Hey guys.

Last service i requested that i needed a new sump plug when they dumped the oil because my old one was worn and rounding.

Today i got up especially early to do the oil change before a busy day and found that they did not change the sump plug but did change the oil, so they would have air gunned the bloody thing on because my 23' piece is to large (normally it would be anyway) and my 22' piece still skips, the 21' piece has no chance.

Is there a trick to getting it off if its rounded? Or should i just take it to the mechanic?
i dont have an air gun and have too much pride to take my car back to the mechanic to just get an oil change..
its due in around 1400km for an oil change, but i've got all the stuff now (genuine mitsu oil filter oil sump plug washer) it would barely cost anythig i think if i took it to hte machanic, it just needs to be jacked up and get the thing off.

Well you'd need a good set of vice grips and hope the bloody thing comes off with a lever bar....
if you keep rounding it though may cause more hassle then its worth.

hammer and a centre punch/chisel
and if yer hard pressed for a replacement bolt then an old spark plug should be perfect for a temporary fit

My first post :woot:

But a whole bottom pan assembly including a new sump plug is 23 bucks from Mitsubishi. All you would need then is a tube of silicon gasket maker (grey or black) and around 20minutes of your time to fit it.

The other option is to drill through the plug and use an extractor to remove it, but there would be a real chance of damaging the thread, rendering it useless anyways.

My first post :woot:

But a whole bottom pan assembly including a new sump plug is 23 bucks from Mitsubishi. All you would need then is a tube of silicon gasket maker (grey or black) and around 20minutes of your time to fit it.

The other option is to drill through the plug and use an extractor to remove it, but there would be a real chance of damaging the thread, rendering it useless anyways.

i was looking at the bottom pan part and it seems to be very messy (oily and possibly leaky) so i was wondering if you could just replace it.
I might ring mistu (cringes at the thought of how much they will charge) and see if they will do it for me seeing that after the next few days my condition will flair up and i will be bend bound again.

ah..not fun! thanks for the input guys, ill see what happens and let you know from there :)

use an angle grinder to grind 2 opposite sides flat and use a big spanner, just be carfull not to grind into the sump lol

I had the same problem big time with my old TE 3.0.

Tried all sorts of things and the &^%^^%^%$$$ sump plug wouldn't budge.

Took it to a mechanic and he also tried a number of things (angle grinding, drilling ect), still no dice.

Only thing that worked was to weld a 24mm nut to the sump plug (plug was 24mm, by the time I'd finished mangling it it was about 22mm). Weld through the centre of the nut, and weld it on really hard.

KJ.

I had the same problem big time with my old TE 3.0.

Tried all sorts of things and the &^%^^%^%$$$ sump plug wouldn't budge.

Took it to a mechanic and he also tried a number of things (angle grinding, drilling ect), still no dice.

Only thing that worked was to weld a 24mm nut to the sump plug (plug was 24mm, by the time I'd finished mangling it it was about 22mm). Weld through the centre of the nut, and weld it on really hard.

KJ.


abhh shiiti thats no good!
i dont think mine is that bad that a careful airgun cant get undone but ill be pissed if its that hard ot get undone. my mechanics problem then!

Welding near a tub of oil is a bad idea, just drop the sump pan.

Welding near a tub of oil is a bad idea, just drop the sump pan.


yeah thats what i was thinking plus their is a small leak on the sump pan so i might get mitsu to drop it and do it all over. just gotta price them..lol

Don't be a wuss use your teeth silly:P
Get a new sump, easy fixed:)

For them to replace the bottom pan, if its anything more then 100 or so bucks, walk away, shouldnt take any longer then an hour quoted time to replace (realistically its a <30min job) only thing that takes awhile is letting the sealant cure before you dump the oil in.

Most mechanics will be able to do this as well.

My first post :woot:

But a whole bottom pan assembly including a new sump plug is 23 bucks from Mitsubishi. All you would need then is a tube of silicon gasket maker (grey or black) and around 20minutes of your time to fit it.

The other option is to drill through the plug and use an extractor to remove it, but there would be a real chance of damaging the thread, rendering it useless anyways.

Are you sure its only $23? Seems very cheap for a mits genuine part...

Have you tried filing the flats smooth and belting a slightly smaller 7/8" single hex socket on?

If that doesn't work then a good cold chisel and suitable weight hammer should get it moving.

First off you have to have the car off the ground far enough to have plenty of room to work easily. If can't get the car up high enough then remove the steel lower section, grind the hex off the sump plug, and screw it out.

Cheers,
Alan

I tried the new sump pan route.

Have you ever tried to get an old sump pan off a Mitsu V6 with 200,000k on it?

After removing all the bolts I couldn't budge it at all, no matter what I tried, the sealant had stuck it rock hard.

I wasn't game to really attack it with a hammer & chisel as I was afraid of the damage that might cause.

So dunno how the dealers remove it, I suspect they have a special tool or a special technique, not a job for the DIY home mechanic in my opinion.

KJ.

I tried the new sump pan route.

Have you ever tried to get an old sump pan off a Mitsu V6 with 200,000k on it?

After removing all the bolts I couldn't budge it at all, no matter what I tried, the sealant had stuck it rock hard.

I wasn't game to really attack it with a hammer & chisel as I was afraid of the damage that might cause.

So dunno how the dealers remove it, I suspect they have a special tool or a special technique, not a job for the DIY home mechanic in my opinion.

KJ.

When i did mine i just used a small offcut of soft wood and a mallet, hitting it on the corner to make it 'twist' so to speak, once the bolts are out its only held on by goo, so long as you dont attack it with a sledgehammer you wont damage it.

Have you tried filing the flats smooth and belting a slightly smaller 7/8" single hex socket on?

If that doesn't work then a good cold chisel and suitable weight hammer should get it moving.

First off you have to have the car off the ground far enough to have plenty of room to work easily. If can't get the car up high enough then remove the steel lower section, grind the hex off the sump plug, and screw it out.

Cheers,
Alan

Yep, I tried all of that Alan (except the last bit - I couldn't get the sump pan off) and it never budged at all.

I spent many hours under the car filing, hammering, cold chiselling, all to no avail. When the mechanic finally got it off (using the weld on another nut technique) he reckoned it was one of the tightest damn bolts he'd ever come up against. I suspected the sump bolt had taken a hit at some stage, seeing as I had lowered the car and often had hassles with the extractor downpipes hitting on things, and it had somehow jammed. But once it was off the thread seemed OK and a new bolt went on no worries. So it's still a mystery to me how it got to be so tight.

KJ.

I used a plastering scraper to slice between join, you keep it horizontal so not to damage the mounting face of block or pan.

I tried the new sump pan route.

Have you ever tried to get an old sump pan off a Mitsu V6 with 200,000k on it?

After removing all the bolts I couldn't budge it at all, no matter what I tried, the sealant had stuck it rock hard.

I wasn't game to really attack it with a hammer & chisel as I was afraid of the damage that might cause.

So dunno how the dealers remove it, I suspect they have a special tool or a special technique, not a job for the DIY home mechanic in my opinion.

KJ.

I've never had a problem getting them off with factory sealant, don't know what non-factory silicone is like though.

Generally belting along the edge with a hard rubber mallet gets them off. If not try holding 4" x 2" wood on its end against it and belt wood with a decent size hammer.

Slice through with a sharp boot-makers knife if its really tough. Petrol painted along the join will soften the silicone too.

Cheers,
Alan

I replaced my sump plugs on all the magnas in my family with new (aftermarket) ones on the first oil change I ever did on them.
They have a 16mm head on them which goes deeper into the socket.
Like a normal bolt head style.
Only cost me about $12 a piece with a new 'o' ring supplied.
Makes life easier come oil change time, no need to worry about the socket slipping off the almost paper thin bolt head on the factory ones.