AO

Ok... I'm off to a pretty crappy start on my MM replacement project. It seems that who ever worked on this car before used the FT spec when tightening bolts. You know what FT is right? ****ING TIGHT!

So after 2 hours I finally got the oil filter off, and swaybar off. That's it! I've been trying to get the oil drain plug off, but it won't budge! It's now rounded off. My last attempt was to use vice grips - No go. Next will be a pipe wrench and some heat around the edge of the bolt... I'll be careful and have a fire extinguisher handy just in case.

Any other suggestions?

sublimate

Since you're doing the motor mounts I'm assuming you're also changing your oil pan gasket? If so my suggestion would be to wait until you drop the pan to tackle it. That way you can spray PB Blaster on the threads from the inside and also you won't have to worry about burning up your car.

IcemanG17

Andrew
You could try those new clover shaped wrenches that supposedly only apply torque to the center of the bolt face not on the edges like convential wrenches! I've heard they work really well

AO

I may give that a try. I'm in the garage with my laptop, so I'll keep working and check back occasionally.

AO

BTW, is there any reason to NOT completely remove the swaybar?

GlenL

Spray it. Hit it. Heat it. Crank on it. Repeat!

Also, with the soft aluminum pans I'd expect the threads to be messed up if it was really overtorqued. And a bit of humble BTDT: make sure you're turning it the right way.

Lowering the pan isn't a bad idea. I'd personally expect to create a huge mess, though.

Drill through the bolt head? Then you could fab a plug for inside the plug. Or get an EZ-out started.

GlenL

I'd drop the swaybar. Could be a nice WYAIT project to add poly swaybar bushings. I put them on my car and have seen the exact same parts at the local AutoZone. They're made in inch sizes so get the next bigger size.

AO

I remember Big Dave saying that sears makes a thing called a bolt-out. I'm gonna make a quick run over to sears and pick one up. Stay tuned.

Mark

No reason NOT to - just a tiny bit more work. A good WYAIT would be to replace the sway bar bushings with the greaseable ones. BETTER STILL - put in one of the new 928 Specialists sway bars/droplinks!!!

BTW - When I did mine, the Pirtle step-by-steps with pics was a HUGE help (Thanks, John!). Here's the link -> http://members.rennlist.com/pirtle/svc_mm.html

Garth S

Smack the end of the oil plug with a hammer, and if you have an impact gun, work it back and forth at a low setting: you are setting up modest shock waves that will often help far more than brute force - the latter usually destroys delicate thingies .... like Alum. threads ....

BTW, far better to drop the sway bar,

Fabio421

Snap-on makes a type of wrench called a "flank drive". I believe they also have an equivelant socket. When I bought mine I thought it was just some sales pitch from the snap-on guy. But they were the only angle wrenches he had at the time. Then a couple of years later I was working on my 59 Fairlane and was replacing the brakes. I tried in vain to get the brake lines off and my flare nut wrenches were flexing. That is how seized the brake lines were. I had thouroghly rounded the brake line fittings when I remembered the flank drive wrenches. I tried one and it broke it free easily. I though that it might be a fluke so I tried another wheel. Bam!! Broke that one free too. I ended up getting them all off easily with these OPEN ENDED wrenches. It ws absolutely amazing. They deff. work. A little pricey but well worth the money. By now there may be a craftsman equivelant. They look like a regular open ended wrench but they hace three little grooves cut into each side of the wrench where it bites onto the fastener.
If that doesen't work there is a socket called a stud puller that is made for removing broken bolts (rounded objects) that would work great in your situation as well.
Barring the purchase of new tools. Sometimes you can relieve the preassure on a tight fastener by drilling a relief hole through the center. Since the plug is already rounded it shouldn't matter because you will be replacing it anyway.
The last resort is what I am in the process of doing right now. I just got finished cutting off a couple chunks of 17mm hex key so that I can weld them into the fill and drain plugs of my differential. Porsche used some very shallow hex head pipe plugs on these things and they are so tight that this is what I have to do to get them out. You could mig a nut onto the pipe plug and use that to get a good grip on the plug.
Good Luck

AO

Quick update:
Well the sears bolt off didn't do anything but make thing worse.

I figure, I'll leave it alone. The oil pan isn't leaking...yet, but after jacking on the oil pan, it might. Hope not.

I've forged ahead. Rack is now down and the main motor mount nuts are off. But now I have to go and pick up my son from Japanese school. So I'll gat to tackle the rest later.

Bye for now.

FlyingDog

Mine was a PITA the first time also. It finally came off when I filed some of the deformed metal off, got a good grip with a socket, applied light turning pressure with the rachet, then alternated hitting the head of the rachet into the plug and the handle to turn. If you've completely rounded it off you could try dremeling/hacksawing new flats, or use a pipe wrench.

If you run into more seized or overtorqued bolts, forget PBBlaster. Find a machinists supply shop and get some Kano Kroil.

JP Rodkey

Since it's boogered up already, go with the pipe wrench - it will work.

Greggles

If you're going back to sear to return the bolt out you might want to give these a try. There are perfect for rounded bolts

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00942515000