Went to change the oil this weekend on my 95 plate 620 only to find that the clown who did it last must have tightened it as hard as he could. Try as I might with my fairly hefty socket, I couldn't get it to budge, even with a spray of Plus Gas and little blast with a blow torch.
Normally I would have got the breaker bar out. However, the sump looks to be made out of the same stuff that the oil pump housing is i.e. some type of really soft casting. In a previous misadventure, I only had to show the pump a spanner for it to split left right and center.
Getting to my point, is anyone familiar with these and how much brute force do you reckon it'll take?
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Hi there,
I am assuming that the sump is a sort of alloy casting, another little trick to try is, go to your nearest Maplin electronic store and ask for component freezer spray, this will chill to approx -50 celsius (skin precautions apply). Spray this onto the said part, after previously soaking with plus gas/WD40, and a sharp pull/blow may well loosen your problem.
If you don't live near a Maplins, try a tin of lighter gas, this must be the liquid, this will chill several degrees below zero.
Hoope this works.
Pastyman
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Thanks, that sounds like a neat trick to try. I always wondered why a blow torch works (although not for me!) when I would expect it to make it make things tighter by expanding them. Cooling (and contracting) the offending part seem to make more sense, to me at least.
Rapidly freezing it isn't going to run the risk of cracking it though, is it?
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Rapidly freezing it isn't going to run the risk of cracking it though, is it?.
fraid it will sudden freezing makes the alloy more prone to cracking.I would suggest keep on giving short sharp pulls on the bar.don`t overdo it as damage may result.it will with patients give way.is the bolt a brass or steel one with copper washer?
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It's a simple 15mm headed drain plug - it can't be that tight, surely?
I'd slip a 15mm ring spanner on the bolt head, making sure it is secure. With a large hammer (2lb or so) sharply tap the open end of the spanner - making sure it stays on the bolt head. Within 3-4 hits, it should be loose.
Let us know how you get on, OK?
--
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On mine at least, the plug needs a square headed socket. Still, it makes no difference I suppose to how tight you would expect it to be. It's fairly tight in there, trust me!. I wouldn't describe myself as weak (the opposite if anything, ooooh I can feel my head swelling already :) but there was no way I could budge it with around 10 - 12 inches of leavarage. I don't doubt that it'll shift with more force, it's just what else will shift with it that worries me. I'm probably worrying too much in all fairness. Still measure twice, cut once, or, er, something like that.
I'll give it another go this weekend and try out your two tips (thanks again). Failing them, I'll get the breaker bar out, failing that I'll suck it out, assuming it's not pouring all over my drive at this point...
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that should read yours twos tips. As in thanks both of you.
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P.S. Miguel,
Ideally you would spray the bolt/plug with the chiller spray, not the alloy casting, as mentioned above, the alloy would weaken or break.
Pastyman
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Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm can't really remember without looking again, but I'd say the bolt is steel.
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As DL says there is nothing so effective at removing something tight than using the shock treatment with an hammer.
Hold the spanner very tightly in the direction you wish it to go and give it a good whack with a lunp hammer.
Works with many things.. for example a tight immersion heater in a copper cylinder. Simply using leverage is likely to distort the copper surround. Shock treatment greatly reduces the risk.
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Well, had another go it this weekend and everthing went OK. As I didn't really want to take a lump hammer to my socket wrench if I could avoid it (couldn't use a spanner as mentioned before), and I hadn't yet slipped down Maplins to get some component freezer, I decided to test the water with my breaker bar after all. Happily, as I gently applied the force the plug spun free after a moments resistance.
Thanks to all that replied. I'll keep all the tips in mind next time I come across something thats really stuck.
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