Hello, im having problems :cry: im trying to change my oil. Ive changed oil in other cars before, no problems. But in my car i cant get the screw/bolt thing out from the bottom of the sump. I try as hard as i can but it just wont turn, and all i seem to be doing is making it rounded! :rant: after half an hour of trying i gave up :cry: someone help! why wont it come off?

what are u trying to turn it with?

get a Single Hex socket....i think its its a 24 or 22mm nut cant remember, i know that i always grab the wrong one when im doin an oil change......

it was probly leaking and someone done it up wayyyyy too tight which is why it now wont come off...i recommend gettin a new one when u get that one out, and do it up finger tight then just nip it up so its snug......

if u cant get it off and its completely rounded....u could try with vice grips as a LAST RESORT, if that doesnt work a chisel and hammer to try and turn it.....if that doesnt work....take it to someone who knows what their doing yet.......better yet.....if yur unsure take it to someone now.

yes thanks :) i kinda gathered it was done up wayy to tight lol thats why i cant undo it :cry: its just an oil change, i know how to do it, its just the nut wont come off. ill go get the exact right thing to take it off and buy a new nut too and try again another day :cool:

with strut top nuts and oil sump bolt, ALWAYS USE A RING SPANNER! they are the last thigns you want to round off. Plus because of the wierd angle of the sump plug bolt, it's too easy to hold the spanner at the wrong angle and start rounding it.

also there's no need to do it up too tight. The sump gets quite warm so doing it up too tight will means that your sump bolt will expand and get even more tight.

Good luck.

Weirdly, the best fit socket on the sump plug was 15/16"... wierd! :nuts:


If your last workshop has put it on with an air ratchet (quite likely), you'll need a
strong tool like a socket & crankbar... then give it a whack with a hammer.

You need the 'shock' to break the grip, not just muscle.

This may sound silly bud you would be surprised how easy it is to do it. Are you undoing it the right way? When your on the ground and looking backwards its amazing how many people get it wrong (i've done it myself a few times lol)

And as anthony said, ALWAYS use a socket of ring spanner, rounding that bastard off is the last thing you want to do. the TJ sump plug is 23mm from memory.

Goodluck mate.

shifters have no place in a garage! now its round mate you might have to cut your losses and get out the ol pipe wrench and buy a new plug from supercheap. I bought a snapon 10 inch pipe wrench and when i need i add a pole to the end for extra leverage. From memory Big W sell a similar sized one which will work great. but the plug will be fairly chewed up. It may be your only option mate :cry:

yeah the correct size of the plug is 24mm and wen u turn it to unplug this turn anti clockwise wen facing the plug.

Its not rounded enough to make a difference, so thats not the problem. I got the exact right size one to take it off (24mm) but the damn thing wont budge at all! :rant: No matter how hard i try, and ive made sure im turning it the right way too, it just wont move! The oil is black and really needs to be changed. I may have to just take it somewhere and get them to do it, which is annoying, because i know how to do it, but some little thing stops me! :rant:

Get a HAMMER, matey. Smack the spanner.

You'll soon learn how to swing a hammer whilst lying on your back without hitting yourself on the head. :)

try goin to a mecahnic and get them to un do it with an air gun,
i struggled to get off mine wen i first went for an oil change, couldnt do it, took it to the closest tyre shop they hoisted it up quickly and unscrewed it straight away and put it back on so it wasnt tight and ive never had a prob since

Cool...how much did they charge you to do that? Ive tried hitting the spanner with a hammer, its kinda hard to do when you have no space and cant move, but still, it made no difference. :cry:

his words were
"we didnt do nething, no charge"
did it for free.. u just need to find a nice place..
it helps now that i have a mate with his own workshop so i have access to all the tools and hoist

Thanks. I might give that a try if all else continues to fail! I really wanna get it changed. Although i should probably take it somewhere and get it serviced properly. Its dont just over 180000kms and according to the owners manual thingo, it hasnt been serviced since 128000kms! :nuts: Unless they just stopped stamping it in the book...

well before changing yur oil make sure u use an engine flush treatment this will rid all the built up crap in