924Board.org

[Michel31]

Hi All,

My 1978 Porsche 924 is giving me headaches. Since a few weeks now trying to get the oil drain plug out but it seems some red traces around it imply that red loctite was used by po.

I've got a bi Gaz torch that can reach 3300 °C
Has anyone tried to heat up such a plug with oil still behind?
Needs to go up to 260°C to melt the loctite but lower than 400 which is the flashpoint of the oil... although without oxygen, I guess it won't ignite right inside the 2.5l tank...?
Any piece of advice is welcome
Big thanks in advance
Michel

[morghen]

if your torch can do 3000, it doesn't mean you should get your 924 to 3000
Do it in passes, hold the flame on for 5-10 seconds and then try undoing the plug. If it wont budge, do another 5-10 seconds of torching and so on.
I'm not sure about melting the loctite...i think its about getting the aluminium area around the threads to expand enough to dislodge the oxidized threads off the iron plug...so i would not heat up the plug but the area around it...carefully and bit by bit...then when the plug starts to turn...dont take it out completely...let the whole thing cool down with the oil inside..otherwise the hot surfaces will cook a thin layer of leftover old oil as their coating.
This is what i would do.
_________________
Supercharger and EFI kits
https://www.the924.com

[Cedric]

Large impact guns solve alot of problems in my garage
_________________
1980 924 Turbo
www.instagram.com/garagecedric/

[MikeJinCO]

Heat is a commonly used method for softening the red Locktite. But use the pass system it won't require a lot of heat.
_________________
Mike


'67 MG Midget Dp
'71 Ocelot Dsr Kawasaki 1000(under rebuild)

[Michel31]

[Michel31]

[morghen]

wrap your tool
_________________
Supercharger and EFI kits
https://www.the924.com

[Mike9311]

I agree with all of the above and just want to add

You can use a heat gun as well to preheat the transmission.

Also, use a piece of aluminum on the end of the plug and tap the aluminum with a steel hammer a few times. This can help to break up the loctite and the aluminum helps to not deform the plug. Cedric's suggestion for the impact wrench applies a similar effect. It isn't the spring like shock you give the plug with the hammer trick, more like a rattle, but it also works

I'm glad there is oil there since heated aluminum and steel typically leads to galling. Caveat, obviously, is the oil messes with the heating process
_________________
1980 931 since 1989
1981 Ideola 931 Club Sport
1982 931 Entwicklungsfahrzeug
1979 924 NA ohne 650 mit 471
1982 931 Red Resurrection - 951 IC
1982 931 parts car / resurrection?
1980 924 NA (R&D lightweight)
1982 931 wana-be GTR race car

[Michel31]

So...trial was not successful.
Tool on it at least 150Nm torque and optimized the flame so that it really got hot there... wow
And...nothing apart from denting the plug while it was heated...now a bit messed up and less grip...but still if it was only loctite would have worked...I need more torque...hence soldering.
Next chapter to come....

[procyon]

Make sure that you can get the plug in the fill hole out before you drain the oil. No point in draining the oil if you can't fill it back up.
_________________
1981 924 N/A (Now the parts car)
1980 924 N/A ( 5 bolt discs and better paint) MS II V3.57
2003 Subaru Baja
2021 Maxda CX-30

[Rasta Monsta]

[Mike9311]

This is exactly the kind of thing I wish I was there, on the ground in France, to help

Need a teleporter
_________________
1980 931 since 1989
1981 Ideola 931 Club Sport
1982 931 Entwicklungsfahrzeug
1979 924 NA ohne 650 mit 471
1982 931 Red Resurrection - 951 IC
1982 931 parts car / resurrection?
1980 924 NA (R&D lightweight)
1982 931 wana-be GTR race car

[Michel31]

Filling plug was also a pain and ended up in a 12mm thread counterclockwise to try opening it with a hexagonal 18mm bolt...no way! Even with a crank jack and the car on its tip toes...!! So I gave up, it will be filling through the hole and plug with a copper seal.

While experimenting on this filling plug, I tried with a monster 10mm screwdriver and guess what a tiny bit broke off into the gear box!!!

Reason why I need to have a large drain hole to get rid of this bit with a magnet...get a boroscope camera in...do some cleaning up.

The car is running great otherwise...really stupid that I tried this gearbox drain .. pffffff

[Michel31]

[Michel31]