sump bolt

[nev]

Tried to change the oil for the first time yesterday, but could I budge the sump bolt? Thought I'd be clever and have the oil warm, so waited til I'd got back from a motorway journey. Can the bolt expand significantly when the oil in the engine is piping hot? and am I likely to do any damage if I just continue using brute force? (already snapped one rather flimsy spanner by banging away with a hammer so off to buy a sturdier wrench).

Thanks for your forebearance for yet another trivial question from this stable.

[Vagrant No2]

Tried to change the oil for the first time yesterday, but could I budge the sump bolt? Thought I'd be clever and have the oil warm, so waited til I'd got back from a motorway journey. Can the bolt expand significantly when the oil in the engine is piping hot? and am I likely to do any damage if I just continue using brute force? (already snapped one rather flimsy spanner by banging away with a hammer so off to buy a sturdier wrench).

Thanks for your forebearance for yet another trivial question from this stable.

Best to use a six point socket rather then a spanner if it is that tight . With a six point you get more surface contact with the bolt and less chance of slipping or rounding off the head of the bolt.
It sounds a bit weird but if you try and tighten it a little first it then try to undo .

Rick

[nev]

thanks Rick

Noted. Cheers dude.

[JimL]

Yeh the socket and a long bar, its 14mm if I remember right? You want it hot anyway so you get everything out and nothing gets the chance to settle.

Youre having my type of luck, there you are with your oil, your pan, your spanner and your new filter all ready and you cant open the damn nut .....hehe

[nev]

Jim L

Aye, 14mm. Found long arm in one of the back storage spaces. However, the missis went mental when she saw mess I left on the drive; I bought one of those plastic oil containers with the drain in and empty caps, but didn't tighten the empty cap and as fast as the container filled it oozed all over the drive. Aye, the missis loved that- still ducking the pots and pans ....

[kitesurf_phil]

Nev,

Buy a bag of cat litter. Soaks up the oil nicely at a fraction of the price of the granules the motor factors sell. Buy the Mrs a box of choccies with the money you save.

[nev]

re Phil

Cat litter eh?, thanks. Chocs straight from the 'Kitesurf Phil School Of Charm' I take it!

Cheers dude.

[Guest]

Also if you have a Tarmac drive, the best stuff to clean the stain off after the excess oil has been soaked up by the cat litter is Thomsons oil and drive cleaner.

Cheers