Front Diff Drain Plug Stripped...

Allen: failed
Stripped allen remover: failed
Harbor Freight welder: failed

I guess I gotta find a shop then, huh?





I have a gold drain plug ready to go in, just gotta get this stubborn one out. Tried two different bolt heads and couldnt get enough power.

 

Drill & chisel it out carefully?

 

You didn't grind the area clean before welding. With that much rust, no weld was going to hold.

 

ive noticed with those 10mm hex bolts before trying to crack them off you'll need to take a hammer and pound the hex socket deep into the bolt before using a breaker bar and cheater or they will turn in the bolt and strip

 

The pre photo was the day before, not before welding. I had it sanded down to bare metal.

 

Grind all that shit off, take about a 1/2” bolt, grind the end to a point and ask your neighbor to come over and weld it for you.

 

get lexus drain bolt to replace with, much better

 

I havent heard anything bad about the gold plugs? I still don't know why toyota didnt use a regular bolt head plug on the front diff. Plenty of space for a socket.

 

the lexus bolt is a 14mm bolt head vs the allen head bolt that comes stock

 

Hmmm, the photo with the gobbed weld doesn't appear to show that. The weld did not penetrate at all.

 

Well it is a harbor freight welder... that was on max setting. POS honestly, dont have the dough right now for a nicer one.

 

Did the fill plug come out?

 

Yes, I managed to pump 1.3 quarts out the top. I have some fresh fluid in it at least.

 

On the couple I have welded a bolt to, the heat alone from welding on the plug made the plug unstuck, so I would heat it up with a torch and try to weld another bolt on.

 

I find it hard to believe that the HF welder was the cause of that shitty weld.

Either you don’t know how to weld, you don’t know how to set the welder, you’re using solid wire without gas, the welder needs a new tip, or you’re trying to weld in 40mph winds.

 

It's a $50 welder, it doesn't have gas.

 

When you started to strip it you should have stopped right there and then.
You just made is 3 times as hard to get out.
In these cases a little is good, a lot is better does not apply.
They can be a little tricky sometimes. Sometimes they are a little stuck.
I have never stripped one out, deformed one, or was unable to get one out.
Weather 50 miles or 300,000 miles.
I just did mine today. 0 issues.
Never had to replace one.
If it starts to strip, STOP and take it someone.
The last thing you want to do is start playing with a chisel or similar and miss hitting
Or the wrong angle and compromise the sealing area.
Unfortunately now it’s going to take some measures to fix the situation.
Get it to someone that has knowledge....

 

This is how I got mine out. I used a dremel to notch the plug then used a chisel and hammered it counter clockwise until it spun loose enough to spin out by hand

 

That’s pure slag, no strength there. It looks like it was welded without gas.

 

He said that it's a $50 welder so it might not even be a mig, maybe a stick welder.