Rear diff fill plug stripped - not 24mm???

[Grantasaurus]

Ok, so I went to drain/refill my rear diff today.

I Bought a 24mm socket for the job as everything I read indicated that was the size I needed for the fill/drain plugs. Started with the fill plug and I stripped it with very little torque (~15 ft lbs). Socket was centered on the plug too. Turns out my socket doesn't fit the plug. There is about 1/8" of play on the socket when centered over the plug. WTF?:redbrick:

I'm wondering if the cheapo socket I bought at the auto parts store is mislabeled or my drain/fill plugs are a different size than 24mm. Anybody out there ever run into a similar problem? Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Froglips]

There is lots of info on this issue in this forum. Assuming 24mm is correct for your diff plugs most have success using a 15/16 inch 6 point socket. Using a 6 point instead of the common 12 point socket does a lot to avoid the rounding off problem.

 

[Uneek]

Ok, so I went to drain/refill my rear diff today.

I Bought a 24mm socket for the job as everything I read indicated that was the size I needed for the fill/drain plugs. Started with the fill plug and I stripped it with very little torque (~15 ft lbs). Socket was centered on the plug too. Turns out my socket doesn't fit the plug. There is about 1/8" of play on the socket when centered over the plug. WTF?:redbrick:

I'm wondering if the cheapo socket I bought at the auto parts store is mislabeled or my drain/fill plugs are a different size than 24mm. Anybody out there ever run into a similar problem? Any advice would be much appreciated.

It is a 24mm plug. As suggested, I always use a 6 point socket when possible.

Very likely the socket you bought was mislabeled or wasn't formed to the correct size during manufacturing. I came across a deep socket in my set that was not a 10mm. I thought no way, just about all Japanese cars use 10mm bolts and nuts on the battery. Sure enough, a 10mm combination box wrench worked just fine.

 

[Grantasaurus]

Thanks for the feedback. Switched to another 6 pt socket and got it off.

 

[Froglips]

Thanks for the feedback. Switched to another 6 pt socket and got it off.

Glad to hear that you were successful. Probably should replace that plug if it is torn up too bad. This is why so many have posted in this forum that the "fill" plug should always be removed first before taking out the drain plug.

 

[KB084RUNNER]

Glad to hear that you were successful. Probably should replace that plug if it is torn up too bad. This is why so many have posted in this forum that the "fill" plug should always be removed first before taking out the drain plug.

Yeah it really sucks when you drain all the oil and then can't get the fill plug out. Don't ask how I know this. :redbrick: