Here's what happens when you overtorque drain plugs...

Was replacing tranny fluid today and overtorqued the drain plug. So much so that it cracked down the side of the female threads. So give it to me straight doc, can this be welded or will it require a whole new housing?

 

Its only along the threads right? I'm not a expert on welding but someone might be able to use TIG and put a bead of weld on it. If not maybe some jb weld...

 

Yes it's just along the threads.

 

wow I'd be careful welding, gear oil is flammable

 

^^^^^

I would clean the threaded area with a solvent, force J B weld into the crack, not so much that the plug can not be screwed back in, maybe some Loctite Blue on the threads, and don't over tighten it

 

sounds macgiver ish but maybe a good hose clamp if it fits around there and then some jbweld. Then so you don't have to tighten it so much this time use an o ring and some locktite....Unless you want to pay to do it right I guess lol.

 

I spoke to a gentlemen with Animas Welding here in Durango, and he said he's done similar things before, so I've got my fingers crossed. It's not a huge crack, nor is it hard to get to, but my impending move to California in a month has my mind worried.

 

Enemas Welding?

Should be relatively easy to weld. In fact, for small quantity production, welding is often used to repair casting flaws. Drain the oil as best as you can. Clean the threads and exterior with solvent. Install the drain plug by hand so as to keep the threads aligned, then weld the crack.

 

i take it you didn't hear your elbow click when the correct tightness was achieved?

 

LoL^



Wow man. Thats a first. Are you a hercules or something? Using a breaker bar to tighten your plugs?

 

I used this on my oil pan when I cracked it. Hasn't leaked once yet

 

When there's residual oil on the threads, the clamping force is significantly increased for any given torque value.

 

clean cast aluminum sucks enough to weld, I can't imagine if it had oil seeped into it from being submersed for years

I would JB weld it, or maybe get it brazed if possible.

 

By far my worst moment while wrenching. Not sure what I was thinking, and not sure why I was using a torque wrench on a 27 ft/lb plug. My stupidity aside, if worst comes to worst, would it be possible to weld the plug/crack permanantly and tap a new drain?Someone please tell me that this is not catastrophic and that my blood, sweat and money getting this truck ready for my move to California in three weeks wasn't in vain...I'd really hate to try to source a bellhousing for this.Thanks for the help so far gentlemen

 

it's not that bad IMO, a good welder could run a hack saw through the crack to fillet the end of it, keeps the crack from spreading. Then he could fill it with aluminum and re tap the hole. Not the end of the world but it may cost you a few hundred bucks.

 

Depending on the depth of the crack something like this could be an option, you wouldn't need to drill since the threads are still good but you'd need the installation driver to install the insert:
http://www.timesert.com/index.html

Good luck.

 

That's not your tranny drain plug. Looks like the transfer case. Make sure you don't put tranny fluid in there when you get it fixed.

 

I have seen a VERY good welder weld on a cast iron transmission while it was still under the RV it was installed in. It wasn't on the drain plug area though. It was a tense ten minutes or so, lot's of oil and grease under that 30 year old RV. I held the fire extinguisher, my boss had a soaking wet towel. The plan was to pull the welder out of there on the creeper he was laying on and smother him in the towel if needed, then use the extinguisher on the RV. My guess would be that you might need an oversize self tapping plug once the welder is done doing his thing. Not sure what's going to happen to those threads.

I think as long as your guy knows his stuff, this is going to turn out okay. Lots of patience needed, if you have to let that thing drip for a day or so to make sure all the oil is out of it, then do so. It would suck to end up with a porous weld from oil contamination.

 

This is the tranny plug. The transfer case is behind the tranny, as in farther back towards the rear of the truck. Either way they are being filled with Redline MT90, so it doesn't matter.

 

Tough to say what to do, JB weld and blue loctite could be a good way to go, then again welding it or soldering it could work out better possibly. If you do have it welded and leave the plug in it, use copious amounts of anti sieze, and then I'd weld a small bit and then run the plug out and put more antisieze and then run it back in and keep repeating. :/