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so...much....anger.... aka oil change

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dabuddha said:
positive on the plug. Unfortunately I don't have much clearance under the van. Plus the problem now is the plug is a little rounded so I can't use a socket. I did see this on amazon though (friend recommended I try this)

http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-394001-Bolt-Grip/dp/B0000CCXVZ
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Second the motion on those Irwins... Same situation. Some pimple face asshat over torqued the drain plug on the wife's car when they had to drain the oil for the real mechanic to replace the timing chain cover gasket.

Luckily he didn't damage the threads... But I had bought one of those oversized replacement plugs from autozone anyway just in case... Suggest you do the same.

Or get one of these... I have them on all my vehicles now.
http://www.qwikvalve.com/?gclid=COTGr_WI1MQCFUpp7AodrXIAZA
 
I always cringe doing the first oil change on a new to me vehicle because I know it will be a fiasco.

Last one I did a couple weeks ago on my Grand Cherokee 4.0 I used my giant channellock on the oil filter and even that was getting me worried as I was crushing the housing. This sucker was on so tight the screwdriver trick would have torn through the housing. Finally it busted free. Never understood why "hand tighten" is so hard to understand.

As for the drain plug, I needed to slip a tube over the ratchet to bust it free. Ridiculous.
 
MtnMan said:
All to safe a few bucks, and then have to dispose of the old oil.....
Click to expand...

Around here in the DC area, an oil change runs about $50-60 and I can get 5qts of oil + filter for about $15 after rebate ( I stocked up after the last deal). Every dollar counts 😀
 
MtnMan said:
All to safe a few bucks, and then have to dispose of the old oil.....
Click to expand...

Actually, DIYers avoid issues like overtightened drain plugs because they about doing things right first, not fast. Also, no shady upsells and other tricks for that 19.99 loss leader.
 
If you haven't already removed the nut, then if you have an old used socket that fits over the drain nut, fit that socket over the nut and hit the back of the socket with a hammer using "medium" force a couple of times and then try loosening it again with that special "damaged bolt remover". I've sometimes had success using a metric socket in place of an SAE one, or I've used very coarse lapping compound on the somewhat rounded nut head to get some grip back on it. Anyway, try that a few times if it's stubborn, being mindful that you don't want to hit the socket with so much force that you start to deform the pan itself.
 
dabuddha said:
Around here in the DC area, an oil change runs about $50-60 and I can get 5qts of oil + filter for about $15 after rebate ( I stocked up after the last deal). Every dollar counts 😀
Click to expand...
What is the final resolution? Don't tell us it was lefty loosie etc!
 
jlee said:
I have the Craftsman version of those and they generally work well. I'd get a new drain plug ahead of time. 🙂
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Ditto. I have the craftsman version and they were a lifesaver when trying to remove the exhaust manifold nuts on my old Titan. I had to hammer one on a couple different nuts but they held well and worked great.
 
WackyDan said:
The only time you should consider using a torque wrench on an oil plug is when that plug uses metal crush washers.
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Actually, you should always torque every nut and bolt to spec and every nut and bolt on a car has a spec. How do you do that? With a torque wrench. It's overkill, but the spec is there for a reason. Most people just do it by feel, myself included.
 
When I went to change the oil on my tundra for the first time, I had a heck of a time also. Tundra uses a reusable cannister with filter insert and there's a special wrench you can use to take the cannister off. Well, I cheaped out at first and went with a stamped $10.00 tool from one of the chain auto parts stores. It slipped easily and would not release the cannister. I went back and got a nicer deeper one but had the same problem. Finally, I went to Toyota and spent some bucks on their cast aluminum one which fit on great, but cracked when I put a flex handle on it to remove the housing. I had to make yet another trip out to toyota, swap it out for another one, and put a heavy duty band clamp around the lip where the previous one cracked and was finally able to remove the plastic housing and take the filter off. Total waste of half a day between driving to the various stores and making returns, etc.
 
sontakke said:
What is the final resolution? Don't tell us it was lefty loosie etc!
Click to expand...

Ooooh good question. I totally forgot to update this thread. I ended up taking it to a mechanic who got the bolt off for me. I brought a replacement plug with me and he put the replacement on for me. He charged me $5 for the job and it was money well spent for me.
 
WackyDan said:
The only time you should consider using a torque wrench on an oil plug is when that plug uses metal crush washers.
Click to expand...
I just do it until I feel the washer crush, and then a smidge more. Hasn't failed me yet, and I promise if it does, I'll come back here and post a thread that says "Hey guys, I'm a colossal dumbass!"
 
I've never used a torque wrench on an old plug with the four different cars I've changed oil on. I've done it by hand until fairly snug even on aluminum oil pans.
 
MtnMan said:
All to safe a few bucks, and then have to dispose of the old oil.....
Click to expand...


theres a creek in my back yard i just dump all my oil into. D:

seriously though, it's as easy as taking the jug of oil to pep boys or the parts store on the way to work. 😎
 
OutHouse said:
ummm no way would i put that on any of my cars.
Click to expand...

I now have over 175k+ of miles on three of these drain valves. No issues.

Back in the 80's or 90's there were some versions of these that were known for failures. No such issue with the Fumotos.
 
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