transmission drain plug stripped, what to do ?

[klyl998]

i have 91 camry transmission drain plug stripped trying to drain the
fluid, it is a hex nut. what would you do to unscrew the plug ?

[davemac2]

I almost ended up stripping my own when I did my first fluid change. Toyota may have used a loctite or similar sealer on the threads. Try to find a pipe or thread-out that fits tight into the stripped hex hole and see if you can get it out. Try it first with the trans hot. If it does not work, then try it with the engine cold in the morning but heat the pan area surrounding the plug with a torch (not the plug) and try again. If nothing works, the only thing left to do I would think is to drop the pan to drain the fluid that way. Then with the pan off, try drilling through the stripped hex hole if possible to seat the thread-out more thoroughly and work on removal then. And of course, make sure you clean the pan fully from any metal shavings from this.

For your next fluid change, try different hex sockets (different manufacturers) to find a snug fit.

dave mc

[Brian R.]

NAPA's mechanic quality socket works like a champ...

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by klyl998

i have 91 camry transmission drain plug stripped trying to drain the
fluid, it is a hex nut. what would you do to unscrew the plug ?

Hello klyl998,

It seems like the wrong size allen wrench was used and the head of the transmission drain plug ended up getting rounded off/stripped. Removal of the transmission pan might not be nessessary to remove the plug.



Put a notch in the drain plug like in the picture I provided. Use a chisel or something similar and place it in the notch. Then using a hammer, try to turn the transmission drain plug counter clockwise to loosen it up.

I have used my dremmel with a cutting wheel attachment to make notches like this in the past and many other pain in the ass projects. even a cheap sharp chisel might be enough to make the notch.

Is it possible to get a pair of vice grips on the outer part of the drain plug bolt? that might work too. Good luck.

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

[opliktv]

I stripped my transmission drain plug too. On a 1998 Toyota Camry V6 XLE 142,000 miles that runs smooth and strong. Now keep in mind my drain plug was on very, very tight.

Tried using 10 inch Vice Grips, not enough to grip, to just put gouges in the drain plug bolt and slipped off (the trany pan and cat were in the way too).

Drilling might have worked but I didn’t want to put metal shavings into the transmission pan, then I’d have to take off the whole trany pan and clean it out. The tranny pan has about 18 small rusted bolts, I’m sure one of them could have been a problem too. Also, the trany fluid would get all over the drill and me when drilling. Drilling has lots of draw backs, so I choose a different method.

The Dremmel idea is the best choice because my trany pug was on so tight. I bought the Dremmel 200 set from Lowe’s for about $50. I used the cutting disk #426. I cut a flat straight edge on opposite sides of the drain plug. (cut down to the metal washer but not through the metal washer- the piece will fall off once the cut is through the bolt top of the drain plug) (Wear a face shield, not just goggles, cutting will produce lots of very hot sparks) Once you cut off the piece from both sides you can use a tool to remove the drain plug. I used a Cescent RapidRench R2; loosened the drain plug in a half turn, but vice grips should work too.

Thanks for everyone’s post – they all helped me fix my stripped transmission drain plug.

[Brian R.]

Good ideas - Thanks for the information.