to turn the correct direction?

also you might try some heat.

I must have had a tough drain plug on a Taurus I once owned as when sitting in the car at the Rapid Oil change I could feel the car rocking as the guy underneath was cranking on it. when you see a couple other guys having to go into the pit to check on what is the problem, you know the bastard that change the oil last time put it on way too tight.
 
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