Morris Minor Owners Club

OK I've tried penetrating oil, heat, and little taps with a hammer. I give up, how do you get the drain plug out of the frazzin wazzin gearbox?

Brute force and perseverance. They tend to get stuck if they haven't been removed for a long time. Penetrating oil won't help and you'll have a hard time getting enough heat into the thick oil-filled alloy casing to make a difference. You want a strong socket that is a snug fit on the drain plug and a breaker bar.

Have you got the level plug out? In my experience they are even harder to remove than the drain plug.

awkward to put the leval plug back in as well

alex_holden wrote:Brute force and perseverance. They tend to get stuck if they haven't been removed for a long time.

Glad it's not just me.

I have none of the former but plenty of the latter.

Penetrating oil won't help and you'll have a hard time getting enough heat into the thick oil-filled alloy casing to make a difference. You want a strong socket that is a snug fit on the drain plug and a breaker bar.

Right ho *heads for local motor factor* (Why is the plug not a socket size which is already in my socket set? why?)

Have you got the level plug out? In my experience they are even harder to remove than the drain plug.

Go on then, what is a level plug? I take it it is something different from the filler plug? I got the filler plug out without trouble.

dalebrignall wrote:awkward to put the leval plug back in as well

She hasn't put the gearbox cover on yet, so that part won't be a problem.

alex_holden wrote:She hasn't put the gearbox cover on yet, so that part won't be a problem.

I find the fact that alex knows everything about me to be partly faintly disturbing and partly nice and fuzzy

wibble_puppy wrote:Go on then, what is a level plug? I take it it is something different from the filler plug? I got the filler plug out without trouble.

In the case of the Minor gearbox, the filler and the level plug are the same thing. A level plug blocks a level hole. You pour oil into the gearbox until it's just starting to run out of the level hole. It's just a cheaper alternative to a dipstick! Glad you got it out OK; I've really struggled with that one on a couple of boxes!

wibble_puppy wrote:I find the fact that alex knows everything about me to be partly faintly disturbing and partly nice and fuzzy

You did say I could read your mind.

alex_holden wrote:You did say I could read your mind.

I didn't! I only thought it!





and ps if the phrasing of your post means that permission was given, as opposed to meaning that I made a statement of fact, then, yes, permission is hereby granted

wibble_puppy wrote:permission is hereby granted

I wouldn't dare. ;)

Always had you pegged as a sensible one

/ boring ;)


I can read what your thinking..... and you should be ashamed of your self

polo2k wrote:I can read what your thinking..... and you should be ashamed of your self

You have absolutely no idea how completely right you are, polo2k!




Well, after a visit to my friendly local motor factor and the purchase of an 18mm socket (a good snug fit) and a wrecking bar (the cost of which I could have done without ):

I CAME

I SAW

I WRECKED!!!!!





Last bits of oil now draining from gearbox, plug soundly spanked and sent to bed without any supper.

Hurrah!

Breaker bar is certain to come in handy again in the future.

... and from now on mention of that tool is always gonna make me grin and frighten the wood pigeons again

You could just have put a tube (trolley jack handle usually) over a T bar on the socket.

could have done but brain not functioning sufficiently to process finding the right size tube

I have a breaker bar and tend to use it in preference if theres good access. Fantastic tool

dalebrignall wrote:
awkward to put the leval plug back in as well

Not too hard when you've got the knowledge...

18mm socket and 12" extension - put a piece of kitchen roll (or newspaper) over the socket and put the plug squarely in the socket. The paper holds the plug firmly in the socket. Rip away any paper that's not in the socket to avoid blocking your vision.
Then just put the plug in the gearbox hole via the hole in the floor. Make sure you screw it in atleast few turns with your fingers to make sure it's not cross threaded - if it's difficult to start then try a slightly different angle on the extension bar.
This way you can avoid ever worrying about putting the plug back in (I've dropped them on the floor under the middle of the car far too many times before deciding there must be a better way!)

rayofleamington wrote:Not too hard when you've got the knowledge...

I do basically the same but hold the plug in the socket with a small strong magnet that I keep in my socket case for just this purpose.