stripped oil pan drain plug head
 

howdy folks:

got a stripped head on a 95 s320 I am working on - ordered the Evac- oil drain system but prefer to drain by drain bolt

any words of wisdom -- I heated bolt but still no move- and before I drop the pan ( imagine a huge P I T A ) thought i would ask the experienced ones if they can offer some advice - i thought of drilling whats left of the head to see if I can get a pin thru the head from the side to maybe catch a grip - dunno

Appreciate any idea's or suggestions

please and thanks in advance

peace;

Try an easy-out - available at any self-respecting auto parts store / Sears / etc.

Howdy mate:

thanks for the suggestion - wont go

No way to attack the head at this angle to get an easy out there - plus I think the last monkey used a torque wrench with blue Locktite- dunno for sure but have NEVER come across such a tough oil pan plug

head is pretty much a useless nub after the vise grip jaws

Cheers thanks

Is there enough room/meat to weld threaded rod to it and use jamb nuts to get a new bite?

Howdy TMAllison:

That is what i am think I will have to do - I saw on some other post from '03 of a guy who mentioned something crafty he did - but did not go into detail
IM'd him - no reply as yet

I will weld as last resort - a tad concerned as to all the sensors " Near the area" and it it being an aluminum pan et all.....

thanks for the input

Tack weld a rod in two spots on the same side of the rod. Crack the nut and then break off the rod by prying or hitting the side with no tacks. If you have to tack both sides on a real ball buster, first slightly knotch the rod on the engine side so you can break it off if needed.
Disconnect the battery and hook your ground to the rod to limit pitting bearings.
I do not know if any other precautions are for welding on this car.

Weld Nut
 

The easiest thing that I have used is a half nut... Just clean up the existing drain plug and weld the half nut on to the plug... Doesn't matter if the half nut is US or metric... a half nut is only about half the thickness of a regular nut... If you want to leave it in place it will be all right... Jim

I would use a small pipe wrench with a pipe over the handle for leverage.
Has worked for me in the past.

This exact issue has been covered in much detail previously. Do a search. There were dozens of ideas including all mentioned here so far. What worked for me was to get the car warmed up and then spray the plug with freeze-it spray. I could then break it free.

Mike

Your real problem is your failure to accept the fact that the factory designed the engine for oil extraction. Why fight a system that works so well.
You aren't going to get any more oil out through the drain plug and you can
change the oil in a white shirt.

I have used my Topsider for about 7 years now.

Steve

Make sure you use a new drain seal ring and properly torque the new plug.
I've had this before, in the shop days. Would use a chisel bit on an air hammer, kind of hitting the edge of the plug in the direction you need to go (CCW) and would normally loosen it fine. You could try this, as I have, with just a hammer and chisel. Sometimes some nice flat hits on the head of the plug with a hammer will help jar it a bit too, worht a try.
Gilly

howdy Gilly:

thanks for the input:

Always use the brass washer - comes with the new filter - drain bolt will leak otherwise.

a 13mm head strips pretty easy - and am a little amazed at the replacement bolt from MB stealership - not a hardened bolt

I'll post when I get back under the car

Cheeers thanks

Used a product called "Bolt-Out" when I had the same problem of a stripped drain plug bolt head. Just fit the appropriate bit over the bolt head and you can either use a socket or wernch on the other end to easily remove the bolt. The socket has a bunch of flutes that grab onto the stripped head to help remove it - Link to product on Sears web site

Hardened bolt might strip the pan instead of the other way around.
Gilly

Howdy Gilly:

make sense