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Trying to remove engine plug

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The one for the engine block heater.. I've tried heat and I tried using a 3lb hammer and hitting the plug sideways and it still wont move at all.. Did the plug win? Any other tips I should use before I give up?

That's weird man, mine will come unplugged without a fuss. I've had it loose a few times rerouting it so I could actually use the thing. Do you have a picture?

  • Author

I will get a picture.. what I can't understand is why both plugs are not the same time.. why is it on with almost 200 Ft.lbs?

Coolant + steel + aluminum = major stuck.

 

Soak it in PB, clean the crud out of the center, use a half inch drive socket and breaker bar. Put pressure on the bar and then smack the bar with the 3lb hammer about 6" from the socket.

 

Do that a few times and make sure the socket doesn't slip out and round out the plug.

  • Author

It's pretty rounded out now, no?

 

They say JB wield will just break off?

If its already rounded out you could try a big pipe wrench or vice grips. You may have to just leave it.

  • Author

Only other way I can think of is to file down notches to my next size hex socket and try again..

Chisel,air or otherwise would be much easier.

 

Make an indentation by holding it at 90 degrees .

Once there is something to grip,angle the chisel 45 degrees or so to spin the plug.

Hitting as close to the OD as you dare will give the greatest turning torque.

Blows will help penetrating oil penetrate

  • Author

See all those marks? Well those were from a flat head screw driver but still it's hard to hit from the OD without ending up hitting too deep..

 

I will spray with a little more kroil and then if that does not work then I will just have to file the plug to the next size and use the impact wrench on it again

The one for the engine block heater.. I've tried heat and I tried using a 3lb hammer and hitting the plug sideways and it still wont move at all.. Did the plug win? Any other tips I should use before I give up?

 

 hi,

  i can see from that picture you have no chance to get that out by conventional means,, i  DO   think you can weld a BIG nut on it  something like a axle nut for instance,, no jb weld  ,,actually  electric arc weld and weld it good ,, a nut too big to strip and use a 6 point socket & big breaker bar on that.   the heat from the weld job will likely help too.

  • Author

I'm still going to try a chisel on it, I'm not going to wield on it (Can't at my location) because I don't want a stray arc to end up messing up the bearings and fusing them to the block.

Oh, I completely misunderstood which part you were working on. Do you already have the heads on the motor? If not you can easily spray pb on the threads on the inside of the motor.

  • Author

I haven't taken the heads off, I did not notice that it could be sprayed from the inside of the block.

Yeah, you can get to it through the lower coolant passage of below the cylinders.

  • Author

You know the gasket that should be on the plug heater.. well it's pretty much crumbled, and I'm looking right now but I don't see a replacement part number on the gasket?

  • Author

Picked up a hard cap chisel in 1/2" at least I will have a wider serface area to bite into and for the striking end as well.. too many missed blows :wacko:

Is the gasket around the block heater a metal o-ring type thing. I wonder if one of the rings from the wrist pin access holes would be the same size.

Weld a big nut to it like a axle nut the heat will breakup the stock glue and you will have a larger surface to put socket on

  • Author

If I ever do it it would have to be with the engine in the car, as I said before my car is in a open parking lot.. besides I heard you can damage your crank bearings just going to town doing a wield like this because of stray currents so I don't want to risk that.. now I did take off the drivers head and sprayed kroil down where the plug is.. but does it have another passage way? It seemed to not fill up but seemed to be draining to another area of the motor.

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