Getting the pesky differential drain plug out!

[MarcDeSoto]

I actually got the that pesky diff. drain plug out.  It had a stripped female 1/4" plumber's plug in the bottom of the diff.  What I did to get it out was buy an easy out kit.  It was the kind where you hammer a 1/4" easy out into the plug.  Then, you put a half inch wrench on it and after heating it several times with a propane torch, it finally budged.  The threads on the plug were fine, not rusted like I thought it was.  Now I bought a 3/8" plumber's plug and screwed it in.  The old diff oil was black and ransid.  Glad I got it out.  I put in a quart of diff. oil in it, but the shop manual calls for 3 1/4 pints.  If you've forgotten your elementary arithmetic, 3 pints = 1 1/2 quarts and the 1/4 Pint = 1/2 cup.  

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[OUTFXD]

so... one quart, one pint. and half a cup...

 

Did they engineer this thing or just build it and say "good enough"?

[MarcDeSoto]

By George, you've got it! 1 quart, 1 pint, and half a cup is right! Unless you have the long wheelbase 46-48 DeSoto in which case it would be a whole cup, or 1/2 a pint as DeSoto put it.  They sure didn't engineer that drain plug very well with a female square 1/4" hole.  Now I have a good 3/8" drain plug with a male square head.  

[Bryan]

Glad it's a 3/8" Plumber's plug now.  I have a 3/8" plug tap and a set of plugs due to my oil galley plug adventure.  I'll get to the differential one of these  days.

[FarmerJon]

I ground down a cheap 3/8" extension till it fit, soaked the plug in penetrating oil, and it came right out. Now it has its own tool. 

[Booger]

I thought..how simple can it be? Its just a 3/8 ratchet drive! But its not.

Find a Kens tool 'dogbone' multi tool. Its got 8 different sq and hex sizes.

[MarcDeSoto]

I tried the Ken tool with 1/4" square and it didn't work because the square hole was stripped round.  Correction:  I said above that I used a 3/8" easy out.  As shown is this pic, I used a 1/4" easy out.  

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[Andydodge]

Interesting......I've not seen an Easy Out like that shown, all the ones I've seen have been and are about 2"-3" long with a long taper, nothing like that short stocky one with a hex head........will have to see if that type even exists here in Oz.............andyd

[MarcDeSoto]

I may have used the wrong name with Easy Out.  On the package these tools are called Pipe Nipple Extractor Set 1/8" - 3/4" NPT made by Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight.  

 

 

[Racer-X-]

I take it the fill plug wasn't a problem.

 

One thing I learned, always remove the fill plug first, before even trying to remove the drain plug.  

 

Words can't describe how bad it sucks to have all the old lubed drained out of the diff and then to discover that the fill plug is buggered up/stripped/rounded out and seized.  Don't ask me how I know this.

[MarcDeSoto]

Luckily, my filler plug, which is male, was as good as the day it was installed 74 years ago!