Hey guys,

Here's the deal... i've gotta change oil on my mates TS 4 cylinder...

so i got under the car to check size of the sump plug (i assume the same as my gen1 astron - 24mm)

The socket and/or ring spanner fits on but slips off easy cos whoever serviced this in the past has screwed it up - and boy have they done it up tight!! when ever the socket or spanner actually grips, it aint moving anywhere quick...

How can the sump plug come off - even if it destroys the plug some more (the assumption is that the sump plug will be replaced with a new one)

what makes it worse is the plug mistu use (spanner got nothing to grab!!) and the fact it's resessed in the sump...

any ideas?

Cheers,
Bill

can you grip it with vise grips and then shock it loose with a hammer?

take it 2 a work shop up on a hoist n they shuld have somthing to get it loose, my old tn was done up really tight 2 was doin the same thing starting 2 round

Most shops have a neat little tool that will fix this. They drill into the centre of the plug, and then it "bites" and turns the plug out with the thread.

Neato tool that one. Seen it in action myself on my old Sickma (sigma) after I royally f*cked up during an oil and filter change.

Most shops have a neat little tool that will fix this. They drill into the centre of the plug, and then it "bites" and turns the plug out with the thread.

Neato tool that one. Seen it in action myself on my old Sickma (sigma) after I royally f*cked up during an oil and filter change.
Its called an "EZY OUT", its a left-handed threaded corkscrew.

Can buy them in different sizes from good tool places.

i rounded the one on my old auto box, so i filed the sides down and i could use a spanner 2mm smaller :P

The best type of ezy out are the fluted straight ones IMO but for something as big as a sump plug, it wouldn't matter which type you used.
btw, would try the vice grips first.
:D

Try using a HEX socket in either 15/16 or 24mm one of these has a slightly tighter fit, if it still slips with this kind of socket then i suggest not messing with it anymore and take it to a workshop

Jeez, its only a sump plug. Why pay a mechanic God knows what if you can butcher it out yourself :badgrin:

I know this might sound like a stupid question, and I'm not trying to insult you, but are you turning it the right way?
I'm a fitter by trade and have spent almost 30 years associated with fixing machinery and it is not hard to forget which way to turn a nut or bolt when you are lying on your back looking at things from funny angles.

As someone else suggested you could try and clean the hex up with a file.
If you can, see if you can beg, buy or borrow a metrinch socket. I have never used one myself but I have heard that they are really good in this situation as they drive on the middle of the flat of the nut rather than the corners.

Ezy out's, great little tool for making broken bolts that are only hard to get out ,almost impossible to get out once you break the ezy out off in them.

keep us posted in how you go

regards
bollie7

I know this might sound like a stupid question, and I'm not trying to insult you, but are you turning it the right way?
I'm a fitter by trade and have spent almost 30 years associated with fixing machinery and it is not hard to forget which way to turn a nut or bolt when you are lying on your back looking at things from funny angles.

Made sure of that... i set the rachet right before getting under the car - so i must be turning it the right way - but yeah i know what you mean - it can get confusing

We are gonna try on the weekend... i'll post what the outcome was next week

thanks for the ideas guys

Bill

I know this might sound like a stupid question, and I'm not trying to insult you, but are you turning it the right way?
I'm a fitter by trade and have spent almost 30 years associated with fixing machinery and it is not hard to forget which way to turn a nut or bolt when you are lying on your back looking at things from funny angles.

Made sure of that... i set the rachet right before getting under the car - so i must be turning it the right way - but yeah i know what you mean - it can get confusing

We are gonna try on the weekend... i'll post what the outcome was next week

thanks for the ideas guys

Bill