Gear box filler plug stuck- is this a silly solution

[beagle]

Hi gang, I have drained my gear box oil. This went well and the oil contained a supprising lack of broken springs and gear teeth. The trouble is I can't undo the 10mm filler plug to refill!

I know I could go and buy a propper square end spanner but what's wrong with just removing the top plate and filling from the top?? Is the top plate hard to remove? I take it you just unscrew the surrounding bolts or is it trickier than it seems.

Mucho thanko
Tim

 

[malcolm]

Buy a square ended 3/8" device - they aren't expensive. Filling from the filler plug will get the level right.

Doing it the other way risks springs going missing, poorly seating gaskets, and getting the level wrong so you have oil on the clutch. For th sake of eBay and waiting a couple of days that's too much effort and thinking.

 

[Pavel]

Gear box filler and drain plug

Hi, I have the opposite problem. I can´t undo the gear box drain plug, so I can only fill up the gear oil, but I can´t totally change it. When I used a good 10mm spanner, I twisted the plug, but I didn´t undo the thread. Pavel

 

[jjad]

The filler plug was sheared off when we bought our R4. I couldn't get it off. A garage tried to weld a bar on to it but that failed too. Eventually they heated up the gearbox and cooled the filler plug.

One of those penetrating oil with freezer sprays might help.

 

[paulandpat]

Try one of the bars that go through an old door handle from one side to the other, its surprising what they fit.

 

[reidalpine]

Pavel (and others) -just came to think of it...
If Drainplug is totally stuck it could be a possibility to insert a plastic-hose
in through the Fillerplug-hole (Make certain it goes as far down into the g.box as you possibly can get it)Suck out old remaining oil with the help of a one-way rubber-pump.The type used from tank-feed to outboard-motor is fine.
If Filler-plug is stuck, drain as usual then use the Breather-hole
sitting on front of g.box next to the speedodrive 11mm.spanner removes it After you have cleaned around it first!-Make SURE you do not overfill the box!
HAO1 (4gear) is 1,85 Liter. reinstall breather-make sure it is open Do not forget to put back on the plastic-cap on the breather-Or else dust dirt will eventually come in that way. Also important that breather is open as if not the pressure inside box will kill the O-rings.. -R.

 

[gpovanman]

When I was in Switzerland, my 4 was dripping a bit of oil (which turned out to be a weeping rocker gasket), but a mechanic thought that it could have been the gearbox drain plug, so he tightened it right up. I now have to do gearbox refills by removing the top plate of the box....

 

[reidalpine]

that probably explains why the Swiss had to leave Mechanical wrist-watches -as they wound them too much-and go for Quartz huh? -R.