Hey,

ahhh, this is really starting to make me mad. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] i went to change the oil in my new '97 Warrior tonight. but i can't get the drain plug bolt to budge! sockets just rounded the corners. so i put a vise grip up there. had that sucker on there tight, it took both hands to close the vise grip. still couldn't get the drain bolt to budge. it just chunked out the metal from the bolt. now that i've mutilated the bolt fairly well w/o any success, i'm out of ideas. guys you gotta help me! using a torch seems like a really bad idea. i guess i could syphon (sp?) the oil out through the fill hole, but doesn't sound very effective.

honestly, who designed this thing?? i want to punch him in the mouth. lawn mower engines have very simple, easy to use oil drains. why couldn't they have done something like that?? guess that would have been too easy.

just to make sure i'm not a complete idiot: the oil drain bolt is the odd looking circular bolt on the very bottom of the motor right? and it's not threaded backwards or anything correct?

thanks,
bigmac

 

did you use a six point socket or 12? was the socket standard or metric? My personal experience is that if you dont have a tight six point socket, then youll just destroy the bolt just as you did. You might have tried a breaker bar before you stripped the head out. I would say take it to a garage of some sort and see if they have any tools to get a better grip. If not, you can always drill the bolt out, but then you would get the fragments in the engine possibly.

 

Work on it cold! Stand it up on the grab bar, remove the skid plate and try again with the vice grips and maybe a hammer. Be careful not to pull it over and crush yourself! If that doesn't work, sell it!
Good luck.

 

I just had the same problem with my blaster, After I rounded the bolt usitng the correct size socket I went one size smaller 12pt and hammered it on with the quad standing on the grab bar. After I got the smaller socket on the bolt came out with no problem. The hammering must have loosened the bolt. Try this and leave the socket on the bolt so you can reinstall it unless you already have a new bolt.

 

when mine did this last time i stood it on end took a hammer and chisel and used the chisel to cut a notch in the side of the plug, then angled the chisel so when i hit it it would make it spin left to losen it, it worked great no heat or anything needed, i did however have to buy a new drain plug, i could have still used the old one by using the chisel to tighten it back up but i didnt want to so i picked one up from alba for like 5-8 bucks............

 

Just make sure you are using a metric wrench if it is metric . Find a open and closed end wrench that fits perfectly and try that., maybe use a pipe for leverage. or if you could find someone stronger that knows what they are doing.

 

what about an impact wrench?

 

hose it down with wd40 while it is standing on its bar and let it set for a bit then go one size down on a box end or a socket, slide a small pipe over the other end (or end of the ratchet) and tap it so it starts to break itself free. with the wd, it should break itself free pretty easy.

 

When I converted my oil plug fron six-sided to round, I used a hacksaw blade and a file to make it rectangular. Now I just use a great big cressent. Good times.

Hutch

 

hey find some one that has a pair of stud pliers they are designed very well and work good on rounded objects
jim