Stripped Diff fill plug HELP!!!!

[Rtstrider]

I have a stripped diff fill plug. Whoever had the car before me overtightened the plug and stripped it. Now....I've sprayed the heck out of it with PB Blaster and tried hammering a torque extension into it with no avail, Also tried Allen wrenches....Would the only choice be to get a bolt out set at this point?

P.S. I did not drain my old diff fluid thankfully . At least it's driveable I have 2 quarts of Mobil 1 75w90 and BG Friction modifier waiting on it

Before you tell me to search, I have searched....This is an unusual fill plug....It's the same 10mm allen bolt Lexus uses on their transmission drain plugs.

 

[PT1]

What vehicle year etc? The toyota plugs can get stuck pretty tight and not be stripped so wait until you get it out. I have has to use a breaker bar to get them out in the past. A replacement plug costs about $3-4. Better get one before you muscle the existing one out. Also get some white loctite for the threads on the new one as it will seal it and keep it from seizeing again. Does your plug have a lip on it or is it recessed into the case? If it has a lip try some channel locks. If not heat it lightly with a propane torch...just stay clear of the gas tank.

 

[Rtstrider]

03 Lexus IS300, and there's absolutely nothing to grab onto, it's recessed, and it's beyond stripped. I think I made it worse when I tried to use screw out to attempt to get it out...Should I just take it by a shop at this point?

 

[san123chez]

This might be a good excuse to buy a vacuum suction system. Just worm a clear plastic tube to the bottom of the diff, pump out the old stuff, and replace. They come in handy for other tasks too. Here's a link.

http://www.nextag.com/oil-changer/search-html

 

[glennc]

Could you hammer an external torx of the right size into the hole? Maybe with some jb weld on it and let it set overnight?

 

[Rtstrider]

DO you think JB weld would hold?

 

[Audi Junkie]

Heat it.

 

[glennc]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
DO you think JB weld would hold?


No, but if you get a torx or something in there well enough, something like jb might give enough extra hold to do the job....

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
03 Lexus IS300, and there's absolutely nothing to grab onto, it's recessed, and it's beyond stripped. I think I made it worse when I tried to use screw out to attempt to get it out...Should I just take it by a shop at this point?


Is it the rear diff or front diff on an AWD? Ok, try this get an external torx bit 1/2 drive if possible that you can hammer in there really tight. This will be a sacrificial bit so be prepared to toss it afterwards. Then heat the case around the plug and put a 1/2 inch breaker on it with a cheater pipe on the end and have at the SOB. But get a replacement plug because this one is toast. If that doesn't work. Take it to a shop where they can tig weld a socket onto the drain bolt. DO NOT go crazy with the heat either.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
This is an unusual fill plug....It's the same 10mm allen bolt Lexus uses on their transmission drain plugs.


This is my suggestion:

Get a 10mm hex key (Allen wrench) and take the car to an exhaust shop where they have MIG welders on hand. Have them weld the hex key to the plug. While it's up on the lift, have them remove the plug and install the new plug that you brought with you. You're done.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
This is an unusual fill plug....It's the same 10mm allen bolt Lexus uses on their transmission drain plugs.


This is my suggestion:

Get a 10mm hex key (Allen wrench) and take the car to an exhaust shop where they have MIG welders on hand. Have them weld the hex key to the plug. While it's up on the lift, have them remove the plug and install the new plug that you brought with you. You're done.


+1 this is a great idea!

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Originally Posted By: san123chez
This might be a good excuse to buy a vacuum suction system. Just worm a clear plastic tube to the bottom of the diff, pump out the old stuff, and replace. They come in handy for other tasks too. Here's a link.

http://www.nextag.com/oil-changer/search-html


His FILL plug is stripped, not the DRAIN plug.

 

[onion]

I've got a few different methods to do this. First, what sort of plug is this? I wouldn't know a Lexus from a Nissan. Are we talking pipe plug or a straight thread o-ring plug?

If it's the latter (straight thread o-ring), and it's screwed into a cast housing (as opposed to a stamped steel plate), then the solution is easy. Get a big hammer (AT LEAST 32 oz.), and give it a couple of hard wacks. That's all. It'll be just barely tight after that.

If it's a pipe plug, or if it's an o-ring plug screwed into a stamped steel housing, then you need heat. The easy method is to heat the plug with an oxy-acetylene torch until it glows red. A propane torch won't do- ain't hot enough. You need a REAL torch. Make the plug glow red, let it cool, and it'll be danm near loose.

That almost always works, but if it's being a REAL ba$tard, the nuclear option is to weld a nut onto the plug, then remove it with an impact. Not for the faint of heart, but highly effective. The heat from the weld will help loosen the plug, and the impact will do the rest.

 

[alreadygone]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
This is an unusual fill plug....It's the same 10mm allen bolt Lexus uses on their transmission drain plugs.


This is my suggestion:

Get a 10mm hex key (Allen wrench) and take the car to an exhaust shop where they have MIG welders on hand. Have them weld the hex key to the plug. While it's up on the lift, have them remove the plug and install the new plug that you brought with you. You're done.


This is what I do quite often at my muffler,tire, and lube shop,,'cept I use a plain old bolt with however many flats are required ground on to the sides of it, then welded into the plug and screwed out while still hot. NEVER YET FAILED!!

Bob

 

[mechtech2]

Big heat will work. Very hot and fast on the immediate surrounding area.
But I don't know what type of plug it is.
A flank drive socket or a Snap On or Craftsman special socket will work if it is a hex head.
Internal hex? Grind an allen socket down [taper it a bit] and hammer it in there, or use a larger one that you mash in there.