Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Transfer case, front and rear diff sump plugs.

Im trying to change the oils in the front and rear diff and transfer case. I can not for the life of me remove the filler plug.

Ive tried the ratchet, Ive tried air rattle gun and tried the 12V rattle gun. All with the same result. I end up rounding the 1/2" socket attachment with slight damage to the 1/2" square hole in the sump plug.

These plugs are unbudgable, unmovable and unfriendly.

On closer inspection of the plug I do notice some sort of seal or glue that must have been put onto the thread before screwed into the " pumpkin ".

Is this locktite? and if so how to do resolve this dilema? It needs a oil change after 239,000km.

there shouldnt be loktige on it

i stuggled myself with mine but after some time i manage to get em lose i end up useing me torqk rachett pusshing it in while hanging off the other end they well come just need to use the muscle in ya

matt

Maybe get some one to give it a light tap with a hammer on a breaker bar while you try to undo them.

Ive tried using the breaker bar, it just ended up kinda rounding the plug square hole.

Yeah there shouldnt be any kinda glue there, but there is. Ill take some photos to show you guys.

SiNH wrote:? It needs a oil change after 239,000km.

Would hope its been changed many times in that timeframe..

SiNH wrote:Ive tried using the breaker bar, it just ended up kinda rounding the plug square hole..

take for a drive in mud and crap, then take it to a shop to get it done just this once. if it stuffs up, its their problem! Then from that time on, do it yourself.

Next idea might be to weld somthing onto it then try to turn the bugger. Will need new plugs afterwards though. But sounds like these ones a stuffed anyway.

bogged wrote:take for a drive in mud and crap, then take it to a shop to get it done just this once. if it stuffs up, its their problem! Then from that time on, do it yourself.

bogged wrote:

SiNH wrote:? It needs a oil change after 239,000km.

Would hope its been changed many times in that timeframe..

SiNH wrote:Ive tried using the breaker bar, it just ended up kinda rounding the plug square hole..

take for a drive in mud and crap, then take it to a shop to get it done just this once. if it stuffs up, its their problem! Then from that time on, do it yourself.

I bought the car with 232,000km on her so I dont know her service history. If its seized up like this I take it hasnt been changed in a while.

I wanted to change all fluids and this is the only thing I havent changed it yet.

I did think about taking into Nissan and get them to do it but I thought I would give it a try first.

bundyrum4x4 wrote:

bogged wrote:take for a drive in mud and crap, then take it to a shop to get it done just this once. if it stuffs up, its their problem! Then from that time on, do it yourself.

SiNH wrote:I did think about taking into Nissan and get them to do it but I thought I would give it a try first.

Workshop - not nissan!

I had the same problem with the filler plugs on my gu,
heated the out side of the plug with one of those
propane torches that you get from camping stores.
Made it easy to undo

i used to be a mech at nissan and we used to have drama's with them they just lock in after 40k i used to hang off it with my 1meter breaker bar and they used to crack eventually but the ones we couldnt we welded a bolt to it and got it off with rattle gun

Try the heat first.
I had some drive flange caps that wouldn't budge, bit of heat and it was easy.

try the heat , It does help. If you take it to a mechanic , Expect them to charge accordingly. Esp if its a 4by shop or nissan dealer. Ive had to weld bolts on to things b4 it works as well.

Have fun

give it some heat

And if all that fails just fill it up via the breather hole.

Have you considered that it may have been stripped, and the dude just aroldyted it back into the hole, so it DOESNT come out?

No one's mentioned it so I'll state the obvious - soak it in your favourite penetrating fluid (eg. WD40) for a day. Then give it lots of decent taps with a hammer to break the seal a bit. Put your ratchet in (hold it in hard) and hit the end with a mallet - I find that helps snap the seal, without rounding the hole too much.

buy a good quality breaker bar and a length of pipe, it will move... if all else fails add heat

Ill try some heat on the weekend. I have a decent breaker bar.

Its the actual square recess thats giving way not the breaker bar. As I said the square hole will turn into a circle hole at this rate.

No good ont he WD40, there is a rock hard paste between the thread of the plug and the thread on the pumpkin, nothing is gonna penetrate that.

turps wrote:Next idea might be to weld somthing onto it then try to turn the bugger. Will need new plugs afterwards though. But sounds like these ones a stuffed anyway.

2nd the motion


get a big nut ( to suit say an 1" bolt ) and weld the inner thread of the nut to the plug,
reasons being.........
the heat form the weld will assist in the loosening process,
there's more heat transfer when a big nut is used,
alot more room in which to get a good weld onto it,
the larger nut will allow for a better "grip" of a ring spanner and be less likely to round off,
there's more "meat" on a big nut so you can cut one plug off then reuse the nut on the next one.

I picked up an 1" nut that was around 3" long a few years back....came from a specialised machine that was at the local scrapyard...... I recon its done 50 odd plug removals in its time and is still good for another 50


Kingy