rusted diff fill plug on toyota.

[JustinH]

My buddy let me use his lift last weekend so that I could get some work done on my rav4.

2010 Rav4, 95k miles. Spent most of its life in NY salt belt.

Anyways, I had a broken sway bar endlink, so replaced both no problem, also had a leaking rear shock, so replaced both in the back no problem.

Wanted to drain the rear Diff, and the front transfer case unit, because they have never been done. 10MM Hex head bolt.

Both fill plugs are rusted so bad they rounded off with almost no pressure.. Oddly enough both drain plugs are 100 percent rust free. I was so mad. Decided to just leave that job alone and search for advise.

I did the transmission fluid a few weeks ago, same style of hex plug, no problem.

Any tips for removing a rusted hex bolt? I don't have a welder to weld anything to it, nor am I skilled at doing that.

Step 1 will be go to go to toyota and buy 4 new plugs to replace everything when I get the stuck bolts out.

 

[JC1]

Can you get a pair of vice grips on the rusty bolt?

I would use lots of penentrating fluid and a wire brush to clean it first before trying to remove it.

Also try to heat it up with a torch as well.

 

[Drew99GT]

They make hex easy out extractors. Or buy a cheap torx bit set from Harbor freight and hammer in the on that fits tightest. That might work. Spray penetrating oil on it.

 

[Drew99GT]

You can also try hitting the edge of the plug with a punch/hammer but that could be kinda dangerous if you knick the outside next to the plug.

 

[Trav]

Overnight with penetrating oil then cold chisel it around with a hammer if you have access. Other options include vise grips, hammer in an oversized tool and use an hand impact driver, air chisel and a few other things.
If your not comfortable with this give it to a pro.

 

[Eddie]

PC blaster overnight and a cold chisel on the edge of the plug. I would not get too heavy handed with the aluminum case. Ed

 

[3800Series]

Feel free to ignore it if you consider it to dangerous but I've had good success with this method in the past.

Beat on the plug with a hammer spray with your preferred brand of penetrate oil and let it sit overnight. Give it a few good hits in the morning before you try to remove it with a pair of vice grips.

If no success grab a blow torch and hit it for 10-15 seconds and try to remove it again. Blow torch has rarely failed me.

 

[supton]

Bummer that it's the fill plug that is stuck. I have a stuck drain plug. I wound up using a Mityvac to remove nearly 60oz of fluid, 4oz at a time.

I'd leave it to a pro. Some things are worth paying for.

 

[expat]

Honestly, the car is mobile, it's a big easy to get to plug.
Get someone to weld a bar to it for a Six pack of beer.

Heat and leverage will help it come out. Put in a new plug.

Job done.

 

[Ethan1]

Get the correct 3/8 or 1/2 drive hex socket, put it in the plug, and beat the snot out of it with a sledgehammer. It'll come out.

 

[AZjeff]

All good suggestions. Maybe you should consider what it would cost to have a trusted mechanic change the fluid where you are right now compared to what it may cost if you break off the bolt heads.

Can't give NE vehicles away here.

 

[andyd]

10mm allen head? clean the crud out. Use the ball end of a Bal peen hammer to pound on the face of the plug. This will mve the wallowed out metal back into the hole carefully drive in the allen wrench then give the long side a smack with the hammer. Hasn't failed me yet.

 

[901Memphis]

Get a muffler shop to weld something on it for you to remove it easier

 

[BrocLuno]

So Cad plated parts and aluminum hate each other when exposed to salt. If you live in the salt belt, from now on when you get a vehicle, pull the plugs and replace with Stainless Steel plugs with external square head. They can be had in USA and Metric threads, just do a search on eBay...

Use some never seize when you insert for the first time. No more issues with services and inspections for the life of the car.

OK, so yours went down the road w/o this happening... So now it's a problem. You could drill the plug and use a tapered allen wrench (get the next size bigger in US or Metric and grind the flats to a taper so the insertion end is 10mm). Then from now on, you'll have the only tapered allen wrench in the neighborhood, but you will be able to extract any stuck plug