At 06:19 PM 12/30/97 EST, you wrote:
>
>On Tue, 30 Dec 1997 10:39:02 -0800 "Frank R. Krajewski"
><frankk@businesson.com> writes:
>
>>Looking for assistance in removing the brass oil drain plug from my
>recently acquired 1953 TD. ..... quite a rounded plug at this time. Would
>the application of heat to the plug or the pan (which expands at the more
>rapid rate: brass or aluminum?) be of any value? .....
>
<SNIP>
>As an alternative, drill through the plug to let the oil out, then go
>after the plug with an acetylene or map gas torch. Brass will melt at a
>much lower temperature than steel, so you should be able to melt the
>brass plug and let it drip out of the threads by the time the steel
No offense to Barney intended, he's usually right but DON"T DO THIS! The
oil pan on your TD's XPAG is aluminum and will turn to some sort of metalic
ash before it gets red hot. I'm not a metalurgist but I'm fairly sure that
brass will take way more heat than aluminum. On the other hand I believe
aluminum will expand much faster than brass. Problem there is, aside from
the oil in the pan Barney mentioned, you've got a great huge hunk of
aluminum complete with cooling fins that will suck the heat away faster than
you can apply it.
I'd go with a heat and cool cycle a couple times with propane on the nut
without draining the oil and then have at it with a GBF pipe wrench (It's
ruined already right?) It's possible that someone (a DPO?) has used some
type of sealant on the threads or has over tightened on a copper washer in a
futile attempt to keep the oil in the sump. Judicious use of heat will help
break the bond in either case.
Good Luck!
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