ZF drain bolt seized

[Kevin 007]

My steel drain bolt seized in the Al housing of the ZF. Dissimilar metal syndrome it seems
I could probably put a huge pipe on it and break it free but I'll try that as a last resort.
Can a use a propane torch to heat the Al around the bolt?

 

[79jasper]

Might as well try it.

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[FoolhardyIDI]

Use heat on only the bolt. Your going to be draining the gear oil anyways. Get the drain plug nice and hot. If you can get it to and orange color, not red hot and then put your wrench on it to loosen it up.

 

[IDIoit]

Use heat on only the bolt. Your going to be draining the gear oil anyways. Get the drain plug nice and hot. If you can get it to and orange color, not red hot and then put your wrench on it to loosen it up.

uahh sir, i respectfully request you re-think this statement.

physics states that things that heat up, expand.
expand = increase diameter sizes.(in this case of the plug)
i would, and have done is, using a 10" length breaker bar, 1/2 " drive and a 6 point socket, depending on the bolt, plug, with the correct drive, or allen and try to budge it.
if it does not budge, and or you do not feel comfortable,
i would heat the aluminum with map gas aka propane torch.
oxy/acc is too hot, do not use it.
heat it up for a minute, PB balster it.
heat it up again, then apply wrench when JUST THE ALUMINUM is warm
should come out like butter.
and when you re-install it, anti-sieze

not trying to be a richard head.

 

[Shadetreemechanic]

This happened to me and I ended up (after many other failed attempts) using vice grips and a small sledge hammer. At the time I didn't have a 3/4 drive impact, my 1/2 wouldn't budge it, and the breaker bar broke.

 

[Black dawg]

Are you sure it is siezed? Sometimes they are just really dang tight. I have had to use a cheater on my half inch breaker bar many times.

 

[FoolhardyIDI]

uahh sir, i respectfully request you re-think this statement.

physics states that things that heat up, expand.
expand = increase diameter sizes.(in this case of the plug)
i would, and have done is, using a 10" length breaker bar, 1/2 " drive and a 6 point socket, depending on the bolt, plug, with the correct drive, or allen and try to budge it.
if it does not budge, and or you do not feel comfortable,
i would heat the aluminum with map gas aka propane torch.
oxy/acc is too hot, do not use it.
heat it up for a minute, PB balster it.
heat it up again, then apply wrench when JUST THE ALUMINUM is warm
should come out like butter.
and when you re-install it, anti-sieze

not trying to be a richard head.

Believe it or not I've done it a bunch of times with no ill effects.

 

[IDIoit]

Believe it or not I've done it a bunch of times with no ill effects.

i really hope you play the lotto!!! lol

 

[laserjock]

While you are right that it expands, it is also true that what you are usually trying to do is get one part to move relative to the other to break the corrosion that has formed between them. I usually put the heat on the nut if I can get to it easy but the truth of the matter is, when you are dealing with a short distance between the head of the bolt and what it's threaded into, the heat transfers and if the two materials have different expansion coefficients like steel and aluminum it won't really matter which you are applying the heat to. Both will get hot and expand and break the corrosion. I actually took my bed bolts out by heating the heads in the bed to get the nuts off because I didn't want to put the torch against the fuel lines and tank.

Another thing to consider is that in a case where the bolt is in another large piece of metal, like an engine block for example, there is so much thermal mass in the engine block, it'll never get near as hot as the bolt will that is insulated from the other metal by the corrosion layer.

So in short what I'm saying is you are both right. For me, I put the torch where I can concentrate the heat better. If that's the bolt, that's what I do. If it's the nut or whatever it's threaded into, that's what I do. You just have to expand one part or the other to break the corrosion.

 

[marmot]

As always Heat, then liquid wrench first, followed by a breaker bar and a good fitting socket wrench and wear thick gloves cause well you know.

 

[Kevin 007]

Took a propane torch to the aluminum all around the bolt, a huge cheater bar on a T handle and I got it loose!! Thanks guys!
The trans is kinda notchy in a few gears so it's going to get some good synthetic and will get overfilled by a bit.
Thanks again!!!

 

[Bashby]

I'm a little late to the party, but you could have just removed the pto cover to drain the trans.

 

[Kevin 007]

I guess that would work also. But those bolts have probably never been removed and likely pretty snug. But good idea, thanks

 

[sjwelds]

My own opinion is you should never heat a steel bolt in aluminum threads. Aluminum has a much lower melting point than steel and you run a real risk of taking out the threads with the bolt.

To the OP, the way you did it was right IMO. Glad to hear it worked for you.

 

[79jasper]

^ yeah the bolt is aluminum also, iirc.

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