Coolant drain plugs
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 233
Likes: 9
From: Marietta Ga
Coolant drain plugs
Has anyone used heat to convince the coolant drain plugs to break loose?
I have heard that putting some heat on the plug and melting some candle wax into the threads works very well for pipe threads.
Anyone done that without melting their pan gasket? Looking for tips or suggestions.
I have heard that putting some heat on the plug and melting some candle wax into the threads works very well for pipe threads.
Anyone done that without melting their pan gasket? Looking for tips or suggestions.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 224
From: Pawleys Island, SC
Has anyone used heat to convince the coolant drain plugs to break loose?
I have heard that putting some heat on the plug and melting some candle wax into the threads works very well for pipe threads.
Anyone done that without melting their pan gasket? Looking for tips or suggestions.
I have heard that putting some heat on the plug and melting some candle wax into the threads works very well for pipe threads.
Anyone done that without melting their pan gasket? Looking for tips or suggestions.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,422
Likes: 591
From: McHenry Illinois
Definitely use a 6 pt socket for the plugs, a 14mm is lightly smaller and may fit tighter. If you round them off, this job gets harder. If you can get an impact wrench on them it will help, usually the vibrations will help loosen the rust bond.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,724
Likes: 1,628
From: Fairfax Virginia
Kroil oil works great, in my opinion it is the BEST!
Clean the surface of the piece you are trying to remove, get all the loose stuff off the surface. Then Heat up the part you are trying to remove with a torch (or a hot air gun) and then liberally apply Kroil oil on the threads.
One thing to remember is to let it work for an hour or more so the oil gets in between all the threads. This system will remove most any stuck piece of hardware.
I know that most people have their own "favorite" brand, and most of them work most of the time.
After my A&P mechanic introduced me to Kroil, I just don't work as hard getting stuck bolts free. It really is as good as you have heard, it belongs in every Corvette owners "Bag of tricks".
Good Luck and watch out for dis-similar metals not originally used by the General!
One thing to remember is to let it work for an hour or more so the oil gets in between all the threads. This system will remove most any stuck piece of hardware.
I know that most people have their own "favorite" brand, and most of them work most of the time.
After my A&P mechanic introduced me to Kroil, I just don't work as hard getting stuck bolts free. It really is as good as you have heard, it belongs in every Corvette owners "Bag of tricks".
Good Luck and watch out for dis-similar metals not originally used by the General!
