So its a lovely day so i decide ill go and service my car, which as we know is very straight forward

Anyway, i drive up onto some bricks and chock the rear wheels

I get underneath to undo the sump plug and the thing wont budge, no matter how much torque i put behind it! I gave the plug a tap with a hammer to loosen any rust...but still no luck!

I dont want to hit the wrench with a hammer in case that causes any issues!

Has any one got any tips on how i could loosen it without to much stress for the sump

I have thought about WD40 but i cant see that climbing up into a bolt thats locked solid! The last time it was undone was 2 years ago and i have a feeling that have over tightened it

Shall i just give up with the home service and take it to a garage?

Thanks

John

You are going the right way, pulling toward the driver side I suppose. Have you got the hex key type or an aftermarket sump with a hex head screw.
WD40 would help although it's not the best. There are things like Plusgas and GT85 that work better. I use a homebrew of 50:50 kerosene and acetone/nailvarnish remover.
If you have a hex head screw a six sided socket will reduce the chance of rounding it and I find working on the floor the easiest way is to pull from the drivers wheel arch,but..... with a big sideways force on the car you have to have it well supported or it will fall on you.

go to a local garage when it is quiet,
ask them to draw the oil out, or you can buy pump for extraction off ebay pipe goes down dip stick tube,

if sump plug is seized in iwouid leave it be, the sump can crush in on it self if
you persuade them out, fiat sumps is crap for strength,


if someone say's take oil filter off and start engine to drain it this way
ignore, top end will starve of oil and iwill never sound the same again,
ive heard a few people do this on fiats,

first things first - Are you 100% sure you've got a good fitting socket/tool on it?

If yes - are you 100% sure you turning the correct way?

Since you say your using a wrench = Spanner

Try getting the ring end on snug - getting another similar sized spanner and interlocked the ring of 2nd one onto the first 1ones open end

More torque to help loosen it

WD40 will do naff all
Oil + heat = bad idea

Only way is to possibly shock it - what eric the car guy does - he strikes the spanner/wrench with his palm "a poor mans impact" is another way of saying it

ziggy

Thats what im using, i think ill take it for a long drive so the whole sump can properly warm up then give it ago

If that dosent work then ill throw the towl in and go to the garage

@ gijohn2

go and have a word with chap at local garage,
dont force this out mate or you might end up with car you carnt use,

if this was customers car iwouid refuse to do this job because iknow the sumps crush, if it was 1.8 punto or diesel then they have decent sumps not oven roasting trays,

I'd try a length of bar of the end of that if the sump looks OK otherwise. Sometimes they're over tightened by eddjuts.

Very best tool for putting them on is a plain old M12 allen key -- no extension, so can't be over tightened.

fingers99 said:

I'd try a length of bar of the end of that if the sump looks OK otherwise. Sometimes they're over tightened by eddjuts.

Very best tool for putting them on is a plain old M12 allen key -- no extension, so can't be over tightened.

Click to expand...

I think this one has been over tightened by the previous garage! not even a tiny wiggle

Its royally pissed me off! i was looking forward to servicing my own car!

i use an allen key ,make sure sump plug clear insert allen key fully then put an old hollow metal chair leg over the end and pull
obviously if sump rotted it might go woopsy but if you take it to a garage your only going to get a phone call asking how you want them to proceed
never been a fan of suction oil changes leave that to poxy A180 owners
i would never drain via oil filter,cant believe anyone would do this but i have used this to lower an overfilled sump before now but its dangerous if filter leaks later

I think im just going to leave till i can take it to my friends where he has a pit so i can have a good look at it, no doubt it would be easier then fiddling at arms reach from the front of the car!

I wish a fiat fanatic lived near me in bromsgrove for help -.-

I had this issue, garage tightened it up to a ridiculous extent. It's only a plug after all.


Release fluid, 1/2" wrench with the right hex bit on did the job, patiently.

More torque

I have once used a breaker bar to ""crack"" the first bit of a seized sump nut

NOT NICE

Those type of wrench's can be okay - you need a trolley jack pole OR even the spare tyre iron in the boot to slot of the end and give you a little more "punch" in your torque

Ziggy

Hi,

I have nothing really to add to the advice regarding removing the plug as it's all been covered! No guts no glory!!

HOWEVER!

Always try and push AWAY from you if your doing it on a ramp/ pit.
If it's really stuck, when it goes, it will go! A guy I know lost 2 front teeth undoing a stuck sump plug on a Audi. It's all to easy to forget how much force your putting on something and WHERE it is going to go when it either snaps or let's go!

Alan

:worship:

Finally got it off! I put a bit of paint over the sump plug which made it so bloody hard to get off!

Oil filter was a fiddly bugger as i couldnt get my chain tool around it so had to use belt type tool

the old filter was "blue print" brand which i have never heard of

Next task, Spark plugs

thanks to all who posted, much appreciated

gijohn2 said:

Oil filter was a fiddly bugger as i couldnt get my chain tool around it so had to use belt type tool

Click to expand...

little hint with the Chain type oil filter removal tools is to dent either side of the filter with the back of a spanner before you try to get it off that way the chain has something to grip

iuse one of these, http://www.alexshanks.com/oil-filter-wrench-claw-p685?gclid=COPCjJnl-b4CFevpwgodRSoAhg

Halfords Oil filter strap thing i've got is brilliant
Tight gripping as well

managed to use once on a diesel astra fuel filter cap (Just at its max limit tho)

Spark plugs - Do 1 at a time, to retain the firing order with the HT's

Remember Spark plugs wont work any better if the HT' leads are duff as well

ziggy

I was about to stick a screw driver through it but thought id give it one more chance and it worked luckily!

The HT's were replaced not to long ago so they should be good still