Hey everyone, ive got a problem:

My oil drain plug is stuck and i slightly stripped the nut

What are my options as far as getting the damn thing off?

Should i take it to my local mini mechanic and have him take a crack at it? Are there any pointers i can try myself?

Worse case, what will happen and about how much would it cost.

Thanks ahead of time


sorry, wrong section...


-mike 05mcs

 

I totally misunderstood the problem.

 

Been there and done that more than once....

1. Try to fit a 1/2 inch box wrench on it. Sadly I've found a 1/2 is a bit smaller than the recommended metric and fits tight. If you didn't round it too much you may get this on and will probably be able to get the bung out


2. If you have to go to an extrator I used these


by IRWIN... They've worked well for me and others. You may need to tap the extractor down over the bung head with a hammer to get a good bite. I've twice used these with an 18 inch breaker bar and gotten stuck plugs out and thennnnnsee next point.....


3. Once you DO get it out I recommend replacing the bung with a Fumoto valve so you'll never have to worry about the cause of this problem again (potential causes: dealer over tightening, plastic gasket on factory bung, different metal interaction 'tween bung and pan)

http://www.fumotousa.com/

I've see this problem several times over the years....I bought my 02 in Aug of 02, and did oil change and brake pad & rotor change demos in my garage for years....still do actually, but few ask anymore...

 

I had same problem ......should have used a 1/2 inch box wrench as mentioned above but found out too late.

Find someone with a torch if you don't have one. Heat the bolt up and try to twist off with pair of vise grips. The pan and bolt are made up of different metals and helps to get it loose. Any shop will do this for you if need be...

Then find the chuckle head that changed the oil last time and give him a dope slap from me....

I beleive these are only to be torqued to 12-14 ft lbs..... But I would have to get back to ya on that to be sure.....

 

I've changed the oil in my 07 MCS four times without touching the drain plug, by using an extractor. (The drain plug finally lost its virginity, however, when I took the car in to the dealer for its one-year service.) Extractors save a lot of wear and tear on drain plugs, and you also miss the fun of getting hot oil on your hands!

 

I just changed the oil on my (new to me) 05 MCS and the plug stripped on me as well. I tried various wrenches, vise grips, humongus channel-locks and a bolt-out kit with absolutely no luck. I ended up using my topsider-type oil evacuation pump without getting the plug out. On my next change, I will drag out the torch and have a go at it again. From my research, that's the final solution. If it doesn't work, I guess I'll do all changes by suction. BTW, the suction device seems to get all the oil, but I wanted to know if anything was in the bottom of the pan.

 

Apparently Mini didn't think it was necessary to use the BMW-style drain plug. I've never had one of them s
trip and the threaded part itself is hollow. If you would happen to overtighten them, the head snaps off and you are left with a pre-drilled hole for an easy-out. They back out very nicely. Maybe we could compare the plugs and make a substitution for the stock Mini?