Sump Plug

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jimmymarsbar
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Sump Plug

Post by jimmymarsbar »

My Megane 1.5 dci is due it's oil change soon, so I thought I'd do it myself, the weather was nice, SWMBO was doing my head in, no better time to do it than this weekend.

I got out my 8mm sump plug key/socket, and the bloody thing just cams out.

Having a closer look, the plug was rounded out to the point where nothing works to get the plug out.

I reckon the plug has been over tightened in the past, and the last guy/garage neanderthal working on the oil change has somehow destroyed the plug. It's not going anywhere.

I attempted a T55 torx socket driven into into the plug, but the plug just gets more chewed up.

Next thought was to chisel a notch in the plug and use a drift to work it round. But owing to the limited clearance under the car, this wasn't an option.

Yesterday, I rummaged through the gash box at work, found a 13mm bolt, stud sat in the hole, head sat against the plug. Welded onto the plug, the weld failed and the head just sheered straight off. Too much torque for 13mm.

Ground the bolt head back down to the plug, had a 19mm bolt and nut, span the nut down to the bolt head, there was just enough metal on the plug showing to get a weld on, 1 turn of my 3/8" ratchet and it came off nice and easy.

Either the garage gorilla over-torqued the plug, or the plug was made of cheese.
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by CitroJim »

Gosh :shock: That must have been tight!

You were lucky the sump itself was not damaged!
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by jimmymarsbar »

The old plug had clearly been overtightened, the thread at the top end (ie. the head) of the plug had flattened, and the thread in the sump had cross-threaded slightly on the first thread. But, nothing that couldn't be sorted.

The filter was just as tight.....
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by CitroJim »

people who do that to cars should not be allowed near them...
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by ekjdm14 »

CitroJim wrote:people who do that to cars should not be allowed near them...


Sounds like it went to the exact opposite "specialist" that our Xant' was with, I have to say I much prefer to find drain plugs loose like on that than overtorqued to the point of destruction... At least you won't have to worry if the spheres will come undone on that Megane :)
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by Peter.N. »

Common problem I have had it on several cars, I keep a stock of copper washers so I don't have to do it up very tight.

The worse job was on one of my recently acquired 406s, I say recently although I have had it for over a year but this is the first oil change I have done as it had just been serviced when I bought it (so I know who to blame). The sump plug came undone OK but I couldn't get the filter off, I only ever tighten them hand tight and you usually unscrew the by hand but this one wouldn't move.

I used a chain strap wrench on it but it was slowly destroying the filter, I spent an hour or so trying to move it and eventually resorted to my home made sphere removal tool which uses double motorbike chain, eventually with a 3' breaker bar I got it to shift. However they had got it that tight I am at a loss to know.

Incidentally, the sump plug on my first 406 had the thread stripped in the sump, I successfully ran the car for 5 years and over 60k miles by winding about 10 turns of PTFE tape round the plug every time I changed the oil.

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Re: Sump Plug

Post by white exec »

I think that oil filters not budging are often down to a failure to coat the rubber sealing washer with oil. Many of these sealing rings are now glued to the filter groove, and if a dry ring is screwed down onto a dry engine flange, then it can "bake" into position. I've started using a smear of silicone grease on the rings now.

Do remember what Peter once described, years ago, when almost everything failed to unscrew a filter - strap and chain wrenches, even a cold chisel through it - all that happened was that the 'can' messily collapsed. In the end, resorted to a small chisel dug into the filter's base and a good bit of hammering.

For our Toyota, I bought an inexpensive filter socket, which makes gentle tightening and undoing really easy.
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by CitroJim »

Chris, a very good tip but ordinary engine oil is fine too.

I've always oiled the filter sealing ring before fitting and never, ever had a problem removing an oil filter subsequently - often being able to do it by hand without tools...

I've got what looks like a pair of forceps (but designed for the job) for removing stubborn filters... Works a treat, even where a socket like yours won't fit - such as in an Activa...
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by Peter.N. »

Chris - I tried the hammer and chisel approach this time to no avail, it was just destroying the filter and I had nasty black oil dripping all over me, you have to be careful not to damage the mating surface on the block too.

Jim - As long as the block is clean I leave the existing oil on the surface and just screw it on, I never normally have trouble unscrewing them by hand when I have fitted them.

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Re: Sump Plug

Post by white exec »

I was lucky with the one I had to "notch hammer" to undo: the rim of the filter (into which I dug the cold chisel) overhung the alu engine flange, so less chance of accidental damage.

Jim - agreed, a bit of oil is everything you need. I just had the silicone grease handy, so it got used.

Luxury-of-luxuries, the genuine Toyota (Denso) filters come with a pull-away film protector across the base, with the rubber seal pre-greased. Can't have those Toyota 'technicians' getting greasy!
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by CitroJim »

white exec wrote:Can't have those Toyota 'technicians' getting greasy!


Absolutely not! Heaven forbid :lol:
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by elma »

Toyota are full of great ideas, their factory is sci fi compared to everyone else's. I wish they would make a car I like because I love the way they make them, just not what they actually make.
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Re: RE: Re: Sump Plug

Post by mickeymoon »

elma wrote:Toyota are full of great ideas, their factory is sci fi compared to everyone else's. I wish they would make a car I like because I love the way they make them, just not what they actually make.
Yes. Exactly the issue I have with Toyotas! Wonderfully made vehicles, just so tedious. I have a liking for the MR2 Roadster and the later RAV4 but other than that....

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Re: Sump Plug

Post by white exec »

Absolutely. Just think what thy could have achieved with a decent styling department!
The saloon cars are particularly sad-looking.

Despite that, they have sold one or two (just look at the recall numbers!). But so have Beko, LG and Indesit :(
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Re: Sump Plug

Post by CitroJim »

white exec wrote: The saloon cars are particularly sad-looking.


yes, but not half as sad as the Fraud Fiesta of the late 90s/early 2000s ... That one looked positively inconsolable due to the front-end styling :lol:
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