Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

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Seapup
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Location: 2002 26x - Virgina Beach, Va

Re: Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

Post by Seapup »

I have been amazed what you can do with a manual impact driver.

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Alexis
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
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Re: Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

Post by Alexis »

Seapup wrote: Mon May 20, 2019 8:45 am I have been amazed what you can do with a manual impact driver.
:D

Luckily I can learn how to use my tools on this forum!
Alexis
Engineer
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 12:45 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: SK, Canada

Re: Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

Post by Alexis »

Ahoy!

I owe you the last chapter of this story.

I purchased all the tools I needed last week, including a small torch. Last Friday night I decided to test again the tightness of these oil plugs, half by curiosity and half by (bad) temper. I placed a wrench on my screwdriver, put on some gloves.... and the plugs came as if they were screwed in butter!

I am not sure how to explain that, but I think the WD40 I sprayed on a few days ago may had work their way through the gaskets, the temperature had risen noticeably, .... and that time I was wearing gloves! Three days before I was about to break the heads of these plugs, then on Friday I didn't have to give that much effort... Whatever... :?

The flushed oil had a beautiful green colour and was only very, very slightly cloudy. I am guessing it could have been used for a couple more seasons. The boat was launched, the engine started without choke on the first pull, I got my first sunburn of the season.

The torch wasn't lost: I discovered it was much more efficient than a lighter to burn the end of ropes...

All good! :)
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HERNDON
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Re: Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

Post by HERNDON »

I used a hand impact. Big screw driver bit on one end and you wack the other end with a hammer.
Similar to this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/impact-sc ... 37530.html
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sunshinecoasting
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia - "Entropy" Nissan 50 CDI Furling Jib

Re: Gearbox oil flush screws are stuck!

Post by sunshinecoasting »

Please don't ever use an impact driver on your engine case or leg as suggested in this post, it is cast aluminium (or aluminum for you in the US), do this only at your own peril, you run the risk of cracking the case and man is that expensive to fix.
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