Stuck transfer case filler plug

For old times sake and because this is the best place for advice, hopefully you can help me out.

The transfer box filler plug is stuck solid on my Kia. It was a 10mm hex socket, but it is now rounded off. It's ally so I can't weld to it. I've cut a grove in to it to give a mallet and a chisel some purchase and it's not budging.

So I propose either:

1. Leaving it. The oil is due a change at 60,000 miles and it's done 65,000. It isn't going to suddenly blow up. So I might leave it until it breaks - I'm sure there'll be a few years left in it; or

2. Drill a hole through the filler plug.

If I go for option 2, I can either drill a very small vent hole and then pump the replacement oil in through the drain hole until it appears at the vent hole (much like you do on an outboard engine's gear case) and then seal the vent hole with chemical metal - good for another 60,000 miles; or I could drill a larger hole that I use to fill with oil and then either seal this with chemical metal or put a bolt in it as a new fill plug. Either way, I'd have to be careful of swarf entering the box, but then I could use grease on the drill bit. Would a bit of aluminium swarf do any harm as it's quite soft compared to steel anyway. But I don't know what's inside a transfer box and there are rubber seals where the front axle and rear prop shaft exit.

What do you reckon? Leave well alone or drill a vent hole or a fill hole? Would I cause more problems by potentially causing the ingress of tiny bits of aluminium swarf? Or is it worth having a go. What would you do if it was your car?

tnx, as always,

Nik

Have yo considered using 'EZouts' these have a reversed thread....drill a suitable hole, screw these in and as you screw these in, the are tapered and grip and unscrew the plug..>!

Never used on aluminium before so not sure how truly effective they would be....

Safer choice would be to drill a larger hole, tap it with a thread and use this as the new filler/level plug and fit a suitably sized bolt.

As for swarf, if you are draining it should all come out in any case.

You thought of selling it now and buy another R/R Snap-on do a good set,they look like a vertical milling tool, you drill the appropriate hole and hammer it in. Never had much luck with Easyouts, unless the offending piece is quite free all I seemed to do is break them. Have you tried a bit of heat ?

Thanks both. I thought about EZouts or similar but since it won't budge with a hammer and chisel, I figured they would just tear it up and end up twisting out or snapping. I have tried heat. Trouble there is, the casing and plug are both ally. I've had a blow torch on the plug and around it, but I didn't want to do it for too long in case I did some damage. Anyway, still didn't move.

I can only assume it's gone in cross-threaded and/or never been removed and fused in to place. Maybe I'll look at drilling through it. Maybe if I drill through it, that will weaken it anyway and then it might come out.

Any more thoughts? Drill it and change the oil or just leave it with the old oil in and nor worry about it?

tnx

Nik

NikTheGeek said:

Thanks both. I thought about EZouts or similar but since it won't budge with a hammer and chisel, I figured they would just tear it up and end up twisting out or snapping. I have tried heat. Trouble there is, the casing and plug are both ally. I've had a blow torch on the plug and around it, but I didn't want to do it for too long in case I did some damage. Anyway, still didn't move.

I can only assume it's gone in cross-threaded and/or never been removed and fused in to place. Maybe I'll look at drilling through it. Maybe if I drill through it, that will weaken it anyway and then it might come out.

Any more thoughts? Drill it and change the oil or just leave it with the old oil in and nor worry about it?

tnx

Nik

Click to expand...

Any chance of a photo so we can see what you are up against and what the access is like

tomcat59alan said:

Any chance of a photo so we can see what you are up against and what the access is like

Click to expand...

Yep, here you go. Access is ok, I can get a drill to it, albeit at a slight angle and I started to drill it, just to see if I could. But then I stopped to ask for advice

i think id carry on with the chisel youve not given it much of ago

Heat and chisel

How much heat? I assume I have to heat the transfer box, will I be able to give it too much heat with a portable blow torch or will it never get hot enough due to the size of it?

Just to heat the nut and the surrounding thread

Depends if there's anything nearby that could be damaged by the heat

NikTheGeek said:

How much heat? I assume I have to heat the transfer box, will I be able to give it too much heat with a portable blow torch or will it never get hot enough due to the size of it?

Click to expand...

Just the filler plug get it as hot as poss, Cherry red would be good. Then bugger off and have a cuppa while it cools back down again. No point trying to shift it, until it's returned to normal size.

you havent tried the chisel properly yet

Just seen your photo and can only agree with all previous posts. Are you sure the bolt is ally? Get it hot and use a bigger hammer.

Awkward spot. Don't get that on a Rangie.

This is why i always change filler plugs with the oil. £100 quid's worth of fluid and filters, yet so many people reuse filler plugs which cost a couple of quid !

It just isn't worth the aggro of rounded off plug !

These are good tools Nick



http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bo...d-multi-spline-screw-extractors-522532-series

ukadamwest said:

This is why i always change filler plugs with the oil. £100 quid's worth of fluid and filters, yet so many people reuse filler plugs which cost a couple of quid !

It just isn't worth the aggro of rounded off plug !

These are good tools Nick

Hex Head Multi-Spline Screw Extractors - 522/532 Series - Tools - IRWIN TOOLS

Click to expand...

i generally reuse then they only round if you use poor tools,over tighten or havent undone it for a good few years ,before i put swarf in the box id try a little harder

Spot on james. unfortunately a lot of garages use impact guns on everything they can, over tighten. it's one of my pet peeves and why i prefer doing my own work.

Those irwin extracts shouldn't leave swarf inside.

ukadamwest said:

Spot on james. unfortunately a lot of garages use impact guns on everything they can, over tighten. it's one of my pet peeves and why i prefer doing my own work.

Click to expand...

My sump hex bolt on my L322 was rounded and the inner allen - I hate those impact tools too.

Pikey said:

Just the filler plug get it as hot as poss, Cherry red would be good. Then bugger off and have a cuppa while it cools back down again. No point trying to shift it, until it's returned to normal size.

Click to expand...

It's aluminum so it'll either melt or transfer it's heat to the case. But I'll give it a go and hit it harder

As for the Hanson extractors, again, I think because the plug is ally, that it'll just rip it up. I know there are issues with steel plugs in to ally cases, but a steel plug would be so much easier.

The Range Rover was much easier to work on - it just needed more of it!

Looks in the pic like you could use mole grips to add some torque as you hit it with the hammer and chisel. Need two people though.