DWS44

Changing oil in the GS for the first time. Usually do my own, but like an idiot, I had the 500mi oil change done at the dealer last fall. Today, I got the Vette up on ramps, undid the front drain plug no prob and let it drain. Then I move to the side drain plug and the damn thing is on so tight, it will not budge. Using an open end 15mm wrench, it just starts rounding off the head...where I've stopped and currently stumped. Apparently the damn dealer overtorqued the crap out of it.


(quick pic from Google Search for clarity of the plug that is stuck...not my car in pic)

So...here I sit, with over half the oil drained and no apparent way to get the other oil plug out and the head starting to round off. Any suggestions how I might get this thing out...beyond guessing how much oil to refill enough to get it back to the dealer and sitting there all afternoon?

JJAY

Get a 6 point Socket or Wrench, so you don't round it any further.
A 6 point socket on a breaker bar will get it done.

Globeman

Never use an open end wrench on anything tight.
Had the same problem once on my C6. The plug head was already partially rounded so the 6 point socket wouldn't go on to it. I hammered the socket on, attached a ratchet and got it off. Have a replacement plug on hand - don't put that rounded one back on. Any auto parts store has them.

I bought a used Porsche 911 once that had a round plug with an allen wrench type socket in it. It was over tightened and the socket in the plug was completely rounded. There wasn't enough there to grab with a Vice-Grip. I had to drill it out (oil everywhere!) then use an easy-out to get out what remained of the plug.

DWS44

Thanks for the suggestion, but yeah...my sockets won't fit into that small space, and when I switched to the 6-point wrench, the rounding continued...that's when I stopped.

Kracka

6-point socket or wrench and give it a hard and quick yank to snap the bolt loose, and highly suggest replacing it with a new undamaged bolt. I had a similar thing happen on my daily, which uses an incredibly tiny 10mm head!

*edit*
You'll need to get a pair of vice grips on there as absolutely tight as you can get them.


Or better yet, put the other plug back in, top the oil off, and make it the dealer's problem by using another one of your free oil changes

proeagles

Since it is rounded now, put attach a large vice grip as tight as you can then tap it with a hammer to jar it loose. The hammer will act like an impact gun. Good luck. Try trusting dealers a little more, Your oil change would have been free and this would have been their problem.

Dcregar

Most dealers know how to change the oil and it is "free" , 3 times.

DWS44

Thanks for the add'l tips. As soon as I find my vice-grips I'm going to make another run at it.

I appreciate everyone's opinions, but as for trusting the dealer a little more, I'll spare you the total mess I had when I let them do the first one...and now I have this problem that I also squarely blame on the dealer. So no..."trusting my dealer" and giving them more business isn't high on my list at the present.

kennyjames21

Yeah, theres really no reason to tighten drain plugs to that degree, that's just straight up incompetence. And whenever I have a dealer or shop do an oil change, this is what I end up facing when I do it myself - you only really need to snug those things, that's what I do and I've never had a leak.

GOLD72

I have heard far too many horror stories over the past 18 years on the Forum to allow a dealer to do what I can do just as easily myself including my own experiences with dealers. Most recent was back in December when a local chevy service dept gave me my ZR1 back a full 2 qts low of fluid after a tranny cooler pipe bushing and pipe replacement covered by GMPP. Only my proactive/**** retentive nature to check fluid level myself the next day at home saved me from a major disaster this summer.

GOLD72

Once the plug has made metal to metal contact with the oil pan drain boss, the rubber integral o-ring gasket has compressed all that it can being that it is held captive and can't seal any better if it is no longer good enough to seal reliably.

Patman

First of all, if they fucked it up the first time I wouldn't expect them to do any better this time around. And I wouldn't even trust them to change the oil at all anyhow, they might just throw a new oil filter on there and tell you that they changed the oil but in reality they didn't bother because it was too difficult to deal with the rounded off drain plug.

Just another reason why I will never let anyone else change my oil.

DWS44

Success! Death-grip vice grips and a BFH won the prize.

Thanks to all who chimed in! Now off to get a new drain plug and get on with my vacation to-do list.

Kracka

Awesome! That is definitely great news and is a real sigh of relief!

proeagles

You are welcome.

Factoid

Patman

I was actually surprised at how easily my drain plug came off when I did it's first oil change at 1100 miles. This is the very first brand new car I've ever owned that I didn't need to wrestle with the drain plug and oil filter to remove them.

saleen556

Black18C7

Agree 100%

Vet Interested