Front Diff Drain Help

[spongerx]

I'm attempting to drain and fill the front diff. The fill plug is a 10mm hex bit. Does anyone know what the size of the drain hex bit is? I've looked around and it seems like other years have a bolt (like the oil plug) and not a hex. But I have a hex. Just wondering if anyone else has the same thing and what the size is.

 

[4runner02]

I'm attempting to drain and fill the front diff. The fill plug is a 10mm hex bit. Does anyone know what the size of the drain hex bit is? I've looked around and it seems like other years have a bolt (like the oil plug) and not a hex. But I have a hex. Just wondering if anyone else has the same thing and what the size is.

it should be the same size as the filler plug(10mm hex) I know mine was it's an 2002 model..
you may have some mud or crap caked up in the hex end of the drain plug not letting you get it in all the way,but it is a 10mm hex for the drain plug.

 

[Elton H]

good luck i soaked mine for like 2 days with pb blaster its now mangled to the point it wont come off i wanna no who's dumb idea was that use a bolt !!!!!!!

 

[spongerx]

Yeah, they are pretty much fused on. I de-greased the area, scrubbed it down, sprayed wD40, added a breaker bar and still couldn't get the fill plug off. The drain plug IS bigger (I guess it's different for my year runner). I'm going to leave it for now but soon I think I'll spray it down again and try to get it moving. What a bas**** :cannon:

 

[Stick Figure]

since i'm guessing you don't have any large alan sockets to test, you can always pull a bolt out from somewhere else (or spare parts bin) and try the head to see what size you need. My 00 was also a 10mm for what its worth.

Oh and if you can't get it out, or strip it.... then find someone w/ a welder and weld a nut to the outside of it. between the ease of the nut, and the heat from the welder, it usually comes right out.

 

[spongerx]

Thats a really good idea actually. I might save that for last resort. Thanks. :biggrin2:

 

[One_96TR4]

The bigger hex is a 12mm. If it won't budge heat is the key. It'll take a bit longer with a protane torch but still doable. If you end up mangling it then the welding another nut is a good idea.

 

[pat161]

Yes, the earlier models did have 2 sizes. When a friend and I did my 2000 and his 98 one day we were a bit surprised by this as we only had what I knew I needed, nothing an emergency run to Sears couldn't take care of though. I had the same issue originally on my 00, I pretty much stripped it, but I did eventually manage to get it out and put a new one in. On my 02 I tried a new technique, of course I PB blasted it real good, but then instead of steady pressure on the wrench I hit it until the bolt broke loose, almost like a poor mans impact wrench, this worked much better and the bolt came out very easily with no stripping at all.

 

[spongerx]

Yes, the earlier models did have 2 sizes. When a friend and I did my 2000 and his 98 one day we were a bit surprised by this as we only had what I knew I needed, nothing an emergency run to Sears couldn't take care of though. I had the same issue originally on my 00, I pretty much stripped it, but I did eventually manage to get it out and put a new one in. On my 02 I tried a new technique, of course I PB blasted it real good, but then instead of steady pressure on the wrench I hit it until the bolt broke loose, almost like a poor mans impact wrench, this worked much better and the bolt came out very easily with no stripping at all.

Hey, whats up Pat? You mean you hit the wrench or you hit the plug (and then put the wrench to it)? Thanks for the bit size, One_96TR4. I don't think the front diff fluid has ever been changed in my runner. Just got to get er done.

 

[4runner02]

If the 10mm is to small, then it's a 12mm hex.. If you get a 10 or 12mm hex with a 3/8" adapter on it to accepet a 3/8" drive ratchet you can use your foot to break it loose..Just be sure it's inserted all the way into the drain plug and kick the sh!t out of the ratchet.

 

[pat161]

Hey, whats up Pat? You mean you hit the wrench or you hit the plug (and then put the wrench to it)? Thanks for the bit size, One_96TR4. I don't think the front diff fluid has ever been changed in my runner. Just got to get er done.

I tapped on the wrench itself, and when I say tap I was shitting it pretty good. It just seems like when you really lean on the wrench while removing the hex bolts they want to strip. By applying short bursts of more pressure it seemed to break it loose easier.

 

[Ghostrider]

Yeah that plug has caused a lot of language in the garage. I do mine every year and it's still a pain to get out. I tried it with anti sieze and it seemed easier. I am waitng for harbor freigh to put a 3/8 breaker on sale just for that plug. I have no idea how the other poster found space to hit it. I found it hard to get to at all.

 

[spongerx]

Its been about a month but I finally got the front diff changed. Thought I would finish off the thread with some photos. In the end I stripped the drain plug and got a new one from Toyota. The original plug was a 12mm, the new one is a 10mm. It was really difficult to get off as most others have said. Ended up tapping the end of the ratchet with a small sledge as I turned it.

Stripped

New and old

 

[Scramble]

Mine was hard to get out too. It was 10mm & with a 3/8" ratchet it took a couple of taps with a hammer after soaking overnight with WD40.

 

[Ghostrider]

I did discover a slightly better way the last time I did this. Part of the problem is getting leverage to pull on breaker bar. The angle from the plug to the ground just doesn't give much room to pull. I put the truck on ramps under the front tires which have me another 8 inches or so. It also allowed me to jump on the breaker bar rather than pulling which helped

And the "engineer" who specified this needs to be dealt with. Zero reason for specifying such a piece of crap as this plug - especially when the other two diff's use traditional plugs which take 5 seconds to loosen.

 

[St Runner]

A last resort method to use if it is stripped is to use a cold chisel and hammer in a counter clockwise direction. It is old school but quite effective.

 

[alumarine]

Will plugs from the transfer case or rear diff fit the front diff?