# Tips how to open oil drain plug



## fospa

Hi.

I have an Ariens Snowblower and I would like to change the oil.
I am keeping to this howto:
Snowblower Maintenance - Change Engine Oil, Clean The Spark Plug - Craftsman 9HP

The problem is:
I cannot get the oil drain plug open. It is not rusty, but won't budge.
I tried two wrenches, no movement.
The only thing that moves is the plug plus the attached pipe. But the pipe should stay in place.
I also tried WD40, no difference.

Could you give me tips how to open this plug? (Without destruction)


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## Pathfinder13

You need a pipe wrench to hold the pipe while you turn the nut. Left loosey -righty tighty.  Hold the pipe right and turn the drain nut left. I had this problem last year myself. Cheers !


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## caddydaddy

And go easy on the torque when you reinstall the plug. It need to be tight, but it's not a car lug nut! 
Some owners manuals might even list a torque spec, but to me that's a bit overkill.


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## 1894

I had to use vice-grips to hold the tube ( no room for any other wrench ) , some heat , and a long handled socket wrench . The cap on the tube had some kind of blue lock-tite stuff on it 
Pipe thread paste when I put it back on


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

If you do take the pipe out with the plug its no big deal, just going to be more of a mess. Then you can separate the plug from the pipe on a workbench or in a vice.


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## fospa

Thanks for the answers.
I forgot to mention: I did use a pipe wrench and an adjustable wrench.
And its a normal screw, as stated above.


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## CarlB

I use teflon tape on mine and it will come off easier next time. Ps do not over tighten


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## Pathfinder13

fospa said:


> Thanks for the answers.
> I forgot to mention: I did use a pipe wrench and an adjustable wrench.
> And its a normal screw, as stated above.


Just a tip the adjustable wrench usually will slightly open and start to round off the nut ,adjustable wrenches are usually a last resort, try to stick with closed-end box wrench if it's hexagon.. But if it's older square type then I do understand the adjustable.


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## CO Snow

As 1894 mentioned, use vise grips to hold the tube. Works great.


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## Shryp

If you need more room to work you can always tip the blower into the service position and then remove the pipe as well. All the oil will run to the far side of the engine and won't come out the hole. Just be sure to replace it before tipping it back down.

As for the adjustable wrenches opening slightly, I always wiggled them while tightening the adjustment nut while they were on the fastener. I always felt that gave me a much tighter bite.

And yes, I had noticed a couple posts of people saying they had loctite on the nut on the end of the pipe and had to use heat. That just seems silly to me.


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## brickcity

shryp
what's silly? putting loctite on the threads or useing heat to get it off.
just wondering.


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## Normex

brickcity said:


> shryp
> what's silly? putting loctite on the threads or useing heat to get it off.
> just wondering.


 Blue Loctite is used once on the oil change nut by the manufacturer and no need to reapply some for the further oil changes.
Blue Loctite is the weak version of itself and no need for heat to be applied to remove the nut, now the tricky part is after one gets the nut off and the tube has moved, is to tighten the tube a bit more tighter then a regular tight for the nut. Good Luck


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## Pathfinder13

Shryp said:


> If you need more room to work you can always tip the blower into the service position and then remove the pipe as well. All the oil will run to the far side of the engine and won't come out the hole. Just be sure to replace it before tipping it back down.
> 
> As for the adjustable wrenches opening slightly, I always wiggled them while tightening the adjustment nut while they were on the fastener. I always felt that gave me a much tighter bite.
> 
> And yes, I had noticed a couple posts of people saying they had loctite on the nut on the end of the pipe and had to use heat. That just seems silly to me.


Hey Shryp .. I do that exact same thing as you, wiggle and tighten a couple times when I need to use adjustable, definitely tighter that way. One thing though, a friend of mine is a Volvo Master Tech and he pointed out to me once that it's still on two flats and a box wrench or socket is on six. The old style square drain plugs of course you have not much choice unless you have invested in those new fangled spline sockets.

It sounds like that thing was screwed on dry and the thread may have rusted or it was tightene way too tight. I usually make sure the thread have oil light coat of grease or at least some oil on them when it goes back on. I just bought a "Drainzit" hose for the new engine, it will be interesting to see how that holds up.


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## UNDERTAKER

SLAP DRAIN ZIT on there and call it a day well done. ALOHA from the unfrozen TUNDRA.


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## brickcity

Normex said:


> Blue Loctite is used once on the oil change nut by the manufacturer and no need to reapply some for the further oil changes.
> Blue Loctite is the weak version of itself and no need for heat to be applied to remove the nut, now the tricky part is after one gets the nut off and the tube has moved, is to tighten the tube a bit more tighter then a regular tight for the nut. Good Luck


I thought the loctite was put on the threads on the end of the drain pipe by the owner. must have read that wrong because it would be silly to put loctite on the plug. 
also seems silly to apply heat also unless you cant take the pipe out that everyone holds down with a vice grip to keep from spinning
now i'm really confused


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## knu2xs

I just did the first oil change on my new Ariens and noticed the Loc-Tite (blue) on the drain plug. 
My drain tube has a flat portion for using a wrench to hold it in place. 
It was hard to see, but it was there, on mine at least.


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## Normex

Shryp said:


> And yes, I had noticed a couple posts of people saying they had loctite on the nut on the end of the pipe and had to use heat. That just seems silly to me.





brickcity said:


> shryp
> what's silly? putting loctite on the threads or useing heat to get it off.
> just wondering.





brickcity said:


> also seems silly to apply heat also unless you cant take the pipe out that everyone holds down with a vice grip to keep from spinning
> now i'm really confused


 What Shryp meant was people using heat on the pipe plug having the weak Loctite holding the plug. Blue Loctite is weak enough holding the part from coming off loose with vibration. The next step up is the Red Loctite which is meant to hold a part permanently (even with engine heat) but not impossible to get off.


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## dbert

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> If you do take the pipe out with the plug its no big deal, just going to be more of a mess. Then you can separate the plug from the pipe on a workbench or in a vice.


This would be my plan of attack. Perhaps some thin cardboard tucked under it to reduce the mess. Once the whole thing (pipe and cap) is off, you can be more aggressive in getting the cap off without any concern of damaging the engine block.


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

When you do get out, I HIGHLY recommend taking a trip down the plumbing aisle at your local hardware store and putting a ball valve on like this. They run around $10-15 but IMO, well worth it if you want to do regular maintainance. Then I just put the orig plug back in the end to keep water out of it. Easy peasy...


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## Pathfinder13

brickcity said:


> shryp
> what's silly? putting loctite on the threads or useing heat to get it off.
> just wondering.


aaahuh. yeah. check.


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## driz

The small engine with square head drain bolts respond very well to another clever process. Grab ye a fist full of metric and us box end or sockets about the right size. Chances are you will find one that fits the evil little booger like it was made to. That should easily break it loose without needing heat. I never even try open ends anymore on those just grab the suitable box end and off it comes. 
If you do tear up the square portion taking it off by all means (if it's a beast to get at due to obstructions) go buy a replacement at the hardware store. Also do put it back on there using only your fingertips or as I call it "Best Limp Wristed Style" so it doesn't happen again.


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## Bror Jace

As other people have said, you need one wrench to secure the small pipe (pipe wrench or vice grips) and another to loosen the cap (turning counter-clockwise ... the opposite way). Once you are done draining the oil, put Blue Loctite, pipe thread sealant or (my fave) Teflon tape on the threads. This will keep the cap leak free and (especially the tape) will make it easier to remove next time.


If you think the cap is rusted onto the pipe, try a squirt of PB Blaster on the threads. Let it sit for an hour … or overnight. Then try again to loosen. The fact that these pieces extend away from the machine improves your access and makes the whole job a lot easier. It's also easier to place a container behind the machine to catch the oil.


Folks, I see everyone here is trying to helpful, and that is to be commended. But come on. Changing oil in a snowblower with an extended drain plug is the easiest oil change you can perform on any piece of machinery humanity has ever created. If you are struggling with this … well, I don't know what to tell you. Just be sure to choose a profession other than mechanic.


Not trying to be mean, but if you find this task to be difficult, ask a neighbor, friend or return it to the dealer for proper service.


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## 1894

Yep  I struggled with taking the cap off the first time. I didn't expect it to be loc-tited on and the tube from the engine not . 

But , then again it DID take me a few tries before I passed this class


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## RoyP

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> When you do get out, I HIGHLY recommend taking a trip down the plumbing aisle at your local hardware store and putting a ball valve on like this. They run around $10-15 but IMO, well worth it if you want to do regular maintainance. Then I just put the orig plug back in the end to keep water out of it. Easy peasy...


Thanks Ray......Now that I can live with....


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## Bror Jace

For people who've installed a ball-valve, does it restrict the flow of oil at all? I think oil in these machines with the tiny drain pipe flow poorly to begin with. I'm not sure I'd want to add something to restrict this even further ... even if the end result is more convenient.


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## Blue Hill

When I changed my oil for the first time, I found that the drain tube had not been drilled out. What a pain that was before I finally got it drilled out.
Here's a link to that thread if you are interested.
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/7826-ariens-lct-engine-oil-change.html


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

Bror Jace said:


> For people who've installed a ball-valve, does it restrict the flow of oil at all? I think oil in these machines with the tiny drain pipe flow poorly to begin with. I'm not sure I'd want to add something to restrict this even further ... even if the end result is more convenient.


The ball valve opens up to pretty much the full inside diameter of the pipe. Just run your engine for a few minutes to get the oil nice and hot, open the fill cap when draining to keep it from forming a vacuum and it flows right out no problem.


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## Pathfinder13

Bror Jace said:


> For people who've installed a ball-valve, does it restrict the flow of oil at all? I think oil in these machines with the tiny drain pipe flow poorly to begin with. I'm not sure I'd want to add something to restrict this even further ... even if the end result is more convenient.


It's interesting that you should mention poor flow and slow draining because I added a "Drainzit" hose to mine and yesterday used it for the first time and it sure was slow. . I had time to go make a cup coffee, and put a few tools away but I must say it's convenient to just be able to put it into a container and put a cap on it after so I still think it's worth it. Kind of needed the coffee anyway


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

Bror Jace said:


> Folks, I see everyone here is trying to helpful, and that is to be commended. But come on. Changing oil in a snowblower with an extended drain plug is the easiest oil change you can perform on any piece of machinery humanity has ever created. If you are struggling with this … well, I don't know what to tell you. Just be sure to choose a profession other than mechanic.
> 
> Not trying to be mean, but if you find this task to be difficult, ask a neighbor, friend or return it to the dealer for proper service.


Beginning of you post is all good advise, this is unnecessary. We try to help each other here no matter what the skill level.


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## Kmmmn

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> Beginning of you post is all good advise, this is unnecessary. We try to help each other here no matter what the skill level.


Couldn’t get the nut off without the whole drain pipe turning….tried all methods here. Ended up flipping the machine into service position removing the pipe and clamping it in a vice to get the nut off. Ridiculous malarkey. Surely must be a better way to design this.


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## tabora

Kmmmn said:


> Couldn’t get the nut off without the whole drain pipe turning….tried all methods here. Ended up flipping the machine into service position removing the pipe and clamping it in a vice to get the nut off. Ridiculous malarkey. Surely must be a better way to design this.


You need to hold the pipe with a wrench across the flats. Failing that, even a vise-grip or channel-lock pliers.


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## Yanmar Ronin

Holy thread revival Batman... although some struggles never cease I guess.

Welcome aboard Kmmmm. 👍


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## Kmmmn

Thanks. One other tidbit….I thought I read there was supposed to be a crusher washer on the pipe. There wasn’t.


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## tabora

Kmmmn said:


> Thanks. One other tidbit….I thought I read there was supposed to be a crusher washer on the pipe. There wasn’t.


Yup, you can see it in the picture in post #31.


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## tadawson

To clarify: There is clearly a crush washer on the plug . . . The other end (that goes into the block) is a tapered pipe thread, which seals itself, as well as not presenting any surface on which a washer could be used . . .


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## Kmmmn

Thanks. I see it now in the image.


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## Kmmmn

Mine dose not have this washer. Wonder if this could have led to the nut being overnighted maybe.


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## Toon

Most all square drain plugs are standard 3/8" or 1/2" sizes. Use a ratchet adapter and a wrench to loosen the square plug and you won't round over the corners. 








This adapter is 1/2" to 3/8" and can be used to loosen a 1/2" square drain plug.
If you want to use a bigger wrench, use the 1/2" to 3/4" adapter. That way you can use a 3/4" wrench.








I would remove both pipe and plug and separate them in the vise. When you reinstall the pipe, put a little red Loctite on the engine end of the pipe and thread sealant on the plug end of the pipe and you won't have this issue again.
Or better yet install a Drainzit hose.


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## orangputeh

Toon said:


> Most all square drain plugs are standard 3/8" or 1/2" sizes. Use a ratchet adapter and a wrench to loosen the square plug and you won't round over the corners.
> View attachment 197833
> 
> This adapter is 1/2" to 3/8" and can be used to loosen a 1/2" square drain plug.
> If you want to use a bigger wrench, use the 1/2" to 3/4" adapter. That way you can use a 3/4" wrench.
> View attachment 197835
> 
> I would remove both pipe and plug and separate them in the vise. When you reinstall the pipe, put a little red Loctite on the engine end of the pipe and thread sealant on the plug end of the pipe and you won't have this issue again.
> Or better yet install a Drainzit hose.
> View attachment 197834


winner winner chicken dinner

interesting 7 year old thread
hope you all didn't strip yours.....


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## Kmmmn

all done w oil change. I cannot see that drainzit makes a tube that fits my Ariens engine. Installed tube nice and tight. added Teflon tape to nut. Went to several places for a crush washer...apparently my nut is not designed for one. Manual could be better written. Thanks for help and feedback all.


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## tabora

Kmmmn said:


> Couldn’t get the nut off without the whole drain pipe turning…


We now see that it's not a nut or drain bolt, it's a cap...


Kmmmn said:


> I cannot see that drainzit makes a tube that fits my Ariens engine.


They make them to fit almost all small engines, including yours. It would replace the entire drain tube. However, with the drain tube you have, perhaps a drain valve is the better solution.


Kmmmn said:


> Went to several places for a crush washer...apparently my nut is not designed for one.


Yes, no crush washer on a cap. Internal O-ring, maybe. Always lead with your make & model number to get the best answers up front.


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## Kmmmn

Thanks...good idea:

*ariens* 920021


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## tabora

Kmmmn said:


> Thanks...good idea:
> 
> *ariens* 920021


So your cap should be 3/8" NPT. A coupler + a 3/8" NPT EZ-110 drain valve would likely do it...


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## tadawson

Kmmmn said:


> all done w oil change. I cannot see that drainzit makes a tube that fits my Ariens engine. Installed tube nice and tight. added Teflon tape to nut. Went to several places for a crush washer...apparently my nut is not designed for one. Manual could be better written. Thanks for help and feedback all.
> View attachment 197864


That's a pipe cap also with tapered threads. If it gets chewed up and leaks, replacements can be found at pretty much any hardware store in plumbing. Same with the pipe . . . it's just a standard plumbing nipple.


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