Front Axle Drain Plug

Ewal · Aug 28, 2006

I am in the process of doing the 50hr oil changes for my IHT284. When I drained the front axle gear boxes two of the plugs came out and the one for the right final drive acts like it's welded in place. Needless to say I now have a nearly round sqare plug end. Anyone have a solution to this delimma?? I have tried penetrating oil and tapping to see if the threads will loosen but no movement.
I'm hoping I can match the threads and size to replace the plug with a hex head bolt if I have to drill it out. Any matches out there?
The plug does not show on my parts diagram as a replaceable item so I'm assuming I have to make the replacement. Has anyone else had this issue??

gbick · Aug 28, 2006

Those plugs have a tapered pipe thread. not a straight thread like a bolt would have.

RonMar · Aug 28, 2006

They are also metric... Have you tried a little heat from a propane torch around the plug? This will cause the caseing around the plug to expand. Once hot, put some ice on just the plug(where you would put the wrench) to cool the plug and force it to contract a bit quicker than the case around it. Run a few of the hot/cold cycles and see if that will loosen up the corrosion that is binding the threads. What has the oil from the rest of the front axel looked like so far? Any sign of water? Did you change out all the fluids when it was new? Unfortunatly the plug being fused in place is a possible sign of water in the oil on that side. From what I have read, water in the front axel has been found before on china tractors. Since it will go to the bottom of the oil, any accumulation on that side will have set in contact with the threads on the back side of the plug. If it won't move after some hot-cold cycles, grind it off flat, put a dimple in the middle of it with a centerpunch and drill it out with the appropriate size drill to allow you to run a standard size pipe tap up the hole and replace it with a std pipe plug after the oil has drained out. I have used easyouts on that small a plug/bolt, but I have not had very good luck with them(usually break). For the small stuff, I find it just as easy to drill it out and re-tap it. You can pour some fluid into the filler to wash out the metal shavings while you are tapping the new threads. Be sure and add a little teflon tape to the plugs when you replace them, this will help keep them from fuseing themselvs in place.

Good Luck.

3RRL · Aug 29, 2006

My experience with stuff like that...
I would do exactly like Ron said except skip right to the last 3 sentences of his post.

Soundguy · Aug 29, 2006

I've removes quite a few rounded off plugs from old tractors over the years.

My best luck has been from using a pipe wrench and a small bottle jack, if needed, to support the pipe wrench. Sometimes the new fangled pipe wrenches work better.. i have several sizes of both. the new ones have a rounded cupped jaw, and another jaw that acts like a thumb.... And it puts some tremendous pressure on a bolt head.

I'd had almost no luck with penetrating oil on plugs into oil sumps... Either the plug is imersed in oil and just truly stuck.. or water colelcted at the bottom and made a permanent bond...

Other tricks. Take a copper maul or regular hammer if you don't have a non-marring maul. and strick the bolt.. Not hard enough to damage the casting.. just enough to swag the threads a little.

Sometimes a cold chisle can be driven into the side of the plug, in the direction for removal.. and you can 'drive it around'

Also.. you can take an angle grinder or flat file and file a new set of square sides on it for a wrench.

You can also weld a hex nut to it. The hex head gives you good flats,a nd the heat from welding distorts the plug.. sometimes enough to dislodge it.

lastly.. depending onthe side of the plug.. you can drill it and chip the pieces out of the casting with a centerpunch.

I've had varrying degrees of luck with all of these.. as of yet.. I havn't met a plug that wouldn't come out using one ( or all ) of these techniques.

Soundguy

SPIKER · Aug 29, 2006

One other thing, is that the plug is in a very easy to remove part, it has 4 bolts (10 MM heads) and a gasket. it (the gasket is easy to replace with a ceral box cutout or silicone rtv) simply remove the casting plate so that working on it will be a great better easy.

I like easy, be aware that a quart or so of oil will come out and then take the casting to the bench for the plug to be removed with any of the ideas above.

I like my little BUTANE torch ( I have one from HF that cost 6 bucks and 2 more for the butane refil) I've removed brake bleeders, bolts and many fittings as it has a pencil point type flame which works like crazy.

one of the best cheap tools I've bought.

also I'm with every one else on the easy outs they usually break and drilling them out is impossable... I go with the heat & Ice firts if it doesn't work then try grinding flats on whats left and or welding small hex nut onto it. the hex nut can be left on and then re-use the plug as well. all this is easy once the plate casting is on the bench.

mark M

Ewal · Aug 29, 2006

Thanks to you all for the input on my plug problem. I'll start down the list to see what will work.
I have found that the thread and plug appear to be a standard pipe thread. I matched it trough a plumber friend so replacement does not seem to be an issue in that way. I just need to get it loose.
I'll let you know how I make out as soon as I know. Thanks again.
Elton

Ewal · Aug 30, 2006

I got the plug out of my axle housing using a ballpeen hammer and a pair of seven inch vicegrip pliers with straight jaws. Since I had been beating on the plug anyway I used Soundguy's suggestion to give it a few harder smacks with a little more penetrating oil, then I clamped the plug end in the vicegips and tied to turn it out. the vicegrip was small enough that I felt I could avoid stripping the plug end if I was watchful. The plug did not budge so I decided to try striking the side of the grip jaw as I applied force to them. It took a few forceful but measured blows and the plug came loose with a very audible snap. I was very relieved to say the least.
The oil in this tractor was clean and showed no sign of water. The plug had one thread rusted I assume from surface moisture but it was enough to make things difficult.
This machine was manufactured November of 2005 and had been assembled in January of 2006. It did sit outside uncovered until I bought it the last of May. I decided to buy it after a lot reading what you fellows were saying about Chinese Tractors convinced me I could make one work for me and so far so good! It sure fit the budget best.
Thanks to you all for being a most valuable resource!!
Elton

RonMar · Aug 31, 2006

Glad it came out the easy way

Soundguy · Aug 31, 2006

Boy.. some of those plugs are monsters. i had a 1" pipe plug on my ford 5000 that took an 18" pipe wrench and a 3' cheater.. I was lifting myself of fthe ground and bouncing on that sucker before it popped loose.

I was lucky. the head of the plug deformed to a rectangle shape and had already twisted 25%!! Needless to say, a new plug went back in with some ptfe goop..

Soundguy