Plastic Ac receiver drier removal attempt stripped plug (1 Viewer)

[onemudder]

I went to try to replace the receiver dryer and found the plug pretty stripped from the previous ownerI have used a set of large hex from AutoZone and it simply was too stripped to begin with.

I lost patience working in a 98 degree humid day yesterday and decided to drill it out.
turned out to be kind of a mess. I don’t want to strip the threads and create an even worse situation.

burn /melt it out with heat?

Any ideas at this point would help.

thank God the new receiver drier set has a brass plug.

Also I’m concerned about the system being open from a rotten AC line that I had to replace (PS wheel well area) that was left open situation in the system. Do you think the compressor lost a good amount of its PAG oil from being open system?

 

[nukegoat]

I went to try to replace the receiver dryer and found the plug pretty stripped from the previous ownerI have used a set of large hex from AutoZone and it simply was too stripped to begin with.

I lost patience working in a 98 degree humid day yesterday and decided to drill it out.
turned out to be kind of a mess. I don’t want to strip the threads and create an even worse situation.

burn /melt it out with heat?

Any ideas at this point would help.

thank God the new receiver drier set has a brass plug.

Also I’m concerned about the system being open from a rotten AC line that I had to replace (PS wheel well area) that was left open situation in the system. Do you think the compressor lost a good amount of its PAG oil from being open system?

I don't really know what has happened so far. So you drilled it out? Or not yet?

Oil doesn't evaporate rapidly

 

[gatormark91]

Use a pipe wrench.

Hopefully the threads in the condenser are not messed up.

 

[jerryb]

I wanna see the brass plug. denso doesn't give you that.

 

[onemudder]

Tried pipe wrench and every type of wrench I had but there is only about 1/4 inch of reveal on the plug and it kept deforming when I turned it. Sucker is on super tight. !#%!

Drilled into it several times with a smaller bit because I didn’t want to ruin the plug area threads. Just not coming out just yet because I essentially have the male thread ring left.

Can’t decide how to get that part out—maybe a sawzall blade manually(?). Hate to mess this up coming this far and biting the bullet on a new condenser.

pic of new aftermarket brass plug Attached.

 

[onemudder]

FYI. I got these replacements a long while ago. Looks like now that I bought the plug and drier separately.

 

[onemudder]

attached photo of plug. I may have bent the condenser with all the things I threw at it so far.

 

[half k cruiser]

@onemudder I didn't have a large enough allen wrench for mine. I simply took a pair of channel locks, stuck one side in there with the teeth pressing into the plastic, press very hard to get some bite, then turn it out. You can even lever one side of it back against the outer rim of the plug to get more bite into the plastic piece.

Just to be clear you are not actually trying to grab it with the channel locks so much as you are using leverage and the toothy inner portion of the jaws to hold and spin out the plug. Once you get it started you should be golden.

 

[onemudder]

Thanks for the tips. I ended up getting a new condenser. Turns out the condenser came with a new drier installed.

Condenser was installed by a mechanic who didn't put in new o-rings. all the freon leaked out within two weeks or so.

** Biggest lesson -- far more involved than meets the eye. One thing led to another and since the system was open for some time, the system should have been flushed before being evacuated. There's a ton of info on this. The ac compressor needs to be replaced along with the ATV / expansion valve. Putting in all new seals and flushing out each component. What a mess.