Help w/ Front Differential Fluid Change

[mrrab]

Today I decided to change out my differential fluids and thought it would be relatively smooth sailing -- nope!

I Decided to tackle the front first. Got the skid plates off, then went to the front differential. Saw the two 10mm hex bolts I needed to loosen. Broke the torque on the filler bolt and thought, gees this is going to be easy. Then went to the drain bolt and couldn't for the life of me break the torque on it. After giving it a few tugs with a cheater bar, I saw the inside of the hex bolt was beginning to warp -- not good! So after this I decided to stop before I did further damage.

So, now I'm wondering if I should go to the store and buy a 10mm hex bit socket or take it to Toyota and ask them if they can break the torque on it. Assuming they could break the torque, I would then buy a new drain plug, preferably one that will accommodation of 1/2" torque wrench.

Oh, I did get the rear done, so that's good...

 

[4RunnerFan]

This problem has been addressed in numerous posts, primarily in this Maintenance sub-forum. Try searching here. BTW, if you do buy a 10mm hex wrench, I'd advise using a rotary tool to file the end of the wrench to remove the rounded edges. This will to make the end sharper so it bites better in the hex opening. Tap the bit into place with a hammer to get it well seated.