edvard

Hey all,

I have a '94 K3500 7.4L and discovered I have oil leaking out around the oil filter adapter. I got the appropriate O-ring and gasket, but can't get the dang thing off. I've scoured the internet and even bought a Chilton manual for this truck (LOL) and can't find anything. The closest I came is this video:


According to this guy, there are two plugs that need to be removed to get access to the T-30 Torx bolts holding the thing on. In the video he says he made a special tool to remove the plugs, but unfortunately for me, doesn't specify how they come out. In the video, they don't look threaded, but are they? How would I remove these if they aren't? I don't have a socket adapter to spare like this guy did to make himself a special tool, and me trying to pry around with a wide-blade screwdriver isn't getting me anywhere, so is there a tool I can get from my local O'Reilly or Autozone that would remove these things? I really need to get this done before I go back to work on Tuesday, so I'm just short of begging for help.

Thanks,
-Eddy

Rednucleus

Hey Eddy, just watched the video - thos plugs look threaded; bet they are a metric square drive. Good luck, post your progress!

edvard

Thanks Red, I just re-watched the video myself in full-screen, and I can't believe I missed that. To my credit, it's pretty fleeting glimpses of inside the mounting holes and the side of the plugs, but my fault for not thinking to make it bigger to look a little closer. Thanks!

I went searching for a suitable tool, and they are next to impossible to find, especially because it's the holiday weekend. O'Reilly has a "drain plug" socket set with some square drivers, but they aren't in stock, and 8mm drain plug sockets are all over Amazon, but that won't help me now. I'll have to do what the video author did and grind down a socket extension. I rummaged around and found one that's too short to be any great use, and will probably be cheap enough to easily replace if needed, so I'll be using that one.

Wish me luck!

edvard

I had to sacrifice 2 socket extensions, finally got one ground down to the right size. Can't get either plug out. Tugged and pulled in every direction, neither of them will budge. Plus it's raining, so I'm soaking wet, cold, and scared i'm going to strip the damn things if I pull any harder. Why do vehicle manufacturers have to make things like this so difficult? Ugh.

Rednucleus

how about some PB blaster for 24 hrs; usually I would say heat, but not around that oil! Also, maybe an impact wrench might do it?

edvard

I don't think PB Blaster would stick where it's needed, and I can't get an impact wrench until tomorrow. I've been wanting one, so this is the perfect excuse, haha. Trouble is, I have to go to work tomorrow, so I'm trying to get it done today. Taking a coffee break, regroup, then back at it...

Gumby22

Do not use an impact. It will only make this situation worse.

Insert the extension and give it a few taps with a hammer that’s +/- 1 pound or less. Then attach your ratchet, and try to tighten the bolt before loosening it. If it moves forward at all, stop and begin loosening it - you’re only trying to break the bolt loose.

If it doesn’t move at all, tap on it with the hammer and try again. Repeat as needed until it comes loose - feel it out to determine if you can/should hit harder.

edvard

Thanks, that did it for one of them; tapped it in, swung the tighten direction (which didn't budge anything), then a Herculean tug the loosen way and *CRACK" it came loose. The other one I fear may be stripped, as it just cams out even after I tap it in with the hammer. It could be my arms are just tired from trying to hold the awkward position I'm in under the truck and being wet and cold besides. I'll try jacking it up a few more inches and see if that helps, but I'm taking another coffee break right now. Why couldn't Chevy have just put these in finger-tight?

Ugh, one down, one to go...

edvard

OK, it was an ordeal, but it's done. I got some other advice to put a piece of wood on top of a scissor jack and use it to brace the ratchet so I could use all my waning strength to turn the wrench. It worked. After a few fumbled half-starts, got everything lined up, jack holding the ratchet, a Herculean tug and *CRACK* went the second one. After that, I had to deal with the Torx-bit bolts holding the thing on. T-40, not T-30 like the guy in the video says. Buy one that's mounted on a 3/8" socket. I had a 'leaning tower of Pisa' that went from ratchet to 3/8" extension to 1/4" adapter, to 1/4" socket, to a T-40 bit that came with my discount-store multi-bit screwdriver. It worked; the Torx bolts were much easier to get off, even though I had to tug fairly hard for the initial turn.

After pulling the filter adapter off, I couldn't find the old O-ring. I finally found it probing around the recess on the engine block with a pick, and the thing popped out and cracked in half when it hit the ground. No wonder it was leaking. The guy in the video and various opinions around the interwebs say get OEM or AC Delco brand O-rings, the Dorman ones leak. Sorry, I needed my truck TODAY and AC Delcos weren't in stock anywhere near me. Dorman will have to do, and it did. I drove it to work and back (approximately 30-mile round trip) and nary a drip. If it eventually leaks, I now know exactly how to deal with it.

Thanks all, and I hope this helps someone in the future.

Rednucleus

Great job Eddy and thanks for the updates