Diff Drain Plug Shaved Down, now what?

rossgoldie

rossgoldie

New member
It's nighttime so I cannot get pictures quite yet but here is the low down.

I just finished the Rubicon with minimal damage except for my differential drain plug. The guard and plug are shaven down quite a bit so the plug cannot be removed with a socket. Also, the guard is shaven flat with the plug so it is not recessed anymore (both are flush with each-other).

I cannot find any replacement plugs anywhere and I was wondering where I could find one. Also does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the current plug and how to build up the plug guard so the new plug can be recessed again?

I think a diff skid is in my near future. Any helpful advice is welcome! Ill get pictures after class tomorrow morning!
 
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rossgoldie said:
It's nighttime so I cannot get pictures quite yet but here is the low down.

I just finished the Rubicon with minimal damage except for my differential drain plug. The guard and plug are shaven down quite a bit so the plug cannot be removed with a socket. Also, the guard is shaven flat with the plug so it is not recessed anymore (both are flush with each-other).

I cannot find any replacement plugs anywhere and I was wondering where I could find one. Also does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the current plug and how to build up the plug guard so the new plug can be recessed again?

I think a diff skid is in my near future. Any helpful advice is welcome! Ill get pictures after class tomorrow morning!
Click to expand...

I had this problem as well, I bought a specialty socket made for Grabbing it, hammered it on gently, and it worked perfectly

got it from MSC, had a spiral shape inside and fairly sharp -was like 25 bucks but worked like magic

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/02108009 like that
 
don't use the low pro plug! I had them in both front and rear diffs..... now they are welded in because they have a tendency to back out after being drug across rocks. they kind of bring the suck when that happens.
 
ajordan1975 said:
don't use the low pro plug! I had them in both front and rear diffs..... now they are welded in because they have a tendency to back out after being drug across rocks. they kind of bring the suck when that happens.
Click to expand...



Are there any other plug options? Can't seem to find them anywhere
 
I'd investigate grinding a slot across the head of the rounded fill bolt, then using a hefty slot screwdriver to remove. Second the suggestion of the lo-profile fill/drain plugs. You may be able to get those from the local dealer.
 
ajordan1975 said:
don't use the low pro plug! I had them in both front and rear diffs..... now they are welded in because they have a tendency to back out after being drug across rocks. they kind of bring the suck when that happens.
Click to expand...


Huh? I always used the lo-pro allen head style, (at least until I shaved the bottom of the housing), and found that they did not want to back out while the factory hex-head would do exactly that.
 
rossgoldie said:
It's nighttime so I cannot get pictures quite yet but here is the low down.

I just finished the Rubicon with minimal damage except for my differential drain plug. The guard and plug are shaven down quite a bit so the plug cannot be removed with a socket. Also, the guard is shaven flat with the plug so it is not recessed anymore (both are flush with each-other).

I cannot find any replacement plugs anywhere and I was wondering where I could find one. Also does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the current plug and how to build up the plug guard so the new plug can be recessed again?

I think a diff skid is in my near future. Any helpful advice is welcome! Ill get pictures after class tomorrow morning!
Click to expand...

You can use a weld washer to make a new guard, or cut out the whole area and replace it with a plate. 4Crawler Offroad Products - High Clearance Kit for Toyota 8" Axles
 
Ditto on the 4Crawler kit. If you can weld/fab, you can make your own for cost of material only.

If you are on the trail with rocks often, I suggest you skip the new drain plug and shave/plate the axle/housing. A new plug will look like your current busted one halfway thru the trail and you'll be back in the same dilemma.

After shaving my axles, I see myself getting hung up less and sliding over rocks more easily. Don't have to back up as often too.
 
Okay....question for those who've shaved their housings and deleted the plug:

4Crawler's site says you gain 3/4-1" of clearance. Is that gain at the plug itself? The ring for the plug and weld is about 1/2" tall. I'd assume you can't cut much out from under the middle of the ring gear b/c the ring is fairly close to the bottom of the housing.

What did you gain at the very bottom of the diff? Looks like at most, you'd gain a 1/4" at that point....unless you leave very little "oil gap" under the ring gear......
 
Seems like a lot of work for a little more clearance to me.
I welded both front and rear plugs on my crawler and have no regrets. :blah:
 
ajordan1975 said:
Seems like a lot of work for a little more clearance to me.
I welded both front and rear plugs on my crawler and have no regrets. :blah:
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking....I'm more curious for the front diff. I'm wondering if there's any clearance to be gained by shaving the TOP of the housing off since I'm trying to get a really low ride height with 5-6" of uptravel.

However, looking at the housings....I don't think you could gain more than a 1/4" on the top or bottom, so the claim of 3/4"-1" is kinda misleading since it's not at the very bottom of the housing (from what I can tell).
 
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