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Sump plug seized
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:06 pm
by vincent
I bought a 1.0 12V Envoy at the weekend for my Dad and I have been fixing the faults as part of it's first service in our care. I tried to change the oil today but the sump plug is seized. It looks like someone gave up removing the plug previously as the 6mm hex socket is damaged. I have sprayed penetrating oil on the plug, using a 1/4" hex key and I have also used a cold chisel and hammer to try to undo the plug but it's not shifting. I'm worried that if I use too much force on the plug that it could either round the socket or strip the thread in the sump itself. Is there a trick to getting the sump plug out or will I have to pull the engine out and replace the sump?
Sump plug seized
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:33 pm
by matty589
Keep tapping the bung with a hammer not to hard tho. It will warm it up. It sometimes work
Re: Sump plug seized
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:45 pm
by matty101
try it when the engine is hot, the heat cud ease it. just watch the exhaust lol
Re: Sump plug seized
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:48 am
by vincent
matty589 wrote:Keep tapping the bung with a hammer not to hard tho. It will warm it up. It sometimes work
Thanks. I tried that last night and left it overnight with a spray of penetrating oil. I will have another go today.
Re: Sump plug seized
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:11 am
by vincent
matty101 wrote:try it when the engine is hot, the heat cud ease it. just watch the exhaust lol
I did initially think about applying external heat with a blow torch but the risk of starting a fire would be probably be too great to try it. The next idea was to try a big soldering iron, but I don't have one. Perhaps a hot air paint stripping gun would work, I have one of those! Getting the engine hot enough for the radiator fan to cut in may well help. I will try it.
If I can't get the sump plug out I am thinking about having the oil pumped out through the dipstick tube for this oil change. I will get another sump ready for the next service.
Re: Sump plug seized
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:11 pm
by vincent
I have just bought a 12 volt Mannesmann oil scavenge pump online for £27.42 delivered which I reckon would be comparable in cost to taking the car to a garage to get the oil pumped out once but I can use the electric pump for every service until I need to pull the engine out for any work.