UKSaabs

Hi guys, back for some more advice
Trying to give my 9-3, 2.0 a service. Came to draining the oil, and the drainage bolt just won't budge. In the book it says about 25nm, but this ones so tight feels like it's welded.
The edges of the bolt are worn off too. think the last bloke tightened it with a monkey wrench or something. Any advice to a numpty would be much appreciated.
THanks.

Hi there ,

I had the exact same thing with my 9000 my advice is to firstly get a new sump plug then you will have to get an old socket set with multi sided sockets , find the closest match that is smaller than the bolt and gently persuade it on with a hammer then crack it off with a big bar . It worked for me , just be carefull you dont hit the sump lol .

Good luck ,
Rich

Mine was like that...i've now welded an old 1/2" socket on it...must get a new drain plug!

Root cause is that people forget to renew the copper washer, which then doesn't seal, so they tighten it up more to seal it...

You could try tapping a smaller socket onto it, but suspect you'll end up needing either a pair of stilsons (although there's not much to grab hold of), or welding something onto it. Whichever way, get a new drain plug first..

Before all the blame is heaped on the guy who did it last time, it is only fair to mention that they can get tighter with time!

Have a search for sump plug, this was covered within the past couple of weeks with ways of shifting it. Probably easier than having everyone retype!

As others have mentioned, get a new plug and washer first.

Then get one of the 6-sided sockets that is designed to drive the flats of a nut rather than the corners. All Halfords Professional 6-sided sockets are like this but last time I bought one, the larger ones (1/2" drive) were only available in 6-sided if you bought the deep ones - the shallow ones were all 12-sided. Get the correct size for the hex on the plug. There should be no need to go smaller (and you'd never hammer on a smaller 6-sided socket anyway).

You may need to use a fairly long bar to shift it so give yourself plenty of room by raising the front of the car a fair bit (with axle stands or ramps for safety). Be careful to hold the socket squarely on the head of the plug. An assistant might be useful.

Robert wrote:Probably easier than having everyone retype!

Mole grip wrench and a car jack.... thats how I got my GM900 one off once.

Thanks guys. putting it on a lift on saturday, then I can move around easily.
Plenty of tools, just not enough experience.

Hope it`s no worse than this - it came off with some chisel persuasion!

wow. no, it's not as bad as that. just rounded off.
Might look like that when I've finished though.

Reminds me of the stupid security wheel bolts I had to remove....



Ended up using Irwin Bolt Grip Nut Removers they got them off in minutes so might be of some help to you

Take it to a Kwikfit type place. These boys do rounded of fsump nuts as a matter of course. Once up on a ramp, they can have a real go at it. Get a new one first, and get them to get it off and just nip it up. Drive home and then do the oil change.
I have been there, and a £5 drink is well worth it.

All done. Mole grips and a hammer. New bolt and copper ring. Phew....
Car's ready for the hols. Thanks guys.

dazza76nl wrote:All done. Mole grips and a hammer. New bolt and copper ring. Phew....
Car's ready for the hols. Thanks guys.

Glad you got it sorted.

Was going to suggest mole grips, that's what I used when my sump plug wouldn't budge and they worked a treat.

Every time I do an oil changed I always use a new sump plug.

Ade

Also worth considering are these 'magnetic sump plugs' as available on the 'bay. I've got one fitted to both cars (C900 and NG900) and they are VERY strong compared to the standard bolts - means you need to be careful when you tighten them up but they won't round off in a hurry, and they can't be a bad idea if they catch crap flying around in the oil... certainly they seem to catch a fair bit of swarf...

Ended up buying a magnetic plug. Was recommended by a friend. I was surprised at the state of the oil though, still quite clean after 6k km, might have had a good buy for once in my life.

Willing to be corrected but I`ve an idea that one of the drain plug problems is that the hex is imperial - inches - due to the threads being `plumbing / pipework` related ie BSP or the American equivalent. So a 13mm socket is a bit loose on what is a 1/2 " hex - so it rounds off a little each time - or is this just plain wrong?

julianm wrote:Willing to be corrected but I`ve an idea that one of the drain plug problems is that the hex is imperial - inches - due to the threads being `plumbing / pipework` related ie BSP or the American equivalent. So a 13mm socket is a bit loose on what is a 1/2 " hex - so it rounds off a little each time - or is this just plain wrong?

Hi julianm. The bolt I bought has a 19mm head.(metric) fit perfectly.
Feel more relaxed now, a 19mm head with a 14mm thread won't round off as easily as the standard 13mm(i hope)
The old bolt head was a tad under 14mm. I thought they were all metric, but then again the old bolt was in bad condition.

dazza76nl wrote:

Hi julianm. The bolt I bought has a 19mm head.(metric) fit perfectly.
Feel more relaxed now, a 19mm head with a 14mm thread won't round off as easily as the standard 13mm(i hope)
The old bolt head was a tad under 14mm. I thought they were all metric, but then again the old bolt was in bad condition.

I think I mentioned before that the sump plug is likely to be or derived from a hydraulic fitting, the thread is likely to be a BSP thread onolder SAABs, and could have a variety of hex sizes, depending on who made it! DOn't forget on a car without a known service history it might not be an original SAAB plug fitted!

True, Robert, but my motor had a full dealer service history.
Saying that, the bodge jobs done by garages in NL are quite common.
My last car got serviced just before I came back to Blighty, and they put the wrong oil in.
When I confronted them, they had no recollection of me ever being there.
So you never know what they've put in as a replacement.