4-Speed Tranny Drain/Fill Plugs Stuck

[Oiluj]

I'm having difficulty getting the fill plug out of my transsmission. Based on what I saw from removing the drain plug, the PO used red loctite and a ga-zillion ft-lbs of torque to install them.

So far all I've managed to do is ruin one 17 mm end wrench and slightly round a couple corners of the plug. Two days of alternating heat and spraying w/ CRC Freze-Off has had no effect.

The plug looks to be 17 mm square across the flats. I've been looking for a square socket, but all I can find is 11/16". (Craftsman, Snap-On, McMaster-Carr).

I can't install the tranny untill this is solved...

Any ideas, tricks or a source of where to get the right size socket?

Thanks,

[Arne]

The trick is to find a tool that will grip the plug firmly enough that you can get some serious torque on it. I've had to go as far as using a pipe wrench with a 3 foot cheater on the end. (Destroyed the plug, but who cares? I got it out.)

If the flats on the plug aren't too rounded yet, the 11/16 square socket will be a touch sloppy, but might still be solid enough to get it done.

[Mike B]

You might try these craftsman "extreme grip" wrenches.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00942513000P?mv=rr

Here's the description: Design grabs and removes stuck fasteners. Extreme Grip is a super-strong open-end wrench. Unique offset designed head and long beam length for easy access and reach. Extended length provides 35% more leverage than other wrenches. Ideal for use on rounded fasteners as well as on standard open-end applications. Off-corner loading puts the turning force on the sides of the fastener.

I've had luck using them on stuck and rounded bolts and nuts. You might need to use some sort of cheater bar on the end to get more leverage.

-Mike

[Arne]

I've got a set of those wrenches, and they are pretty nice. But they don't have enough surface to grip a square head, in my experience.

[skunkteeth]

I had the same problem.

I ended up putting the wrench on there so it was almost horizontal and using a floor jack to losen it up

[Walter Moore]

I doubt that it is the P.O.'s fault. Those plugs just get tight. Something related to a steel plug in an aluminum case.

I carefully hand tightened one once with a really short wrench, and a year later I decided to take it out to check the level. It took several minutes with a pipe wrench and a sledge hammer to get it loose.

Personally, I prefer impact to raw torque because it seems to work quicker and do less damage.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Where is the fill on the4 speed tranny. I am about to drain my fluid to change it out, but realized I do not know where the fill plug is. The drain is easy, but the fill was not just jumping out at me. Which side is it on?

[Oiluj]

On the passenger side, about Half-way up. It's a square plug.

[peterc]

Try tightening it a little. Sounds perverse, but all you want to do is break the seal. And any rounding will occur on the "tightening" edges of the plug, not the "un-tightening " edges. Works really well with screws and bolts as well.

cheers,

p

[Arne]

I doubt that it is the P.O.'s fault. Those plugs just get tight. Something related to a steel plug in an aluminum case.

These square plugs are pipe threaded. The holes are slightly tapered to provide a fool-proof seal. Because of this, they generally require more torque to loosen than was used to tighten. Totally normal.

[Oiluj]

These square plugs are pipe threaded. The holes are slightly tapered to provide a fool-proof seal. Because of this, they generally require more torque to loosen than was used to tighten. Totally normal.

Yep. That's why I was so surprised to fing red Loctite on the drain plug threads!

[Friar-Tuck]

I would have to 2nd that emotion on the pipe wrench..:disappoin

That's what it took on my '71 and the '83.

A few shots of PBblaster/Kroil/seafoam Deep-Creep etc. may help, but both cars Tranny & Diff were equally as difficult.

They had to be up high enough to get a cheater on the pipe wrench.

When that puppy broke loose it sounded like I surely snapped the lug off the plug. It's Tight..

If the pipe wrench and cheater didn't work I was gonna try some heat. (let's hope you won't have to go there)

Snug up the pipewrench on the Flats and try not to yank on the cheater. Slowly apply the pressure to keep the wrench from twisting off the plug.

Re-assembly with some anti-seize and/or teflon tape on the threads, and just "snug" should help with maintenance later.

Good Luck,

Tuck \o/