Oil Change - Sump Nut Removal

fun.bobby1981

Hi,

I'm trying to get my oil changed but I'm having bother getting the sump nut off to drain the oil from the tank.

Have all the gear, new oil, filter etc, I just cannot get enough leverage on the nut while the car is jacked up & I'm underneath with my ratchet.
Not done it before so I'm a bit nervous about being over zealous on the ratchet in case the car falls off the axle stands while I'm underneath.

I'm wondering if there is a tool I can get thats not gonna break the bank that would provide enough force to loosen the nut so that I can just get the job done?

Already brought it to a garage to loosen it & hand tighten it ... he says he did it but the nut is just as tight as it was before & I've no intention of going over & back to a garage each time I wanna loosen the damn nut.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
FB

Atlantic Dawn

Get a breaker bar
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_196407_langId_-1_categoryId_212616

woody33

I had that problem on a recent car of ours, rounded the corners of the nut and ended up going to our mechanic who did it no bother up on the lift. He asked was I trying to undo it in the right direction, a very good question and while I'm 99.99% sure, things can get confusing lying on your back under a car and maybe using your left (or wrong) hand. If you had a small tube that would fit over the rachet handle it might give you a bit more leverage. And be very nervous about the car falling of the stands.

Paparazzo

Spray it with a bit of wd 40 and leave it for 10 minutes and try it again. If you can't be arsed heading off to get a breaker bar, slip a lenght of pipe over the ratchet handle to give you more leverage.
Give the plug a few decent taps of a hammer too.

jimmyw

If you have a blow torch, not up to high and gently heat it.Watch where the flame is going in case you burn something else.It worked for me before.

DublinDilbert

It will loosen with a good quality ratchet/socket. Don't get under it on a jack. If your stuck park one side up on a curb, preferably the opposite side to the sump nut.

Using a socket / ratchet is a two handed job, one to hold in place the other to turn it. Else it will just slip off and round the corners...

johndaman66

woody33 wrote: »

I had that problem on a recent car of ours, rounded the corners of the nut

That can be a real kick in the teeth. The one thing that will round your nuts quite easily are the 12 point closed spanners ends or sockets. I'd advise the use of a six sided socket or open ended spanner for very tight nuts and bolts.

As previouly mentioned I find also that hitting the bolt a few taps with a hammer to shock it works quite well.

You are very right to be overly cautious about the car not falling on top of you OP. Whatever else might go wrong the one thing you certainly don't want to happen is potentially up to two tonne of car to fall on top of you. In addition to the axle stands I tend to leave the jacks under the car such that if one of the stands were to give way that the jack would stop the car from falling any further. Fair play to you for taking the iniative of doing the oil change yourself by the way.

fun.bobby1981

Paparazzo wrote: »

Spray it with a bit of wd 40 and leave it for 10 minutes and try it again. If you can't be arsed heading off to get a breaker bar, slip a lenght of pipe over the ratchet handle to give you more leverage.
Give the plug a few decent taps of a hammer too.

Thanks for all the ideas guys/gals.
Had been using the hammer alright to try & force the ratchet but there wasnt a budge on it ... pretty sure I was trying to move it the right way, but I had tried it both ways anyway ... anti-clockwise to loosen it, right??? :-)

I'll give the WD40 a shot & look at getting the breaker bar or something else that might do the job.

Cheers

jimmyw

What way is the nut? Is it facing down or on its side?If you are looking at it from underneath and its facing down, it would be anti-clockwise to loosen it.

lefty loosey righty tighty

ronaldo84

just heat it with a blow torch

johndaman66

fun.bobby1981 wrote: »

pretty sure I was trying to move it the right way, but I had tried it both ways anyway ... anti-clockwise to loosen it, right??? :-)

jimmyw wrote: »

What way is the nut? Is it facing down or on its side?If you are looking at it from underneath and its facing down, it would be anti-clockwise to loosen it.

lefty loosey righty tighty

It can get a wee bit confusing when your underneath the car alright. You would have to think to yourself for a few seconds sometimes. Another way to set your rachet and quite obvious when you think about it is to go about loosening another random nut or bolt on a radiator bracket or battery lug for example, whichever way it turns to loosen set your rachet at that and leave it there...just remember to tighten up the other nut or bolt after after you get the sump bolt off.

12 element

jimmyw wrote: »

lefty loosey righty tighty

If upside-downy the otherway roundy!

jack of all

Get yourself a 1/2" breaker bar for future use, I picked up a Draper 16" one for less than €20 recently; using "cheater" bars and hammers on a ratchet is only inviting trouble or injury imho.

fun.bobby1981

jack of all wrote: »

Get yourself a 1/2" breaker bar for future use, I picked up a Draper 16" one for less than €20 recently; using "cheater" bars and hammers on a ratchet is only inviting trouble or injury imho.

Yeah I have to say I wasnt quite comfortable with the hammer idea & I was just waiting to flatten my fingers on the damn thing, but I just couldnt think of any other way.

I reckon I'll get the breaker bar from Halfords (thansk Atliantic Dawn) as the store is only across town & I'll get WD40 on the case at the same time.

Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to play with fire, I dont have a blowtorch :-)

fun.bobby1981

jimmyw wrote: »

What way is the nut? Is it facing down or on its side?If you are looking at it from underneath and its facing down, it would be anti-clockwise to loosen it.

lefty loosey righty tighty

Yeah the nut was that way, I was trying to open it anti-clockwise, so I dont feel like as much of a dumbass now!! Of course, that was only after a good 5 minute session of trying to tug it the other way first! :-)

Esel

The advice to use a hammer means to give the nut itself a few good taps which might break the seal on the threads, not to hit the ratchet with the hammer!

langdang

fun.bobby1981 wrote: »

Yeah the nut was that way, I was trying to open it anti-clockwise, so I dont feel like as much of a dumbass now!!

Anti-clockwise is the right way to open almost everything? As long as you're looking at the face of the clock and not the arse of it You were lucky not to strip threads!

fun.bobby1981

Esel wrote: »

The advice to use a hammer means to give the nut itself a few good taps which might break the seal on the threads, not to hit the ratchet with the hammer!

I feel like a serious dumbass again ... you'd know I havent done this before!! Jesus H Christ maybe I shouldnt bother!! Haha