Stripped front gearbox drain bolt ... HELP

I was following the guide posted on here to change out my front/rear/transfer case oil. The rear and transfer case went with no problems. The front however is a different story.

I don't know who tightened the bolts (factory?) however they are tight way beyond their specified torques. I finally, after many attempts, got the fill plug loose. However I was not able to get the drain plug loose so I put a breaker bar on the bolt with a 10mm hex. ... first pull, stripped the bolt.

Help? I have no idea how I'm going to get this thing out now. Or else I'm just never going to change the front gear box oil for the life of the truck and I definitely don't want to take it to the stealer-ship not that they can probably do anything except offer to sell me a brand new front gearbox

anyone got any idea's?

 

weld a nut to the end... That's what others have done in this situation.

 

Try this^^

 

There is still some meat on the far inside. Make sure you really get your allen in there, Hit the area with a heat gun, and buy some freeze off shit freeze the bolt itself (hopefully leaving the case hot) and hit that bitch with a pneumatic hammer gun. Then purchase a new bolt and tighten it to spec.

 

or this if everything else fails

 

You could try a standard size allen socket and drive it on with a hammer if you find a allen head that is slightly bigger, it may ruin the allen socket but may do the trick. I'm not sure if a easy out screw extractor will work but you could check them out, hope you can get it out.

 

^^^ This

^^^ and this.


If you don't have access to a welder you can always take an angle grinder and grind out a slit big enough to get a large flat head screw driver or a pry bar on there to break it loose. Happen to me last year.

 

This happened to me. Tried a lot of different things, but eventually welded metal to it and turned it. Bought a new one of course.

 

Pound an oversized torx or alllen socket into it or tap it around with a chisel and hammer, if not then weld a nut or bolt onto it.

HF is your friend.

 

Nice idea in a lesser situation. However, if he wasn't able to loosen this particular bolt while turning hard enough to strip it, he certainly isn't going to be able to loosen it with a simple screwdriver or similar. His best bet is, as others have mentioned, welding something onto the bolt.

 

You have to use the side of the head on the screw driver. I had to use an 18" pry bar to get mine to come loose.

 

Look at the picture closer. It looks like the Allen Wrench was not seated all the way into the plug when it rounded out. Only the outer portion is rounded. I would bet you could drive in the correct sized Allen and still break it loose with a breaker bar or an impact driver like below:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_36882_36882

13 bucks plus the Allen Socket. I assume he has a hammer already.

 

First, I would hit it with PB blaster, let it sit for a day. Then heat it up with a heat gun, followed by Allen wrench or proper sized Torx.

If that fails then try taking a flathead screwdriver (large) and set it at an angle into one of the Torx slots and carefully try to tap it CCW. that may loosen it.

Lastly, weld it.

 

Man...that happened to me as well. I didn't have time to work on it due to cold weld before NY winter, so I just pumped the fluid out from the fill hole. At least I got most of the old fluid out n topped it with new. This summer I'll definitely try those tricks for sure...Good luck