Oil dain bolt

[Mondo]

I have a L355SS I cant seem to remove the oil drain bolt. I've tried adding a small pipe to the socket wrench, Hit it with PB blaster and let sit overnight. Ive thought of using a stillson wrench or impact driver or heating the boltbut want to ask before doing so. Any help apreciated

 

[lmichael]

Is this your first oil change on it? If so gotta wonder what the previous owner did

 

[Henro]

I have a L355SS I cant seem to remove the oil drain bolt. I've tried adding a small pipe to the socket wrench, Hit it with PB blaster and let sit overnight. Ive thought of using a stillson wrench or impact driver or heating the boltbut want to ask before doing so. Any help apreciated

Well it seems like you either have to remove it or not. If not, I’m not sure how you will change the oil.

I had some drain plugs in the final drive units of my mini excavator that I could not break free by hand. I decided that they had to come out to change the oil, so I bought an Allen head socket to use with my elect impact driver. That didn’t work, so I used the same socket with my pneumatic impact driver (wrench). That broken them free without any damage.

So I suggest you try your impact wrench. Chances are the plug will break free without damage. In any case, you probably plan on changing your again oil in the future, so you might as well get this behind you.

 

[Captain13]

Try these three things. Spray some penetrating oil on the bolt (Kroil works great, PB Blaster and Seafoam’s Deep Creep are good as well). Warm the tractor up to operating temp. Tap the bolt with a hammer as if you were going to turn the bolt in the CCW direction. Don’t round off the corners. Then try to remove it with a six point socket and ratchet. If you don’t have a six point, make sure your 12 point fits good.

I have even used a 3/8 impact wrench to to the “bumping” on stuck bolts to get them to pop loose. I wouldn’t use a 1/2 impact or you might do some thread damage.

 

[Mondo]

a local high school was the previous owner, Its a 1985 L355SS and it runs fantastic and remarkably well cleaned and maintained. I'll try the impact driver as I already used the the PB blaster but didnt help. I checked Amazon and they have a few pumps that go into the filler tube and sucks the oil out. They come with various widths to fit the filler tube. Most are manual and one drains 5 gallons in 10 mins. Can be used on various vehicles. Hopefully the impact driver will work as my first choice. Should I put anti seize on the threads for easier removal for the next time

Thanks for the help guys. I will let you know how I make out.

 

[lynnmor]

Hopefully the impact driver will work as my first choice. Should I put anti seize on the threads for easier removal for the next time

A pentrating oil will do little since the plug is sealed well.
You do risk damage from an impact, so use very short bursts and try turning in both directions. Sometimes turning towards tightening will break the grip.
Anti-seize is a good idea, a better idea is to change oil more often and don't tighten so much.

 

[Mondo]

Thanks lynnmor. I only use it about 30-40 hrs a summer and do change it yearly. Thanks again

 

[Henro]

You do risk damage from an impact, so use very short bursts and try turning in both directions. Sometimes turning towards tightening will break the grip.

This is true. But the way I look at it is you either do something to resolve the issue, or resort to some other means of changing the oil, like mentioned above, such as using a tube in the dip stick hole, and a pump.

Myself, I would risk the damage and use the impact, gently as lynnmor suggests. Chances are the plug will come out without damage. IF not, well, then you will be forced to fix it properly I suppose.

Maybe wait until you are about done with the tractor in late summer, early fall? Then you will have some months to fix it properly, if need be.

 

[Lil Foot]

Be prepared to take an oil bath with that impact. Every time I have used an impact on an oil drain plug, (use only with a six point socket) it has worked flawlessly. But it is awfully hard to get off the trigger before the plug spins completely out. YMMV.

 

[Bark]

As has been said, you may want to wait until end of season to remove that bolt. In the meanwhile, this pump was recommended by somebody on this site. I got one and it works great. It would help you do an oil change until you have the time to deal with possibly rounding off your bolt.

Amazon.com

 

[hope to float]

Another way might be to use a ring spanner and hit the head of the bolt straight on with a hammer while applying a lot of pressure to the nut with the spanner. In theory its like a gentler impact wrench

 

[Motion]

I would try as others have said. As always do as you feel is best but I'd have a new drain plug and sealing ring in hand before removing. If the previous owner, over tightened the drain plug he probably overtightened the other drains i.e. transmission and final drive, you may want to just break them loose and retighten to specs. since you'll have all the tools out, that way you won't be fighting them when the time comes for fluid changes.

 

[GeoHorn]

By definition....There’s nothing “gentle” about an impact wrench regardless of long or short bursts.

Use only impact-sockets with impact-wrenches unless you wish to destroy common sockets

Also, if this is a DT/4WD tractor you may have a “tunnel” in the oil sump which may prevent a suction-pump from pulling all the oil out of a multi-chamber oil sump.

It seems to me that an oil drain plug is by-definition already soaked in lubricant and that penetrating oils will not provide any benefit.

Be CERTAIN you are twisting that plug in the correct direction. If you are upside-down and observing from a strange angle... you can become disoriented and mistakenly apply a tightening effort instead of a loosening one.

Consider the possibility since a “local high school” was the previous owner.... that it’s possible the plug is...1-cross-threaded.... 2-improper part (is it colored the same as the rest of the tractor? Is an SAE plug inserted into a metric sump?).... 3-the last oil-change “technician” may have applied Thread-Locker.

.

 

[Henro]

Consider the possibility since a “local high school” was the previous owner.... -the last oil-change “technician” may have applied Thread-Locker.

Now that is thinking outside the box! And so true...you NEVER know what a previous owner might have done...

 

[Mondo]

update on oil drain plug..... I used a 18 inch plumbers monkey wrench and it worked fine. I guess the longer handle gave me the strength to break the bolt loose as opposed to the socket wrench handle. No damage to the bolt and a nice clean oil change.. Thanks guys for the responses.

 

[jkrez]

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Bark]

Thanks for the update.