Stripped trans plugs, help!

[DreamTime]

Hey everyone,

Can anyone give me any suggestions for removing the drain and fill plugs on my transmission, they are super stripped... Thank you!

[SYT_Shadow]

I would hammer a torx head that's larger than the hole in, then open it.

There are specific tools to do this though, it's basically a drill bit in reverse

I don't think you have enough space in the fill bolt to hammer things though

[deansbimmer]

These are made for a task like that, and generally invaluable in a garage when you need them.

https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-HANSON-...rwin+extractor

TIP: Always remove the fill plug first.

[EnVe46]

If you have needle nose vice grips it appears there's enough of a bolt head to grip and get it out

[///M3Fresh]

Might be able to use a traditional strip socket to put on top of the plug all together and see if it bites!

[DreamTime]

Thank you so much, guys! These are all good ideas. I have arranged to have access to a lift tomorrow, so after work, I am gonna go at it. Fingers crossed! I really like that set you gave a link to deansbimmer, as this stripped bolt/plug/etc thing seems to occasionally be an issue (and when it is, it can be a little frustrating). I might go ahead and order one, seems like a good set of tools to have around.

[roastbeef]

grind the sides down with a dremel and use a crescent wrench on it. or maybe use a thin pipe wrench on that lip.

[McSwine]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

If you have needle nose vice grips it appears there's enough of a bolt head to grip and get it out

That's what I was thinking, get the new replacements and get after it with some Visegrips, although the grinding it down on the sides idea is a little more elegant.

[B767capt]

This happened to my daughter's car. I used a sharp chisel and placed it at the 3 o'clock position. Place the chisel at about a 45-degree angle. Then tap it with a hammer. The chisel will dig in slightly and the plug easily rotated. Bad design as this is a common problem.

[deansbimmer]

When servicing these transmissions I install a new plug every time to any that appear to have wear. Older BMW's used to have external fittings on the plugs but people would strip them too. A plug is a plug, just have to use the correct size socket not one that just feels "close".

Another consideration is that if the torque applied through the tool wasn't enough to loosen it before stripping, then it's very likely that vise grips and chisels won't be enough to get it loose either. Some may have had success with those methods but you may risk tearing things up further.

[DreamTime]

Success! The drain plug was a little easier, I just did the torx bit/hammer thing like I had to do with my seized rotor screws. The fill plug was a little more tricky because it was harder to access and it was so badly stripped. But, we tried a number of the suggestions you guys gave and we finally got the damn thing off. Yay! New plugs installed and we did not strip them while torquing.

Thank you again for your input everyone! In light of the holiday - this year, one of the things I am thankful for is this forum. You guys are great

[UPSROD]

I would use anti-seize on the new plug as well!

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

When servicing these transmissions I install a new plug every time to any that appear to have wear. Older BMW's used to have external fittings on the plugs but people would strip them too. A plug is a plug, just have to use the correct size socket not one that just feels "close".

Another consideration is that if the torque applied through the tool wasn't enough to loosen it before stripping, then it's very likely that vise grips and chisels won't be enough to get it loose either. Some may have had success with those methods but you may risk tearing things up further.

While my car was at a local shop to get wheels put on a couple months ago I had them swap out my trans fluid too, as i already had the fluid and they are a high-end motorsports shop, I felt they could do the job w/o issue. I was a little disappointed when I saw the condition they left my plugs in, I wondered why they did not just order new ones to put in. I also wondered how they stripped them so bad. Last night, when I realized I did not have the correct size hex bit to install the new plugs, instead of trying to wing it and possibly mess up the new plugs, I simply drove to O'Reillys and bought a hex set with an 8mm in it. Everything worked out perfectly

Edit: the reason for removing the plugs this time was because I wanted to check the trans fluid level since I was not there when they changed it. Trying to diagnose a noise coming either from trans or clutch.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by B767capt

Bad design as this is a common problem.

Stripped plugs are a lot easier to deal with than stripped transmission cases...

Originally Posted by UPSROD

I would use anti-seize on the new plug as well!

No anti seize is necessary, but if you do use it, reduce the torque value appropriately or you'll over torque the plug.