Help, stripped front diff drain plug

I had the dealership switch my diffs over to syn at 7533 miles (yes i have the receipt) , king kong apparently torqued the front diff plug because i stripped the plug trying to get it out. (I stripped the inner 10mm portion, not the actual threads, and it didnt even budge)

so my question is what do i do/how much will it cost me?

the dealership in question is in texas, im now in cali. i am still under warranty for another month and a half. do i have a case to get them to fix it since it was improperly torqued?

 

probably gonna have to put an allen wrench in the stripped part and weld it to the plug......and hit with a hammer a few times to loosen. then buy a new drain plug. its ridiculous how tight they put some things on the trucks that shoudnt ever be torqued that damn tight.

 

i just stripped mine too. i have no idea why the hell they put it on so tight.. it is supposed to be like 34ft lbs or something close to that. i feel like mine was well over 200ft lbs. how much did it cost to get it out or did they do it for free.

 

The dealer may have used an impact gun. Could be corrosion, too. The front diff takes a lot of road grime, possibly more if you don't have the engine skid plate that's found on TRD models.

 

A good trick in trying not to strip it is if when your either tightening or loosening and it doesnt move, turn it the opposite way just a hair and then try it again. So like if your trying to get a bolt OFF and it doesn't budge tighten it just a hair then try to loosen it, this MIGHT help, I find that it helps me "limit" the problem, but stuff like that does happen

 

i stripped the plug in my wife's SC. Couldn't get a good angle on it because of the exhaust. Tried a gator grip but it was too small. I finally used a similarly sized torx and it wedged in tight enough to break it loose. Soaked it with PB blaster 1st.

 

It would appear that this is fairly common, and it seems that welding on a nut or bolt may be your best option.

 

take your reciept to your closest dealership. let them deal with it.

 

Second picture is alot of weld for so damn close to the diff lol.

 

I read the comments where that picture came from and he indicated that he tacked it, waited a while, tacked again, waited a while, etc.

 

before you go welding,,can you dremel a slot in it, and tap it around with a chisel?

 

you already have lots of good suggestions for a solution here, so I'll just say this: I did it too...

 

I was trying to change the fluid in my front diff today and couldn't get the drain bolt out. I didn't strip it yet, but it feels pretty damn close to stripping.

I am going to hit it with a hammer and spray pb blaster on it everyday this week and hopefully give it another try next weekend.

what a stupid idea to use hex bolts on the front diff. the rear diff and t case use 24mm bolts.. why can't the front diff use the same?

 

I did the same thing. While I haven't gotten around to actually doing the service to it yet, I bought a 10mm hex socket from Harbor Freight. I'm going to tap it in as far as it will go, weld it in place, then use an impact driver and slowly work the damn thing loose. I already have the replacement parts from Toyota including the plug and washer.

 

Id be worried that the harbor freight tool won't be strong enough. If I can't get it out my last case scenario will be to have someone weld a bolt onto it

 

I'd give it a good few taps with a hammer and punch, just straight at it, not trying to turn it. Usually loosens up the threads and makes it easier to get the plug out. Then if you have a slightly larger hex key socket pound it into the hole with a hammer and then give it a go with an impact. Replace with a new plug.

Edit:
oops old thread is old. Yeah just give it some solid whacks with a hammer, carefully, should loosen it up.

 

they took care of it, just charged me for the fluid change and new plug.

 

i work with hex socket caps every day. when we get one thats stripped sometimes you can find an inch size one thats a bit tight. hammer it in and loosen it up. same applies to inch sizes try a metric if its close...older fart tip for ya all

 

They make tools similar to a broken bolt remover that is made just for hex bolts and plugs. Your local auto parts store should have them.