Diff drain and refill

[Mr Cerbera]

Wotcha !

Well, I thought that this would be a cinch
BUT [Quelle surprise]
none of my spanners fit (what I think is) the drain plug.
I have tried 14mm and 9/16AF (too small) & 15mm (too big).
Don't tell me that I have to go to /64s, Shirley ??

Any geniuses out there to help ?

Ta Lads 'n' Lassies

Mr. No-Knuckles

---

Edited to change 9/16 to too small rather than what I originally wrote

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Saturday 6th February 14:28

[Supateg]

Just wait till you look for a spanner to refill it!

Can we have a pic of said plug?

Been a year since I did mine but didn't have
Any issue with it.

I do however have metric, imperial in /32 steps
and whitworth and BA lol.....

[Mr Cerbera]

Supateg said:

Just wait till you look for a spanner to refill it!

Can we have a pic of said plug?

Been a year since I did mine but didn't have
Any issue with it.

I do however have metric, imperial in /32 steps
and whitworth and BA lol.....

Voila !

5/8AF is too big as well !

Talking of which , where the blummin' 'eck IS the filler ??

(Oh why ,oh why, did I give my old man's Whitworths away )

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 31st May 17:01

[Tanguero]

A good quality adjustable spanner is essential in the tool kit.

[Mr Cerbera]

Just managed to break the seal on the Differential drain bolt by putting a 3/8 drive ratchet into a wheel spanner handle and jacking it in a counter-clockwise direction with a two-ton jack

Looks like it's gonna be a looooong weekend

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Friday 25th November 16:22

[Supateg]

Well done!

The filler is on the right hand side half way up obscured by the chassis
The spanner size is oddball like 23mm slim spanner iirc. Access is limited
Unless your Houdini

Filling is easy with a length of hose to a funnel outside the wheel arch.

Hth and good luck

[Mr Cerbera]

Supateg said:

....
The filler is on the right hand side half way up obscured by the chassis
The spanner size is oddball like 23mm slim spanner iirc......

23mm They all look relatively 'nomal' sizes to me.

Am I looking at the wrong side of the diff ? i.e. should I be looking at the front of it ?

Ta !

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 31st May 20:52

[pmessling]

Haven't changed mine in years either

Which oil you using?

I use a half litre syringe to fill mine.

[Mr Cerbera]

Castrol EPX 80W-90.

I have gravity to help me fill mine (If I can ever find the fill point )

---

ETA
Thanks very much for your email.

Have revised my oil selection to this....



Ta !

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 31st May 17:24

[Supateg]

Right hand side as in directly above the driveshaft. That photo is
Showing the right side of the rear of the diff by the looks of it.

It's one of those..... How the hell do I get at that bolts......
With loosing
A. Temper
B. Skin of knuckles

Have fun

[billybradshaw]

Mr Cerbera said:

Supateg said:

....
The filler is on the right hand side half way up obscured by the chassis
The spanner size is oddball like 23mm slim spanner iirc......

23mm They all look relatively 'nomal' sizes to me.

Am I looking at the wrong side of the diff ? i.e. should I be looking at the front of it ?

Ta !

Afternoon all,

Can somebody confirm the size of the filler plug / bolt for the diff please (same diff as Mr Cerbera's)

Ta

Ian

[Mr Cerbera]

billybradshaw said:

Afternoon all,

Can somebody confirm the size of the filler plug / bolt for the diff please (same diff as Mr Cerbera's)

Ta

Ian

That'll be 29mm then....

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 31st May 20:56

[billybradshaw]

Mr Cerbera said:

That'll be 29mm then....

An odd ball size indeed, thanks for the post.

Any issues getting it undone? Also, is the metal tag simply for identifying the diff or does it serve as a seal too?

Ta

Ian

[Supateg]

I knew it was 20 something!

Mind you I'm 30 something and the wife says I'm 40 this year.......

I'll have to have a midlife crisis and buy a super car!

Oh yes done that.......;)

[Mr Cerbera]

billybradshaw said:

An odd ball size indeed, thanks for the post.

Any issues getting it undone? Also, is the metal tag simply for identifying the diff or does it serve as a seal too?

Ta

Ian

Access to it is a nightmare but I think that was also true for the previous mechanic as an adjustable was all that was needed to get it undone.
The metal tag is just a warning but it is retained on the bolt by a seal.

A la .....

---

Oh, and the drain plug did come out with a 15mm and an extension bar and a 2-ton Jack.



BTB, the handbook recommends Mobil SHC 80W 140 ID.
Does anyone now what the 140 ID bit means ??

ETA
OK, No Probs. just found out HERE

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Thursday 25th June 07:02

[Mr Cerbera]

Oh, and just in case anyone else looks at this thread for clarification of location.

The filler plug is located on the right hand side of the Diff case just in front of the half axle entry point....

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 31st May 17:07

[billybradshaw]

Well tonight was the night I decided to dump the diff oil. Getting the filler plug out was no problem at all. The drain plug however is a whole different ball game. Some Herbert has obviously been there before me and partially rounded the head off. I don't want to make matters worse and it's clearly going to require a lot of grunt to undo it based on Mr Cerbera having to use a trolley jack.

So, what would you recommend as the best course of action? I have already thought about welding a nut to the head, using Irwin nut removal sockets and tw*tting a 12mm socket onto the head. Any more for any more?

Cheers

Ian

[LincsCerb]

Best way I found was to weld a much larger nut over the top of the rounded off drain. Can't remember what size I used but it's needs at least a 22mm spanner to undo it now.

[billybradshaw]

Thanks for that, I'll dust off the MIG and go for it. I mean what's the worst that could happen............

Ian

[Mr Cerbera]

The last time I had to undo a bolt head that had no usable corners, I managed to get it off with a pipe wrench. Mine was doubly handy (sic!) as it had dirty great handles on it.
(and that was 17mm as opposed to the Drain plug's 15mm)

Best o'

Edited by Mr Cerbera on Sunday 23 February 14:26