Seized Steel Drain Plug in AluminumTrans. Case
 

I'm faced with a frozen/seized steel drain plug in an aluminum transfer case that simply does not want to come out. It has a 10 MM Allen head recess and several techs have given it their best shot.

This would not now be a problem if the last person to have it removed the plug had installed it with a bit of NAPA Anti-Seize compound on the threads, but that is hind sight right now.

Considering applying heat but most techs don't want to be the one to do it. Affraid the heat will negativly affect the aluminum. Others an saying the aluminum boss will break off and ruin the entire case.

I'm in favor of center punching the steel plug, drilling and tapping a thread and screwing in a small brass "pet-cock" which may be used in the future to drain out the 1 1/2 Qts. of ATF.

Open to ideas that have been successfully used by others to solve the stated problem.

Thanks

Putting a petcock in is an innovative solution.

I wonder if a grade 8 bolt can be welded into the recess so that you can back the drain plug out with a little heat--emphasis on little.

The amount of heat you will need won't hurt it as long as you know what your doing.

I've talked with a couple of close friends, techy types, and we all agree that heat might be the answer, but no one wants to be holding the tourch for the reason of not knowing just how much heat in correct.

The other side of the coin is "What is the flash point of ATF ? No one wants to set my Jeep a blazes.

We also discussed welding a hex cut off of a grade 8 bolt to the plug but the fear there is that the cast aluminun boss low at the drain level location on the rear case may possible just break the case open.

We discussed buying the back case casting at $85.00 but would not want to incur the time it would take to disassembly the back and install the new case back portion.

We were looking for someone who has made this prepair in place successfully.

For now, we did a suction operation to remove the 1 1/2 quarts of ATF, but prefer to have everything as it was supposed to be.

Any one do this already besides me?

Precisely, and we don't know what we're doing and that is why we asked you ?

:001_unsure: