Sump Plug

Sump suckers are blocked by windage trays I wouldnt use one on a decent engine. Very good for leaving gearbox metal in the sump of A series motors.

Edited By Dave Halford on 02/05/2019 11:08:10

This is one of those jobs that really needs to be done properly. That is to say most likely a sump off job. What engine is it?

I too have seen what "sump suckers" leave behind. Nothing beats a sump plug in the right place with a magnet in the plug and a hot engine for a proper drain.

John

+1 for warming the area around the Female thread, and then ideally, using a square socket type spanner, give it a jolt with a copper/hide mallet or hammer. Or perhaps a socket on an Impact Driver. The combined effect of longitudinal and rotational forces may just do the trick!

Before heating, it may be worth applying some penetrating oil, and leaving for a day to see if that will help, and then start warming the sunp.

Years ago, a friend tore the female thread out of his steel sump. Fortunately, the plug was intact, and 1/2 UNF. We cleaned up the face and brazed a 1/2 UNF nut onto the face of the sump.

If you get really desperate, you may have to start drilling out the plug. Sometimes after a while the plug will collapse enough to slacken its grip, plus possibly the effect of the heat, to allow it tom be removed. DON'T use Easyouts!

You may end up drilling out most of th thread, and then cleaning up with a tap.

Howard

Howard

Heat and an impact wrench are the answer to almost all stuck nuts bolts and plugs. My tools of choice were a gas axe with the largest nozzle and a air driven wrench using the black hex sockets and yes they do make black HD sockets for square head bolts.

sockets for square heads

If it is an ali sump be a tad cautious with the heat.

AND have a fire extinquisher to hand as it is possible to set the sump oil on fire. Ask me how I know this.

Many thanks for all your responses. I have had a look and it fits nicely into the back of a 3/8 Socket so now all I need as bolt and a few nuts to fit the said socket then another socket etc. on the other end. Bobs your Uncle fanny's your aunt. Hopefully. I sprayed with release oils yesterday and it looked like it went into the thread?

If a 3/8 drive fits over it, can you get a 3/8 drive socket for a 3/8 square?

Or if you use a reversed socket, rather than use a bolt and nuts (which may slip on it ) why not use a short piece of hexagon bar? To avoid the need for a second same size socket, take a larger piece of hexagon and and reduce one end for long enough to engage fully into another socket to fit?

If you can use an impact driver, that may provide the shock need to break the threads loose. Once moved, it ought to be easier to continue unscrewing the plug.

Howard

I might be tempted to make a square headed socket a short distance away from the end in a piece of 30 mm flat strip having some thickness about it and keep that in the toolbox for when it is needed next time.

A snug fit on the square head of the plug and a thump on the far end with a hammer should shift it with ease in the future.

Regards

Brian

Had this problem on occasion, as a last resort, drill a snug fitting hole in the end of a piece of stout flat bar, place over the square, and mig weld it onto the plug. The heat from the welding will expand the whole shebang, and out it will come, fit a new sump plug, preferably something with a hex head!

Ordinary 12 point sockets will fit square heads.

Ian Did you get the sump plug out !

David