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"Frozen" Oil Drain Screw on BF130 -- Ideas needed...

OldNo7

New member
Long time lurker, 1st time poster.

I've always enjoyed browsing this forum for anything "BF130" related or for info on problems I'd hope to avoid in the future, or at least be better informed if/when they happened. Now it turns out that I could use some help...

Didn't think that I over-torqued it last fall, but I know I didn't think to add any anti-seize to it -- and now the Oil Drain Screw on my 130 is "frozen" fast and won't budge.

I tried every 12 mm socket or combination wrench I had, but they'd all eventually slip...

I sprayed the screw liberally with WD-40 and tapped on it to get it to penetrate...

I used a heat gun to heat the area around the screw, while tapping and adding WD-40...

Then I used a Dremel cutoff wheel to cut a slot in the screw head so a wide-blade screwdriver could be used...

Nothing has worked.................

Before I take this to the local Honda Dealer, I thought I'd ask for other ideas here.

Thanks!!!

OldNo7
 
So I've learned the guys with "4 wheeled" Honda's will typically use an impact wrench on stubborn drain screws...

Any risks of using one of those on the aluminum outboard?

Old No7
 
Before going that far, try PB Blaster on the threads like you were trying the WD-40. Spray, tap, let sit for an hour or so, then try to remove. Spray, tap let sit for an hour, then try to remove again. As you tap, try to move the screw back and forth. What has likely happened is that the aluminum threads have corroded into the SS screw threads. It actually forms a light weld due to the nobility of the two metals. It's a common problem when SS fasteners are used on aluminnum. What you need to do is break the corrosive weld

If PB Blaster doesn't do it after 24 hours, you may need to drill it and use a reverse thread extractor. If all that fails then you will need to drill it out and re-tap. I'm not keen on using an impact wrench on anything aluminum. Too brittle.
 
I'd recommend a propane torch for heating it. You need to heat it enough to cause a thermal expansion that will break the 'weld' that has formed. But, the key thing you need to use is a 6 point socket. Using 12 point sockets will surely round off the corners. A six point is exactly mated to the 'flats' of the bolt. If you turn down the pressure on the impact wrench you should be all set.
 
My two cents worth is a combination of all the above. You could just suck it out if you have an oil pump...or use a simple hand impact tool like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-8-Soft-Gr..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item45e6d725aa&vxp=mtr , which you can get inexpensively from most hardware or auto stores, after you use Pbblaster. Just slip the six point socket on the end and hit it with a hammer. The poor man's impact wrench...

Just goes to say, "there is more than one way to turn a bolt"!

Mike
 
Pb Blaster + heat + HAND impact driver in your slot OR 6 point socket on whats left of the head + tenacity and perseverance. It WILL come out. Don't use a bunch of force, use repeated blows or you may crack the oil case.
 
Thanks all for the helpful advice above!

I won't get to it until this weekend ("work" gets in the way of boating & fishing -- and repairs too!) but I did get an extra drain plug and sealing washer from my dealer at lunch. He told me about the same as above, PB Blaster + heat + impact (from a small hand impact wrench, not a big heavy-duty unit) to shock it loose.

I'll wrap some yarn around the screw's head and/or make a "cup" out of duct tape around the screw in an effort to keep the PB Blaster close to the screw. I'll do that tonight, and will refresh it 2X per day, and tap some on it too, and then again on Saturday morning when I'll go after it for real.

I will report back here with how it goes for me.

Tight lines,

Old No7
 
OldNo7,
One other "trick" I use on stuff like this is to use a SIX point socket with a breaker bar (you COULD use a ratchet but it's hard on the gear) and put moderate counter clockwise pressure on the plug, Then, while maintaining the strain on the breaker bar, I hit the end on it with a hammer. This technique applies more ROTATIONAL impact than the LINEAR impact that an impact "gun" or hand impact "driver". Again, discretion is the better part of valor here and avoiding excessive force or, as my ol pappy used to say. "gettin TOO jiggy with it" will keep you from causing damage.

Tap, tap, tap...not... BANG BANG BANG.

It'll come, just keep after it.
 
I have had exact thing happen took to shop saw them heat with propane tourch then use impact driver BAM ... I left with problem solved and had them order me impact driver,,, impact driver works everytime
 
This whole thread raises an interesting issue. Do any of you folks know a method for mitigating the weld that forms between SS fasteners and aluminum plate or tubing. I have an aluminum T-top aft of my cabin, and everything is fastened with SS nuts and bolts. Same for my outriggers. So far, the only thing I have found that works is a wax-based grease called Fluid Film. But it does not last for a long time.
 
Jamie - Perfect! Just what I was looking for. Thanks. Do you have any idea how long it lasts? I wonder if it would work on spark plug threads? Right now I remove them ever 100 hours and coat the threads with grease.

OldNo7 - This looks like what you should try on that oil drain screw oncee you get the original one out.
 
not sure about duration but I do know it works great used it on snapps for coming pads etc... never used it on plugs grease worked fine for me on them.
 
Success, I got the frozen oil plug out!!!

* Can of PB Blaster: $6.99
* New oil plug & sealing washer: $9.49
* New 6-point 12mm socket and breaker bar: $12.50
* Cheap/imported 3/8" hand impact driver with 4 bits: $15.99

* Getting it out with no damage to the oil pan or the lower unit: PRICELESS!!!

Thanks to all for the ideas and encouragement above, as it all helped!

I've been hitting it with PB Blaster 2X daily since Wednesday, then late yesterday afternoon, I used the hand impact wrench for about 20-25 hits... Nothing...

Then this morning, following more PB Blaster and maybe 20 hits with the hand impact wrench, I tried "just one more time" with the new 6-point 12mm socket, which had slipped off the nut when I'd tried it several times before. So this time, I hammered the socket down onto the nut first, and then had my daughter's boyfriend lean on it with both hands on the head of a heavy ball-peen hammer, while I used the breaker bar to put some rotational torque on it. Wow, it rolled left as easy as pie!After all the hits with the impact driver, which had "no effect" (or so it seemed), I really didn't expect it to break as easily as it did. But she rolled left and opened up like nothing was ever wrong!

Oh yeah, well there was something wrong after all... There was no washer until the old plug like there should have been... My bad, a lesson learned... And I made sure to install the washer that I bought with the new plug.

I didn't have to use a torch on it at all, which I'm rather glad about, although that would have been my next step. I was very concerned about the rubber seal that's located so close to the oil drain, as you can see in this pix. And you can also see the slot that I'd ground in the plug with my Dremel too. Ugly? Yes; but that was enough to allow the hand impact driver to "shock it loose" as all the tapping probably helped the PB Blaster work its magic.
Oil_Drain_Plug_old_Medium_.jpg


So thanks again to all who helped, I really appreciate it!

But wouldn't you know my elation over this fix was deflated an hour or so later, when after changing out the 4-stroke oil, I drained the lower fluid and it came out gray... Darn it! I didn't see any fishing line under the prop, but it's obvious a seal is leaking. I didn't see any metal bits on the magnetic plug, so I'm hoping the gearcase is in reasonable shape. For now, I put in some new fluid in to get me through the winter, as deer season starts next weekend the boat was going away today for good. Early next spring, she'll head off to my local dealer to have that problem fixed then. Oh well, it was "Fogging Day" today anyhow, so I didn't lose any boating time for this season.

And now starts the looooooooooooooong layup until mid-March...

Old No7
 
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