Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 23:05:47 -0700
Reply-To: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Subject: Re: Oil Drain Plug Bolt Rounded Off.
In-Reply-To: <375585E7.6EAFAB0F@mail.mco.bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
As a matter of fact --
What I do is this: Cut a slot (with a cutting disc on a die grinder)in the
head of the drain plug. Get hold of a monster screw driver, or improvise
something really big that will work for one (I have used a flat bladed tire
iron), and which you can grab hold of with a big adjustable wrench or some
such. It must fit snugly in your improvised screw slot. Preparation is
everything here - act like you're only gonna get one chance at this (could
be true, after all). Here comes the fun bit. The problem with unscrewing a
tight screw, especially a slotted one, is that the screwdriver wants to slip
out of the slot or bugger the thing to death, right? The reason for this is
not enough steady force available to keep the driver tight into the slot
while it's being turned. What better source of steady force then, than 2000
pounds of Vanagon rear end headed straight for the center of the earth (with
a little help from the law of gravity)? Righty-o, then, we jack up the back
of the van carefully lowering the slotted plug head onto the vertical
screwdriver blade until the weight of the van is pinning the screwdriver to
the ground so it can't possibly slip out of the slot. We are usually doing
this under somewhat controlled circumstances, as in, we're using a lift in
the shop with a concrete floor, but I have done it successfully in our paved
parking lot as well. (If you're using a jack, you will of course have
carefully positioned jackstands under the rear frame members in case of
mishap.) With enough weight on the screwdriver to stabilize it, all that
remains is to turn the thing with your wrench, just enough to break it free.
Then raise the beast up with your trusty jack and remove the plug by hand.
CAUTIONARY NOTE: You should NOT be putting ALL the van's weight on the
screwdriver, just enough to keep the sucker in place for sure. DO NOT FORGET
THE JACKSTANDS if you're doing it with a floorjack. If you have a lift
available the whole thing is a piece of cake. I've done this job many times
and it's never failed. Boy, was I smug the first time I got one out! The
whole thing took about eight minutes, if that. Good Luck!
Coby Smolens, Owner
Valley Wagonworks
VW Bus and Vanagon Repair
1535 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
San Anselmo, CA 94960
415 457-5628
www.wagonworks.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scarlett Semko [mailto:damosem@mail.mco.bellsouth.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 12:29 PM
> To: Coby Smolens
> Subject: Re: Oil Drain Plug Bolt Rounded Off.
>
>
> Coby,
>
> Thought you might have a trick to get out the drain Plug on my 1984 1.9L.
> Stopped on a trip to get the oil changed at a Penziol store and
> found out they
> rounded off the drin plug. Any ideas????
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Ron Semko
> Orlando, Fl.
> 1984 Vanagon with 200,000 plus miles
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