Stuck oil drain plug removal
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Joined: Jan 2014
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Stuck oil drain plug removal
#7 bolt extractor tool, 12" crescent wrench, 1 pound hammer continuously tapping the extractor tool onto the head of the drain plug while bracing my leg against the sway bar and pulling on the wrench.
Sheesh! The plug must have been installed by a gorilla at the previous owner's last oil change. I started with a six-point socket and still rounded off the vertices of the hex head.
The cut on the bolt head was where I used a Dremel cutting wheel to relieve as much as possible the tensile force on the drain plug. Tight area to work in and had to be careful to not cut so deep as to have the head of the bolt twist off. Last thing I wanted to do was to attempt to drill out the drain plug and use an EZ-out style bolt removal tool; not enough room underneath to drill parallel to the axis of the drain plug.
Yes, I had a new drain plug and washer on hand but I wasn't expecting this!
Next up are the motor mounts, transmission adaptor plug, and camber bolts....
Sheesh! The plug must have been installed by a gorilla at the previous owner's last oil change. I started with a six-point socket and still rounded off the vertices of the hex head.
The cut on the bolt head was where I used a Dremel cutting wheel to relieve as much as possible the tensile force on the drain plug. Tight area to work in and had to be careful to not cut so deep as to have the head of the bolt twist off. Last thing I wanted to do was to attempt to drill out the drain plug and use an EZ-out style bolt removal tool; not enough room underneath to drill parallel to the axis of the drain plug.
Yes, I had a new drain plug and washer on hand but I wasn't expecting this!
Next up are the motor mounts, transmission adaptor plug, and camber bolts....
Last edited by bbirdwell; Apr 22, 2014 at 11:56 AM.
