Stripped front diff drain plug

^ This Is the reason most are over torqued.

You can feel a good deformation of the crush washer. You can also feel once you have good friction against a gasket.

Once you are there, you are good. - The specc'd torque is very high for a non-fastener application.

- These are just drain plugs. They keep your fluids where they belong. They have no structural value and they are not subject to much stress or vibration.

Both my diffs were torqued lightly from the factory. My MT was also just snug.

 

Need to remember all these tips once I do mine.

 

Yes, this tool worked like a charm! First time the plug has been removed and it didn't mar the metal one bit. I did PB Blast a few days prior, it put up a little fight but finally broke loose, highly recommend this tool if you think you'll have issues removing your plug...

 

Where did you get the tool ? And did you replace the plug with something different?

 

$80 IRWIN Screw Extractor Set, Hex Head, Multi-Spline, 25-Piece (53227)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SRG66?ie=UTF8

I have used this before. Always use heat on the plug before removing too.

 

https://www.kaon.com.au/diff-drain-plug-removal-tool-to-suit-toyota

Kaon, out of Australia. With the conversion rate, it was only like $35 us shipped. I did buy the Lexus replacement bolt like everyone suggests but had I'd known this would work so well, I woulda just used the old one.