Differential Fill Plug Stripped

magnj · Apr 19, 2008

So I got through my whole 5 axle swap with little resistance and on the last step I get stuck. The plug used to fill the differential, the square 3/8 square female hole is stripped. It was somewhat stripped when I got to it and it was in there way too tight so I finished up the job of striping it. I have two options.

1) I have a few tricks up my sleeve including heating, some kind of impact thing where you hit it and it turns and Drilling it out if all else fails and then getting a new one.

2) According to the Stangnet trakloc guide here http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=646823

7. someone posted a terrific tip for filling the diff. Forget the fill plug. Let the rear end drop as low as you can and remove the little vent cap on the top of the right side axle tube. Clean the area around it carefully and you'll be able to fill it through this hole with a fraction of the stinky mess you get when you use the -fill hole-. But you should still remove the fill hole bolt so you know when to stop filling, which is as soon as it starts to come out that hole. Wipe the tip of the bolt off, it's magnetic and the silvery paste is metal shavings.

If I can figure out how much oil to put in I can fill it without taking out the fill plug?

Thank you Stangnet

mrmustangman357 · Apr 19, 2008

you want to try getting the plug out.heat it up with a torch or propane until it gets real hot, then try taking it out. if you have a welder, weld a 3/8" bolt to the plug then crank it out that way

magnj · Apr 19, 2008

mrmustangman357 said:
you want to try getting the plug out.heat it up with a torch or propane until it gets real hot, then try taking it out. if you have a welder, weld a 3/8" bolt to the plug then crank it out that way

Don't have a welder but I will get a hold of a torch and try that. Any one know what size that bolt is in the event that I have to replace it? And is drilling it out an option?

MYSC351 · Apr 19, 2008

If you're working under the car the easiest way to do it is to get a chisel (one with no handle. A 4-5 inch all metal chisel works great.) and hit the fill plug on the edge counter clockwise until it starts to loosen........Best way to get the chisel to grab onto the plug in my experience with stripped drain plugs is to point the chisel upwards and put the sharp part of the chisel on the right side of the fill plug. Hit the chisel going upwards with a hammer. Should bust it free no problems.. The key here is to use a chisel with no handle. It will absorb the shock.

magnj · Apr 20, 2008

MYSC351 said:
If you're working under the car the easiest way to do it is to get a chisel (one with no handle. A 4-5 inch all metal chisel works great.) and hit the fill plug on the edge counter clockwise until it starts to loosen........Best way to get the chisel to grab onto the plug in my experience with stripped drain plugs is to point the chisel upwards and put the sharp part of the chisel on the right side of the fill plug. Hit the chisel going upwards with a hammer. Should bust it free no problems.. The key here is to use a chisel with no handle. It will absorb the shock.

Awesome, great tip I'm about to make some coffee and have at it. Will a hardware store be able to replace something that big ya think?

Bolt on 5.0 · Apr 20, 2008

I would def try like these guys said and try to remove the plug. But if all else fails you can install a girdle diff cover, they have the drain and fill holes right in the rear on the cover.

magnj · Apr 20, 2008

Yea I checked that out already but $100+ is steep. About to try the Chisel, but also looking into my quad shock issue before I get dirty.

Mustang5L5 · Apr 20, 2008

I did the same thing. It wasn't stripped, but for the life of me i couldn't get it to budge.

I ended up buying the SVO cover

MYSC351 · Apr 20, 2008

magnj said:
Awesome, great tip I'm about to make some coffee and have at it. Will a hardware store be able to replace something that big ya think?

I don't know if a hardware store will, but autozone might.. If not the dealer might have some in stock just for the simple fact that SOME dealers try to upsell drain and fills and sometimes run into the same issue.

magnj · May 14, 2008

Ok, just posted in another thread too. I can't get this thing out, I don't have a torch and I just want to freaking fill it. Any idea how much I should add through the vent hole?

MYSC351 · May 17, 2008

Most shops will take it out for 2 tenths to 1/2 hour labor...Call around and see how much someone would charge you...I would say anything over $20 is excessive.....Maybe there's a mom-n-pop muffler shop around the corner who would do it for $10-$20 cash no receipt?

spartan117j · May 19, 2008

Last Resort

Right now im out in Iraq, I work in the motorpool on trucks and other wheeled equipment. I've had to extract alot of stripped out plugs like what the problem that you have. What i would do is drop the entire axle assembly out of the car and roll it to an area that I could have alot of room to work on this plug. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40349 This tool set should help you out and take care of the problem what you would have to do is drill out the inside of the keyhole till it is fairly smooth, this way the extractor has something to bite into. Next, take the appropriatly sized extractor and insert give it a few love taps, and twist out ~SLOWLY~ with a wrench taking great care not to just keep stripping the keyhole out and not get anywhere. And, any local autozone should have a new plug in stock.:SNSign:

crookman10 · May 19, 2008

put some pb blaster on it let it soak in for a while about half an hour then heat it up use a #5 or #6 easy out put it in and turn it out sears or any tool stored should have easy outs. thats how i got mine out. dont heat the actual plug heat around the outside of it

MYSC351 · May 21, 2008

If you can get a die grinder in there cut a slot in it and try using a screwdriver bit on a ratchet

Differential Fill Plug Stripped

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