Cannot remove front diff drain bolt

[Qyota]

Any advice? The front diff drain bolt is seized. I have the correct allen socket on it (10mm), and I'm giving it everything I have, and I can feel the flats of the bolt starting to strip. I've tried heat, PB blaster, and lightly tapping on the bolt with a hammer.

I don't have a welder, or I'd try the "weld a nut on" trick.

This is really pissing me off. I tried removing this bolt a year ago with the same results. Now the diff lube REALLY needs to be changed!

Thanks

 

[FRT]

In this thread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/102711-stripped-front-diff-hex-drain-bolt.html
some suggestions are using a chisel and giving it a whack to loosen it up...

 

[fourwd1]

I'd keep trying the heat and hammer before the chisel. Not too much heat, you don't want it to turn color.

And by the way, make sure you can remove the Fill plug before you remove the Drain plug.

 

[Qyota]

My welder will be here next week, and this is the first project I want to tackle. Question is, would it make more sense to weld in a hex socket, or weld on a nut? I'd think the hex socket would be a slightly better choice, but the nut is certainly cheaper. Also, the hex socket would sort of hold itself in there while I'm welding.

Sorry, just getting "amped" up for my new toy! And I'll finally be able to change my front diff lube!

 

[cordrayj1]

i had the same issue. went to sears and got a set of metric allen's for a 3/8 drive ratchet.

i then got an adapter from 3/8 to 1/2, rounded up a few extensions, and got out the impact. i held it there for a good minute, and guess what, it broke loose.

and guess what else, it was so hot when i pulled that it burnt my hand. solving the heating issue addressed earlier

 

[CAN-03runner]

I did mine with heat. Then i sprayed water on it. Then heat. Then more water. Etc... Lots of taps with hammer, pb blaster, hammer, scrape with little screw driver, more heat, more water cool down, pb blaster, and then wait, do the rear, come back to front with breaker bar. It came off. If you didnt spray with water that might be what you were missing.

Impact wrench. Watch out. If it breaks loose and you didnt stop soon enough you could find yourself with diff oil gushing in your face.

Also on my 4th gen it's a torx not an allen. I removed the fill plug with an allen to then realize they are torx. That could also be why it feels like it is stripping. But i dont know specifics of 3rd gen.

 

[off-road runner]

I also went through this last summer. I used those cheap pumps for the gear oil, the ones that screw onto the bottles of gear oil, put a hose on for an extension and pumped the oil out of the diff. Got most of it out... certainly not as good as a complete drain but better than using the old oil that was in there.

 

[flyrv9]

Don't forget to put some anti-sieze on the threads when you put the bolt back in.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Did you remove the full plug first?

 

[SCSPerformance]

My welder will be here next week, and this is the first project I want to tackle. Question is, would it make more sense to weld in a hex socket, or weld on a nut? I'd think the hex socket would be a slightly better choice, but the nut is certainly cheaper. Also, the hex socket would sort of hold itself in there while I'm welding.

Sorry, just getting "amped" up for my new toy! And I'll finally be able to change my front diff lube!

On my 1st gen Tacoma, I welded on a hex stud to the drain plug and now it's a breeze to take off.