Mag Hytech drain plug stuck

[dghost]

Has any one besides me had the drain plug to the Mag Hytech freeze up on them? If so - have you had any luck getting the plug out? I've already broke one 3/16 allen wrench and bent a second trying to remove the plug. I've applied some penetrating oil and will try again tomorrow to remove the plug. This is my first attempt to change the lube with the new cover. It's been on for only 15K miles.



I'm a bit surprised that they designed in a 3/16 allen wrench to remove a plug that must be an inch in diameter.

 

[24VChev]

Hit the plug several times with a Hammer, this will help loosen the plug. You can also use a blunt drift and a hammer to advoid hitting the cover.



Hope this helps





Malcolm

 

[DLBurns]

Good * * * luck getting that plug out! I beat the living hell out of mine, broke an allen socket, cork screwed another, finally just took the pan off and tried to heat the thing to break it loose#@$%!

It is still on and when I have to change the transmission fluid again I will get it off one way or another... ( a stick of dynamite comes to mind )

Don't bother calling Mag Hytek, Jerry will just tell you to knock it out by drilling a hole at an angle and then beating it out with a punch and hammer... of course he will then tell you to send him 10 or 15 bucks for a new plug... Hell of a marketing scheme

 

[Forrest Nearing]

not sure if the Mag plugs are steel or aluminum, but if they're steel, lemme fill ya in on a little tip...



for SOME reason, Cummins decided to use an allen headed oil drain plug... they ALSO used an allen headed plug on the AFC housing on the P7100 pump... both of those plugs are steel... after I completely rounded out the oil drain plug hole the first time I tried to change my oil, I welded a big nut to it... served two purposes. 1. I can actually get it off! and 2. the welding made the thing a lot thicker. people complain about them cracking. I don't think that's going to happen to mine...



fast forward to the other night... was trying to mess w/ my AFC setting a little bit and was remined how much of a pain that plug was to get out! after I finally got it out, I welded a nut to it too!! MUCH easier to get off and on now!



if the plug is steel, I'd weld a big 'ol nut to it so that you can actually get some leverage on it!!



Forrest

 

[VicR]

Mine was stuck (although not near as bad as some others) I just ran the truck and got it operating temp warm then pulled it out with an allen wrench socket from Sears and a 3/8 breaker bar.



Good luck,



-Vic

 

[FourBarR]

been there , i just heated mine with a heat gun and tapped it with a hammer. when you install it put some silicone grease on the o- ring . no problem getting it out since.

 

[**ICEMAN**]

mine too. i believe there are some other threads on the plug issue too. seems whoever installed the plugs before shipment was really torqing them down.

the plug is steel with a magnet in the center.

i got a new plug from GENO'S.

i had asked robin to call mag hytek on the issue and the possibility of leaving the plug out and letting the customer install it.

 

[dghost]

Mag Hytech drain plug now removed

Update on the drain plug - I was able to get it out last night after putting a large socket against the plug and tapping it several times with a hammer. I had also used some penetrating oil and gave it plenty of time. Using an allen socket and ratchet wrench it broke free.



I don't believe I've ever removed the plug before this fluid change. Who know how much torque was applied when the plug was installed. The plug is now screwed far enough to hit the stops - and that's it. No torque. Sure hope it stays in till the next "planned" fluid change.



Thanks for the replies and suggestions. BTW - to the manufactures credit, they are sending me another plug at no cost. Sure wish it came with a fitting for a larger wrench.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

if it's made of steel, mail it to me, I'll weld a nut on it, and mail it back to you.



Forrest

 

[Forrest Nearing]

and actually, assuming it's a common NPT thread, you can just go to the hardware store and get a brass plug with a square head that you can put an open end wrench or a pair of vise grips on.



Forrest

 

[DLBurns]

BTW - to the manufactures credit, they are sending me another plug at no cost.



Finally Oo. Oo.

Maybe all of our *****en about this problem is getting somewhere.

I had suggested in an earlier thread that they leave the plug out for the owner to install. I know I will destroy mine when the time comes for my next transmission fluid change.

 

[UMPRacer]

Antiseize it!

This problem has nothing too do with Mag-Hytec. Any two unlike metals will gauld themselves together. It is called a galvanic reaction. From what I have seen steel and aluminum are the worst. I know stainless and aluminum will do it too. Antiseize is a must, I personally don't think the torque spec has a anything to do with it. A real good example of it is a car trailer. If you look at the fasteners that they have installed the aluminum sides with are usually galvinized steel fasteners. They usually are rusting within a year because of this chemical reaction. Check it out the next time you see a truck pulling a trailer.

 

[MVieira]

FYI, the Mag-Hytec plugs are o-ring boss or straight thread like a bolt, not NPT. The o-ring does the sealing in the chamfered area. I work for a CAT dealer and CAT uses them alot, and in aluminum housings like injection pump governors and hydralic tank check valve drains. If they are slightly overtightened they seem to lock up. Me and alot of the mechanics that work there found giving them a good rap in the center of the plug with a hammer and a punch bigger than the allen hole, usually would break them loose. An old mechanic there 21 years ago watched me bang away with a 1" impact on a track roller bolt, stopped me as he walked by and wacked the bolt with an 8 lb. sledge and kept walking not saying a word, I put the gun back on and it broke loose and spun out, old school. Anyways putting lube on the plug o-ring and threads is neccessary but they need to be torqued correctly and not over tightened. Knowing this when I got my Mag-Hytec pan I removed the plug a lubed the plug and o-ring and torqued it to 30 in. lbs. like the instructions said. I've serviced mine twice since and the plug breaks loose easily. Sorry for the long post, Mike.

 

[DLBurns]

This problem has nothing too do with Mag-Hytec. Any two unlike metals will gauld themselves together. It is called a galvanic reaction. From what I have seen steel and aluminum are the worst. I know stainless and aluminum will do it too. Antiseize is a must, I personally don't think the torque spec has a anything to do with it. A real good example of it is a car trailer. If you look at the fasteners that they have installed the aluminum sides with are usually galvinized steel fasteners. They usually are rusting within a year because of this chemical reaction. Check it out the next time you see a truck pulling a trailer.

This has everything to do with Mag HyTek... if they left the plug out with instructions to lube the o-ring and anti sieze the threads some of us would not have had this problem.

 

[John]

Originally, the torque specs. on all the Mag-Hytec drain, fill, and inspection plugs was much higher. About 3 to 4 years ago (guessing) Mag-Hytec reduced the torque on all the aforementioned plugs to 30 INCH pounds. That doesn't seem like enough torque although, the plugs will remain tight, not leak and be relatively easy to remove later on.

 

[Evan A. Beck]

Yeah, 30 in-lb doesn't sound like much, but its an o-ring sealed plug... They don't need much torque to seal. Crush washer plugs require a bit more.