doin my first diy oil change. finalyl had all the materials. got to the drain bolt and i think i pulled something trying to unbolt it. sprayed some wd40 with no avail. I'm afraid I'll do more damage than good. What should i do?

 

What are you using to take off the bolt? The longer wrench you use, the more power you'll have. If none of the tools you have exert enough force, simply go to Autozone or whatever, get a breaker bar or super looooong wrench, go home, take off the drain bolt, go back to Autozone, and return the tool you just bought. =)

(I know Autozone offers tools for free rental, but I dunno if a breaker bar is one of them).

 

Totally true, i had to use a long breaker bar and a 14mm socket on my moms car (mazda) came off with lil force.

 

I don't know why they tighten the bolt so much, it doesn't have to be that tight.

 

You're positive you are turning the correct bolt right? That bolt is normally probably the easiest bolt to remove from any car, being as you barely torque it down, and it is covered in oil which lubricates it...

 

Amen. . . My GF car no matter how much leverage I had would not come off. The bolt was rounded completely. It was at the point where vice grips would not get it off. A combination of being over tighned and being about 5K over the time for a change was the culprit. We resulted to just take it to a shop and let them deal with it. . . bad thing was she did this and they put the same drain bolt back on . . . going to be more fun in another 3K.

 

He said it this is his first DIY oil change meaning he probably took it to Oil Changers, Speedee, or whatever in the past. You know how much those places care about torque specs; they just make it as tight as possible. (Just like how many tire places use impact guns to tighten your wheel lug nuts)

 

so i guess tomorrow morning i'll put my torque wrench on that bish. just found out that the place my mom had the last oil change at, they used the impact gun on the bolt?!?!? man i'm just afraid i'll snap the bolt or even worse warp the oil tank.

 

An Impact gun???????? WTF??? dude, seriously take the car back and tell them that they fukced up the drain bolt, thats so wrong dude. I saw a guy use it a school (UTI) one time and ended up just FUBARin the drain bolt... totally stripped it and ruined the threads.......

 

You better have a backplan plan... i.e. a spare oil plan and RTV

 

I saw a mechanic use a torch to loosen a drain bolt. He applied heat for a few seconds on and off a few times and it worked. I recommend you buy a rubber plug and keep it nearby in case the threads are stripped.

 

What...the....****....

Take it back, tell them to take it off and torque it to 30 ft lbs...

 

Dont use one of those cheap rubber plugs..they leak and sometimes fall off

Tap the old hole or get a new oil pan and your set, thats if the threads are messed up

-matt

 

Get that bolt off and if its in decent shape tightned it back yourself. Use a brake bar or whatever needed to get it loose. If you take it back to a shop then will untighted it but have to tighted it back, they wont let you go in and use their tools and tightned it . . . too risky on their behalf.

 

i have a feeling that the bolt is striped already. for some reason. yea just use a breaker bar. or if anything do what some just said. go to a lube place let them deal with it but like buy a new bolt and tell them to change bolts =P no dirty work for you need.

 

Just take it to the oil change place , pay them for one more oil change,then watch carefufully and make sure they correctly hand tighten the drain plug. Then politely thank them for the last time in your life.

 

One more comment , years ago I had an Isuzu that the oil plug would get so tight you had to use a breaker every time you took it out, I think from vibration but I'm not sure. I am sure that I personally carefully hand tightened the bolt many times and that it would tighten up over the time to the next change. Also my Maxima has NEVER done this.

 

Take it to an oil change place near the dealer to be safe.

 

if you rounded off the bolt use a pair of vise grips to get it off, make sure you put a new one back in though

 

is it really safe to use a blow torch to heat up a bolt in your OIL pan?

 

An impact wrench???? WTF...this is why I change my own oil. I echo what othres have said here. Use a breaker bar. Remember..lefty loosey righty tighty. Once its off inspect it, change the oil and NEVER go to a quick lube place again that uses impact guns on drain plugs

 

They only applied a little heat, moving the torch back and forth.
If the bolt is rounded off you can grind some flat spots on it or try a monkey wrench.
You can also pump out the oil through the dip stick hole with a electric drill pump.

 

bolt is not rounded off at all. i was careful not to do any damage. i went at it again today with the torque wrench. i really don't understand what this guy did. i'm going there tomorrow to see wtf is up. i'll tell him to take it off and if anything goes wrong its his fault, and im gonna be watching him like a hawk.

 

Instead of using vise grips, i highly suggest using Craftsman bolt out, you have a better chance take them off that way, i know there are other kinds you can get at Autozone and Pepboys, but i don't know the exact name. My craftsman boltouts help me get out difficult stripped bolts....well worth my $20 bucks or $40 depending on which ever one you get.