Oil pan drain plug hard to get off. suggestions?

35th99gt · Jul 24, 2007

I can't get the damn thing off, any suggestions? last time i didn't have time to do it myself so i think where i took it they did it too tight, am i going to have to use a power wrench?

streethorse · Jul 24, 2007

Put the car up on jack stands to get it higher up for better leverage.
put the correct soccet on it with a cheater pipe, if that doesnt work Im
thinking they may have crossthreaded it.

Killa · Jul 24, 2007

spray some wb-40 or bp blaster on the bolt.

mrvax · Jul 24, 2007

Go out and buy the replacement drain plug before you start anything. It's about $5 from Ford.

Take a good wrench that has the correct # of sides for the bolt, it may be 8. Don't use a wrench with 16 sides.

Take the wrench and apply slight pressure in the direction that you need it to turn.

Then take a piece of wood, yes wood, and while maintaining the slight pressure on the wrench, whack it hard with the wood in the direction you need it to turn.

It should break free. Hitting a wrench with tension with wood as opposed to metal somehow is far more effective. I dunno the physics behind it but have had success with this many times.

Thank my Dad who passed away in 1999.

bdcardinal · Jul 24, 2007

go to your ford dealer, as for F75Z-6730-BA. that is the part number for the drain plug. most likely that one is all screwed up. Ford only requires 10ft-lbs for the drain plug. they strip very easy.

Superhereaux · Jul 24, 2007

3/8 breaker bar and a six-point 16mm socket, 12-point might round off the plug. i've had some cars i needed my 1/2 breaker bar to break it loose

and yeah hit it with a block of wood if all else fails

Tally_4.6 · Jul 24, 2007

Use a 5/8 wrench for the plug, and don't strip it or round it off.

bdcardinal · Jul 24, 2007

its actually a 16mm.

Rusty67 · Jul 24, 2007

bdcardinal said:
its actually a 16mm.

Definately, these cars have been metric for a while.

46gtsblown · Jul 24, 2007

USE A 6 POINT SOCKET. DO NOT USE A 12 POINT IF IT IS THAT TIGHT.
Yes the caps were on purpose.
12 point sockets will allow the bolt head to strip. 6 point sockets will remove most stuborn nuts and bolts.

Dwayne

kylebgt · Jul 25, 2007

Use a 16mm open ended wrench. Last time I tried with a socket I just couldn't get it, you can get alittle more powa with a wrench. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but whenever I have my oil changed somewhere else they torque the bolt back on with an ungodly amount of force, I think it is to discourage you from doing the job yourself.

The Stang GT · Jul 25, 2007

Spray some liquid wrench on the thing, let it soak for like 5 minutes and then start to unscrew it...Should come off, but try not to strip it. And like someone said earlier, get a replacement screw just incase that one is messed up...

Tally_4.6 · Jul 25, 2007

I've been using a 5/8 wrench on most Ford drain plugs and my drain plug for the longest, never stripped and fit perfect.

46gtsblown · Jul 26, 2007

Tally_4.6 said:
I've been using a 5/8 wrench on most Ford drain plugs and my drain plug for the longest, never stripped and fit perfect.

Time to move with the times brother..........

Dwayne

Mike97gt · Jul 26, 2007

mrvax said:
Go out and buy the replacement drain plug before you start anything. It's about $5 from Ford.

Take a good wrench that has the correct # of sides for the bolt, it may be 8. Don't use a wrench with 16 sides.

Take the wrench and apply slight pressure in the direction that you need it to turn.

Then take a piece of wood, yes wood, and while maintaining the slight pressure on the wrench, whack it hard with the wood in the direction you need it to turn.

It should break free. Hitting a wrench with tension with wood as opposed to metal somehow is far more effective. I dunno the physics behind it but have had success with this many times.

Thank my Dad who passed away in 1999.

hitting it works, I do that all the time to break bolts free.

Most of the time I put the box end of the wrench on the bolt and put a shop rag as a cushion on the other end then use the side of my fist to crack it free.

this is the same concept on how a impact gun works, except your using wood,a hammer or your hand

BlackGT4.6 · Jul 26, 2007

just make sure that you keep your receipt for the drain plug and any thing else you but because if the old one is cross-threaded you need to take them to wherever changed your oil last and get your money back for whatever it takes to fix it. I would almost take it back there and make them take it out so they cant so you did it and are trying to blame them for it.

Superhereaux · Jul 26, 2007

46gtsblown said:
Time to move with the times brother..........

Dwayne

there are several standard and metric sizes that are almost the same size

3/8= 10mm
5/8= 16mm
3/4= 19mm

i've used a 5/8 wrench on my car several times

46gtsblown · Jul 27, 2007

I have been bending wrenches since 1976 and understand several imperal and metric sizes are close
But I see no reason to use the wrong tool if the correct one is available.
I will guarantee that 10mm will not fit a 3/8ths bolt correctly, 3/8ths is smaller than 10mm and a 7/16ths is too large it just dosen't work
I am fluent in the metric system, I grew up in Europe.
I am a firm believer in using the correct size 6 point socket where ever possible to avoid screwing up nuts n bolts.
I have had to go and rescue many peoples screw ups because they havent taken the time to use the right tool.
When they round off the bolt I just hammer the correct 6pt socket onto the bolt and remove it much to their amazement.

Please do not be offended I just do things differently to you.

Dwayne

Rusty67 · Jul 27, 2007

46gtsblown said:
When they round off the bolt I just hammer the correct 6pt socket onto the bolt and remove it much to their amazement.
Dwayne

I have never once made this work, sounds like you got a good method for doing it apparently. Good for you, care to share your technique ?

46gtsblown · Jul 27, 2007

No real technique.
If someone has rounded a bolt head with a 12pt socket or by using the wrong size I just use a 6 point socket of the correct size and hammer it onto the bolt.
It will almost always come off unless it is really screwed up or corroded on.
I always try to use a 6pt socket if I have one to avoid stripping heads thus avoiding the problem in the first place.
Sears sell extractors that work like an easy out but for bolt heads, I have never had to use one though so I can't comment on how effective they are.

I also own a 88 Wrangler that I have rebuilt over the past 9 months, there was a lot of southwest engeneering that I had to correct.
Most of the Jeep is metric however a few things like the xfer case nuts are imperial, 14mm is just a shade larger than 9/16 as I found out after rounding off a nut using a 14mm wrench I tried a 9/16 wrench and what do you know it fit.
Now I have a 250HP 4.7l inline 6cyl jeep much fun here in the desert.

Dwayne

Oil pan drain plug hard to get off. suggestions?

35th99gt

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