boogered diff fill plug

[Lzwo]

Hi guys, my first post (after significant lurking) so be gentle.
After a weekend of wheelin' in some deep-ish water, found to my dismay that the rear differential on my 1989 62 started leaking from the front oil seal, where the driveshaft bolts to the diff flange. Assuming that water got into the diff and was causing the leak (from increased pressure and decreased viscosity), I made the decision to drain the fluid, refill with clean hypoid, and hope that the seal stops leaking.

Unfortunately, the fill plug is boogered to the point where it seems to be a 17mm round plug, instead of the 24mm Hex head I expected. After several hours trying, I just can't get the !#*! plug out. I'm talking every wrench, sockket, channel lock, and vice grip I own, plus PB Blaster and a propane torch (not at the same time).

So, my question is, what is the most cost effective method to get this fill plug out? Seems like my options are to go out and buy an eazyout and try to extract it myself or take it to a shop and have them do it for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and we'll get into the dent removal issues another time.

BTW, it has not been driven since Wed, and the leak has stopped, which gives me some comfort that the leak was caused by overpressure in the housing.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Smack it dead on with a flat head hammer a couple times. I have had those plugs do that a few times and just a good smack, that helps a bunch.

I would guess that its not water/ overpreasure in your diff making it leak. Sounds like a bad pinion seal and a rig that has not been in 4wd in a while. THe seal is bad and when its in 4wd the ring gear is pumping gear oil up to the pinon bearings and seeping past the seal. THats my guess

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Oh rear diff I did not read that right. dissregard the 2nd part of what I just said

 

[Lzwo]

No joy with the hammer. Whacked it pretty good many different times; still nothing. Even tried to drive a socket onto the plug, hoping to get some traction - that just pushed metal inwards and now it has a slight mushroom appearance. The biggest problem seems to be how soft the plug is, whenever I think I've got a bite with the vice grips, the metal edges just shear even worse.

 

[Doc]

Did you try to just remove the diff cover? It doesn't help you with the bad plug, but it'll let you drain the fluid, and you can fill through the stock fill hole (assuming it isn't buggered too!).

 

[Lzwo]

Not clear about what you mean by "stock fill hole". I can take the rear cover off, those nuts **look** ok, but once I get it off, I still have to get the fill plug out to add new hypoid. I'm assuming I can do a temporary seal with silicone gasket until I can order a new rear gasket (with a new fill plug). Is there another means of adding hypoid once the back cover is in place (assuming the plug never came out)?

 

[Doc]

Oops, sorry, I thought the drain hole was the one buggered. My bad.

If you remove one or two of the bolts on the top of the diff cover I believe the holes where the bolts go in go all the way into the diff case, you'd be able to fill through this hole, but it'd be slow. Remove two bolts, one to fill throuh, one to vent through.

 

[lovetoski]

I have never done this personally, but have heard that you can have a nut welded to the fill plug (or drain plug too). Seems like this would work great.

There are allen-head plugs available as replacements.

Good thing you didn't drain it before you discovered the stubborn fill plug!

 

[Exiled]

What about grinding that sucker into a square, then use a pipe-wrench with a breaker bar? I had to use a grinder to re-form the hex on my front drain plug, it was so worn out that I couldn't tell where the plug ended and the housing began. I've been meaning to weld a section of tubing to the housing around the new drain plug.

 

[Satamax]

Forget about all the bolt welding etc! The simplest solution i've ever found is that

Best regards.

Max.

 

[MR.FJ60]

I had the same problem about three months ago too and finally someone here suggested to just weld another nut to the plug. That is the only way that happened to get mine off in the front and the back. Satamax has a pretty good idea there too with the picture. Good luck.

 

[KLF]

Here's what I'd do:

- Go buy a new cork diff cover gasket and fill plug from the dealer.

- Remove the drain plug (drain out the oil), then the rear diff cover.

- Pound it back into the shape that it was before you attacked it with the hammer.

- Take it to a welder, have him weld a nut on the buggered plug. Remove the plug, toss into the trash.

- Put it all back together.

 

[lowtideride]

Happened to me. I used an impact wrench. The kind ya put a socket on the end twist the handle and wack it with a hammer. A few wacks with the 5lbs sledge hammer and it was off. I used a hexhead from spector after that lil episode. By the way, a 15/16 socket fits a lil tighter than a 24mm on the diff plugs....
good luck,
-Al

 

[Lzwo]

Thanks for all the posts. Here's what I ended up with: ordered a used back cover plate for $30. Going to just change them out, which will leave me with a spare. Since I don't weld (yet - owning a cruiser might change that) my friend offered to take it home for Thanksgiving and weld a nut on for me. Don't know if the spare cover plate will come in handy, but I've seen enough rovers throw gears through the covers to think it might.

Thanks for all the replies and ideas - I think a MIG welder and some airtools might be on my Xmas list. Perhaps a welder that mounts inside the engine compartment for repairs on the go....

larry

 

[lovetoski]

...if you can't weld (which I can't) a "new" cover plate for $30 is a great solution to the problem.

...duh...shoulda thought of that...

 

[snowwolfwarrior]

Pity a ground down socket was not used!

 

[Benji]

By the way, a 15/16 socket fits a lil tighter than a 24mm on the diff plugs...
-Al

I used lowtideride's advice. It is true. I went to Sears got both and tried them out. I bought the 15/16 . Thanks lowtideride.

I would go with the hexhead plugs from spector. They are cheap, so don't worry about it.

 

[lowtideride]

(Benji)No problem bro.

And the hex's heads rule but I've heard rumor that the magnets are not as strong as oem but I use them anyway.

 

[uberhahn]

Fill'er up

Don't know if anyone has had experience having to fill a diff in an emergency situation, but a few years ago my Dodge 3/4 ton's D70 rear blew up. Long story short, I had to re-fill the diff with fluid, but didn't have the appropriate tools to get the plug out. I did have the right size sockets to take the cover off and drain everything. So, how did you fill it up?

Take a lightweight plastic bag (like a grocery bag for veggies, fill it up with your favorite dino fluid, tie a light knot and put it in the housing, following by the cover. The plastic gets ground up, and doesn't negatively effect performance in an emergency.

uberhahn

 

[Zack1978]

Don't know if anyone has had experience having to fill a diff in an emergency situation, but a few years ago my Dodge 3/4 ton's D70 rear blew up. Long story short, I had to re-fill the diff with fluid, but didn't have the appropriate tools to get the plug out. I did have the right size sockets to take the cover off and drain everything. So, how did you fill it up?

Take a lightweight plastic bag (like a grocery bag for veggies, fill it up with your favorite dino fluid, tie a light knot and put it in the housing, following by the cover. The plastic gets ground up, and doesn't negatively effect performance in an emergency.

uberhahn

Wow, are you sure the plastice would not hurt anything? That sounds bad, but what the hell do I know!

Zack