So. long story short. there are 2 10ml bolt which are refusing to come out of the sump pan.

 

The 2 of 4 central ones on the side where the transmission is. Ive wd40ed it, ive wrenched, ive alan keyed and they r not coming, i used the engle ratchet attachment, they're on there.

 

Im left to heavy machinery. to drill it out, risking damaging the threads on the engine block or cut the old sump pan enough to get to the screws with better grip/access. both aren't ideal i know. does anyone have any experience with this or recommendations? 

 

for some context the screws are located in a hole about an inch wide and they are about 3 maybe 4 inches into this hole. the screws are at an angle in relation to the access hole. the hole actually opens where the screw actually is so feeding anything through is rly awkward. 

 

thx in advance

 

#savemychild 

 

 

 

 

@wurlipoly Have you tried using an actual dismantling lubricant such as PlusGas (other brands are available) rather than Water Dispersant 40?

Or some heat with a torch but could not be done if you have a plastic sump. 

6 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

@wurlipoly Have you tried using an actual dismantling lubricant such as PlusGas (other brands are available) rather than Water Dispersant 40?

no but thats worth a shot, thank you 

4 hours ago, TheClient said:

Or some heat with a torch but could not be done if you have a plastic sump. 

defo not plastic, but how would heat help. heat expands right? if u mean heat the sump along with the screw hole, i imagine that would be very difficult to control where that heat goes to. 

Have you tried percussion on the back end of the tool?

That can help sometimes.

 

Also worth trying the counterintuitive technique of initially attempting to tighten the screws ( prior to applying torque in the undo direction). Can break corrosion bonds more easily that way.

2 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Have you tried percussion on the back end of the tool?

I've found an impact screwdriver is an invaluable tool 👍

 

Hilka Impact Driver

I always find they come out easier if the engine's warm - guessing you've dropped the oil though, so probably a bit late for captain hindsight. I normally just use my little 10.8v cordless impact driver and don't have a problem. 

4 hours ago, wurlipoly said:

defo not plastic, but how would heat help. heat expands right? if u mean heat the sump along with the screw hole, i imagine that would be very difficult to control where that heat goes to. 

Yes, heat expands the bolt as it expands then contracts as it cools it can break the corrosion bond. Torch directly on the bolt or screw. Try a little bit first and be careful of overheating the whole area as there are provlbably plastic bits nearby like an oil sensor bolted to the pan. Also Any rubber sump gasket will be toast, so not too much heat. Try a little - see if it helps. Even getting the bolt it to operating temp, like 100c may help... 

Edited 16 May, 20242 yr by TheClient

it came out!! solution, loads of penetrative spray. hex-star piece hammered into the screw enough to get a good grip then slowly but firmly unscrewed with a ratchet 👌 

 

thank u for the suggestions, the heat thing is interesting will defo try that next time. and the tighten a bit to break the corrosion up. didn't think of that at all. 

 

also my impact driver unfortunately wouldn't fit and i didn't have the right attachments to get it in otherwise yh its a fantastic tool for this exact job XD

 

thx a lot again I'm really a bit surprised i got so much advice and so quickly. really appreciate you all! and watch out for them high curbs 👍 

Next tips for you. If they're anything like the last ones I did, when you come to reassemble it, you'll think "how the 'heck' do I get those two screws back in there and started without cross-threading them.?" (tool access being blind and indirect/angled on mine).

 

The answer I found was to leave the old sump sealant in two rings round where those two screws came through, cleaning off all the rest to apply fresh stuff. The old sealant then holds the screws in position, inserted enough to stay put, ready to carefully insert the tool into and delicately start to engage once the sump is in place.

 

Other good one came from Haynes manual. Cut two long screws off headless, or a length of M6 studding maybe 20mm long. then hacksaw a screwdriver slot in one end of each (for removal). 

Use these as location pins in two opposite corners of the block to make it easy to put the sump in perfect alignment on the first attempt, with sealant already applied. Fit a few of the other screws and then replace these two with real screws.