Arrggg.. removing flller plug on back axle

[guymcc]

Help!!

I'm having major problems getting the rear axle refill nut off. I have been using a tool as below and it just keeps slipping out, I can't get any purchase, the nut seems to have been off before and is slightly worn on the inside, see below.

So if anyone has got any bright ideas then i'm all ears!

here's the photos, one of the nut and the other of the tool.

Help! [frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[katy]

If you don't mind chipping the paint on the tool, you could try beating on it with a hammer while trying to unscrew the plug.
BTW, I hope that you're trying to turn it anti-clockwise.

[chickenjohn]

Try and see if a 1/2 inch drive from a ratchet socket is a better fit! I could be wrong, but on occasion I'm sure I found a ratchet square that fitted when I couldn't find my drain plug tool.

Another technique to try is heat- heat up the plug with a blow torch, perhaps after draining the diff! As said above, shocking with a hammer can help.

If desperate you could unscrew the breather and fill the diff with oil with a small funnel or a big syringe- but tedious. Other way is to weld a big nut or bolt onto the plug and undo it that way, then get a new filler plug.

[Simon P]

If you look closely you will notice the plug is slightly tapperd and i think you will stuggle with the long necked tool you have, ideally you need one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/draper-gear-box-p ... 45fb565cb1

However as CJ suggests try a half inch ratchet as it may do the trick, it doesn't have the long neck and will be less inclined to twist and slip out

[MarkyB]

Thirded, use a half inch ratchet, a whack with a rubber mallet should be enough to get it started.

It doesn't need to be massively tight, you'd think it held the engine in the way people do it up.

[guymcc]

thanks for the replies folks...

I think what I'll do is see if I have a 1/2" ratchet then failing that go for the tool on ebay.

I am turning it anti clockwise by the way, and I also tried the exstention bar with a spanner technique.

Thought it might be tapered! as my tool wasn't going in as deep as the hole! (that sounds a bit rude!! but you know what i mean! lol)
Anyway yes, what would the correct level of oil be in the back axle, as far as I know the correct level is up to the filler hole. any ideas? ( just thinking about the through the breather hole filling technique and when I would know when it's filled to the right level?)

Cheers again, I'll let you know the outcome

[bmcecosse]

File the tool till it fits the taper nicely. But as above - that long neck is against you. It's not 1/2" as I remember.

[katy]

BMC is correct, IIRC it's 7/16"

[dalebrignall]

you can get a tool from halfords that has all the different keys on ut ,its blue in coluor about a fiver ,just fill it till the oil runs out of the hole thats full then .ep90 oil .

[guymcc]

update!

got the blue tool from amazon for £6, and since it's arrived it's been put to good use. Got under the car and got the tool on. felt a much better fit than previous tool. Still couldn't get much leverage on it though, cue a few choice words! Got out the hammer though and managed to tap the top of the tool whilst holding the tool in the plug, and hey presto the plug came loose!!!

So since then i've drained the axle, the bottom plug came off a lot easier, and have refilled the axle back up to the level where it starts to pour out of the filler plug.

I'm going to leave it now for a few days to see if any oil leaks out of the axle back in to the brake shoe area. So on this point, can i expect to see anything after a coouple of days or will it be a case of putting it all back together and with fingers crossed going for a run and then opening it up to then see if it has leaked? obviously would like to try and avoid this method for fear of foouling the new shoes/drum.

So is there a way of knowing whether my oil seal change/o-ring and gasket change has been successful before putting shoes and drum back on?

TIA

[mogbob]

Glad the immediate problem has been solved.

"So Is there a way of knowing whether my oil seal/o ring and gasket change has been successful before putting shoes and drums back on ? "

.

If you failed to clean the surfaces thoroughly, you didn't remove old bits of gasket,the surfaces were badly damaged, you got loads of old oil/ grease and dirt on the new gasket,new O ring,etc, etc....you generally made a complete pigs ear of the installation ...then you... might... see some weepage.Changes are that nothing will show.
Once the oil heats up, when you drive the car, being thinner it will then find any available gaps and leak.
It's sounds to me ,from your general approach to maintainence, that you take care to get it right, so I don't anticipate there being a problem.

However, for your own piece of mind why not put it all back together, take it for a spin around the block to get the oil in the diff nicely warmed up.Put it back on axle stands again and whip off the drums to check for leaks.A can of brake cleaner/ spray bottle of meths, rags at the ready, should it be pouring out.My bet is that it will be dry as a bone !!
Bob

[traveller1]

I've enjoyed this exchange of views especially as I am about to try to get my axle topped up. In the past I have never been able to get the plug undone- and I've tried everything. This time I'll have to get the underseal off first. What I dont understand is why the plug has tapered sides- a slanting side ensures it will slip out unless a downward pressure is maintained ( do a picture/force diagram) -why isnt it like the engine sump plug? Has anyone changed this recessed plug for something else? If so, what, please?

[bmcecosse]

The correct slightly tapered shaft tool is a snug fit in the plug!

[mike.perry]

As I remember the plug and hole have a tapered Pipe Thread (BSP), yet another type of thread found on a Morris Minor. It should screw in easily then pinch up securely.

[katy]

I replaced it with a square headed one, similar to the pic, available at most plumbing supply places.
They probably used the plug w/the recess as that is what is used at the bottom for a drain plug then they only have one part # to deal with instead of 2. Of course they don't use the square headed one at the bottom for obvious reasons.[frame][/frame]

[katy]

Trying again:[frame][/frame]

[dellerie]

as a plumber, i was going to suggest this type of plug.

in all honesty, if a plug is hard work to remove, why put it back on? a new one is a couple of quid.....

i use one the same as on the gearbox...

[MarkyB]

They are only hard to remove if they have been done up too tight.
In a pit it's no problem to put all your weight into doing it up, that won't leak!

A moments thought would tell you that all it has to resist is oil splashing against it, not pressurised, just splashing.

Same thing with the gearbox level plug, you'd think it was the King bolt that held the whole car together the way people strain to get it tight!

A pet peeve of mine, can you tell?

[DaisyMayFozz]

if you are concerned about it leaking, wrap a little PTFE tape ( white, get it from most plumbing places) around the plug, but really they never leak anyway like others have said

[mrsnak]

Missed this thread. Your fill plug seems to be lower than halfway down. Since mine has no fill plug, I made a dipstick to insert into the breather cap hole to gauge the level. I made the level halfway. Is this too much oil?