[ROVERNET - UK] Drain plugs & spanners

[John Burkhard]

I use a 21mm 1/2 drive 6 point impact shallow socket with a long breaker 
bar.  So far so good.  Press on.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fletcher" <gofanu at usachoice.net>
To: <rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 12:13 PM
Subject: [ROVERNET - UK] Drain plugs & spanners


> The plug is actually 7/16W/1/2BSF, which is in theory .007" larger than 
> 13/16.; Given normal tolerances, 13/16 will be a nice snug fit - very 
> good on the brass plug that welds itself in! Standard 6 point spark plug 
> sockets are near perfect. A typical good quality 13/16 willl be about 
> .008 over nominal, and a crappy one might be .015 over. You will need to 
> take a file and gently dress off any burrs from earlier gorilla-fisted 
> abuse - keep all filing square and parallel! On this shallow and soft 
> head, it is very wise to find the tightest fitting spanner possible, and 
> then grind the end flat so that the chamfer is nearly gone; the chamfer 
> can easily amount to 1/3 or more of the head depth of the plug. As a fine 
> but worthwhile point:
> Most good quality recent (last 25 yrs) boxes/sockets are "Flank drive" 
> (Snap-on ^(TM), I think), which means that inside corners are relieved 
> (no sharp internal corners) so that they don't touch the fastener. The 
> "flats" are also skewed, as if it's already worn out. Some don't have 
> "flats", but a rounded profile. These are far superior and more forgiving 
> of corner boo-boos, and they don't cause them either.
>
> I can send folk another short treatise on Britbolts, spanners, and how to 
> easily make Brit spanners out of common ones. Email, subject: Britbolts.
>
> DO NOT even THINK about open ends, adjustables, pipe spanners, or pliers 
> of any kind - those are for beating people, and grabbing nuts of those 
> who use them on beautiful and delicate parts!
>
> Use the back corner plug, since you can tilt the car a bit to get it to 
> drain completely.
>
> FRM
>
>
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