Honda Car Forum

Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first
time), but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's
virtually welded onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box
wrench, not a socket head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun
to tighten the bolt at the last tune-up has given entirely new meaning
to the term "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without
ruining the threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides,
i.e. it isn't rounded...yet!!! Thanks. - Paul S.

On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:44:11 -0400, Paul S wrote:

>
> Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first time),
> but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's virtually welded
> onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box wrench, not a socket
> head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun to tighten the bolt at
> the last tune-up has given entirely new meaning to the term
> "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without ruining the
> threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides, i.e. it isn't
> rounded...yet!!! Thanks. - Paul S.


If you don't already have a 17MM 6-point socket, go and find a GOOD
one...DON'T get the cheapest thing you can find! 1/2" drive is
preferrable. Also, get a 1/2" "Breaker Bar", a socket wrench that doesn't
ratchet, the longer the better. AutoZone may loan them to you (you have to
deposit with your Credit Card). Try to loosen it this way. MAKE SURE THE
SOCKET IS SNUG!!! If there's any play at all, try a different / different
brand of socket. If you still can't break it loose, get a rubber mallet
and whack the end of the breaker bar with the mallet until it starts to
loosen.

Good Luck!

Hi: Thank you for the suggestions! I don't have Autozone in my area
(to my knowledge), but PartSource is quite comparable and I'll
definitely give them a try. - Paul S.

On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:50:55 GMT, Hachiroku ???? <Trueno@AE86.gts>
wrote:

>On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:44:11 -0400, Paul S wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first time),
>> but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's virtually welded
>> onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box wrench, not a socket
>> head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun to tighten the bolt at
>> the last tune-up has given entirely new meaning to the term
>> "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without ruining the
>> threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides, i.e. it isn't
>> rounded...yet!!! Thanks. - Paul S.
>
>
>If you don't already have a 17MM 6-point socket, go and find a GOOD
>one...DON'T get the cheapest thing you can find! 1/2" drive is
>preferrable. Also, get a 1/2" "Breaker Bar", a socket wrench that doesn't
>ratchet, the longer the better. AutoZone may loan them to you (you have to
>deposit with your Credit Card). Try to loosen it this way. MAKE SURE THE
>SOCKET IS SNUG!!! If there's any play at all, try a different / different
>brand of socket. If you still can't break it loose, get a rubber mallet
>and whack the end of the breaker bar with the mallet until it starts to
>loosen.
>
>Good Luck!

"Paul S" <pauls@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:n4s313huh8u07iklmn4ctmrr5qe60k6hgn@4ax.com...
>
> Hi: Thank you for the suggestions! I don't have Autozone in my area
> (to my knowledge), but PartSource is quite comparable and I'll
> definitely give them a try. - Paul S.
>


If you plan to keep doing your own oil changes (which I would do if the
mechanic uses a air wrench to tighten that bolt), the craftsman 1/2" breaker
bar works quite well. It, and I'm sure there are comparable ones by other
companies, is about fifteen to eighteen inches long which will give you
plenty of user supplied torque.

Paul S <pauls@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:6km3131u2chg9pq2cge4s82gk04uf7646i@4ax.com:

>
> Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first
> time), but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's
> virtually welded onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box
> wrench, not a socket head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun
> to tighten the bolt at the last tune-up



Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ouch!

Do you have ANY idea how fragile the drain bolt threads are?



> has given entirely new meaning
> to the term "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without
> ruining the threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides,
> i.e. it isn't rounded...yet!!!




If the bolt is _that_ tight, there's a good chance the threads are
distorted and are binding. In other words, the pan threads are damaged.

Once you break the bolt loose, you'll probably find it won't spin off
freely, and you'll have to crank it around with a wrench until it's off.

If you find this happens, that butcher of a mechanic of yours needs to
cough up the cost of a fix.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 05:40:37 -0400, C R wrote:

>
> "Paul S" <pauls@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:n4s313huh8u07iklmn4ctmrr5qe60k6hgn@4ax.com...
>>
>> Hi: Thank you for the suggestions! I don't have Autozone in my area (to
>> my knowledge), but PartSource is quite comparable and I'll definitely
>> give them a try. - Paul S.
>>
>>
>
> If you plan to keep doing your own oil changes (which I would do if the
> mechanic uses a air wrench to tighten that bolt), the craftsman 1/2"
> breaker bar works quite well. It, and I'm sure there are comparable ones
> by other companies, is about fifteen to eighteen inches long which will
> give you plenty of user supplied torque.


Once he gets the bolt out, he shouldn't need one! (Um, DON'T encourage him
to tighten it more than needed!

Better investment would be a TORQUE Wrench!!!
(And the spec for the oil plug...)

The good news is the drain bolt threads are pretty tough. The bad news is
the ones in the pan are not. I'd guess you may need a new oil pan after
getting this thing out.

Who the hell uses an air gun to put a drain plug in?

This is the reason I trust nobody with my car. To these guys, quick is
always better than right. Add 5 minutes to get the torque wrench out, and
set it. Tighten the bolt. They look at it as 5 minutes of lost earnings.

BTW, I don't use a torque wrench on mine. After xx years of doing this, you
can feel how tight it should be. And ALWAYS use a new crush washer on the
drain plug.

I'll use my 24v impact driver to take lug nuts off, but they always go back
on my hand and are torqued by hand. When I get new tires, I take the wrench
with me, and make the mechanic just hand tighten them. I have had too many
warped rotors from the grease monkeys hitting them with an impact driver.

G-Man




"Paul S" <pauls@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6km3131u2chg9pq2cge4s82gk04uf7646i@4ax.com...
>
> Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first
> time), but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's
> virtually welded onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box
> wrench, not a socket head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun
> to tighten the bolt at the last tune-up has given entirely new meaning
> to the term "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without
> ruining the threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides,
> i.e. it isn't rounded...yet!!! Thanks. - Paul S.
>

On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:44:11 -0400, Paul S <pauls@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>
>Hi: I am trying to change the oil on my '92 accord (for the first
>time), but the drain bolt is so tight it seems as thought it's
>virtually welded onto the pan. NOTHING has worked so far. Not a box
>wrench, not a socket head, nothing. The mechanic who used his air gun
>to tighten the bolt at the last tune-up has given entirely new meaning
>to the term "over-torqued". Any ideas on how to get this off without
>ruining the threads? It appears to be a 17 mm hex nut with good sides,
>i.e. it isn't rounded...yet!!! Thanks. - Paul S.

perhaps someone used thread locking material to keep it from coming
loose and really didn't pound it on like that. I think the torque
spec for our civic is 21ft/lb. I'll make another vote for a good 6
point socket ... and be careful.

"Hachiroku ????" <Trueno@AE86.gts> wrote in message
news:yurQh.4963$hI4.2561@trndny08...

>
>
> Once he gets the bolt out, he shouldn't need one! (Um, DON'T encourage him
> to tighten it more than needed!
>
> Better investment would be a TORQUE Wrench!!!
> (And the spec for the oil plug...)
>
>

Agreed on getting the bolt out only part, definitely don't use a breaker bar
to tighten. Should have been more specific.

Thank you...that certainly gives me a better idea what to look for.
A couple more related questions:

1) since I found it easier to remove the front driver's tire to do the
oil work, does anyone happen to know what the recommended torque spec
is (in ft. lbs) for the lug bolts on a '92? What about an '04 accord?

2) how about the torque on the new drain plug, once I get the old one
off?

Thanks again. - Paul S.

On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 05:40:37 -0400, "C R" <cgeorge4four@fourec.rr.com>
wrote:

>
>"Paul S" <pauls@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:n4s313huh8u07iklmn4ctmrr5qe60k6hgn@4ax.com.. .
>>
>> Hi: Thank you for the suggestions! I don't have Autozone in my area
>> (to my knowledge), but PartSource is quite comparable and I'll
>> definitely give them a try. - Paul S.
>>
>
>
>If you plan to keep doing your own oil changes (which I would do if the
>mechanic uses a air wrench to tighten that bolt), the craftsman 1/2" breaker
>bar works quite well. It, and I'm sure there are comparable ones by other
>companies, is about fifteen to eighteen inches long which will give you
>plenty of user supplied torque.
>