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Middle/Final gear oil fill plug fix
Hi all,
Like many others, I’ve had great difficulty getting the middle and final gear fill plugs out, and I ended up boogering them badly. It’s a poor design for both plugs, with a small allen head trying to leverage a larger diameter steel (?) plug into an aluminum housing. I’ve read many posts from members who've experienced similar woes.
I found a fix! From a local auto parts store (Advanced Auto), I bought two generic, “Oil-Tite” brand oil plugs, 14 x 1.5 mm, for about $2 ea. These hex head plugs have wider flanges (suitable for automobile oil pans) and come with nylon gaskets.
The middle gear plug is no problem, as there's no clearance issue. It snugs up nice and tight.
However, because of the flange, the same plug won’t fit into the final gear housing without some modification. It's simple to grind down the flange o.d. (with bench grinder or Dremel) to a smaller size and make it fit nicely.
To install, you'll need a smallish, 17 mm, open end wrench to get it properly tightened.
As a bonus, the included gasket is the exact same outside diameter, and thickness, of the slightly recessed hole in the housing, and it fits perfectly!
The plugs have a nice finish (my guess is zinc plate), and they look nice.
I have pictures, if I can ever figure out how to post them
Like many others, I’ve had great difficulty getting the middle and final gear fill plugs out, and I ended up boogering them badly. It’s a poor design for both plugs, with a small allen head trying to leverage a larger diameter steel (?) plug into an aluminum housing. I’ve read many posts from members who've experienced similar woes.
I found a fix! From a local auto parts store (Advanced Auto), I bought two generic, “Oil-Tite” brand oil plugs, 14 x 1.5 mm, for about $2 ea. These hex head plugs have wider flanges (suitable for automobile oil pans) and come with nylon gaskets.
The middle gear plug is no problem, as there's no clearance issue. It snugs up nice and tight.
However, because of the flange, the same plug won’t fit into the final gear housing without some modification. It's simple to grind down the flange o.d. (with bench grinder or Dremel) to a smaller size and make it fit nicely.
To install, you'll need a smallish, 17 mm, open end wrench to get it properly tightened.
As a bonus, the included gasket is the exact same outside diameter, and thickness, of the slightly recessed hole in the housing, and it fits perfectly!
The plugs have a nice finish (my guess is zinc plate), and they look nice.
I have pictures, if I can ever figure out how to post them
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