Transmissions and Bad Karma

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Randy G. 20 years ago

Karma comes is a yin and a yang.. or something like that. At least so seems to be the case with me at the present time. I tried to open the M47 tranny's fill plug a while back and all I could manage was to turn the 12mm hex boss into a 10mm round stud. Damn...

So I ordered a pair of new plugs and sealing washers from Volvo (the drain seemed almost as tight so I quit before damaging it). They arrived early in the week, so yesterday I jacked up the car and went to work, and all i could manage was to make a bigger mess of it with no progress. Since the drain and fill plugs are semi-hollow on the inside end where the magnet is mounted (at least the replacement parts are) I have not wanted to try any drilling tricks because if that magnet drops into the case I have a tranny rebuild on my hands and I don't want that. So later this week I will probably buy (or rent?) an Oxy Acetylene torch outfit and try welding on a nut or a lever arm sort-of-thing to get the plug(s) out. There is a good welding shop in town that does small jobs as well as production work. They welded up the steering column for the Ford when i converted to disc front diff. Maybe I will just let them do it if they have a lift.

Ahh, but the Subject states "Transmission_S_" you say? Indeed it does. The washing machine quit this week and what I was hoping was just a failed motor rubber coupling was a dead transmission to the tune of about $150. At least it's a Whirlpool and amazingly easy to work on... As i remember it took three tools to get the tranny completely removed from the machine. Maybe Whirlpool instead of Ford should have bought Volvo. ;-)

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

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James Sweet 20 years ago

When I had this exact same experience, I ended up removing the tranny (bellhousing gasket was leaking anyway) and heating up the transmission case with a mapp gas torch. The aluminum expands more than the steel plug so it came right out with some vice grips at that point. If there's any bit of stub left, you could try simply driving the car to warm up the transmission then jack it up and remove the plug.

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Randy G. 20 years ago

I did try once with a torch, but it wasn't with all that much conviction. I will attemptt that one more time before proceeding.

I was thinking I could heat the plug up good and hot for a while then spray it with an inverted can of canned air (real cold stuff used that way) to cool the plug.. A tthis point anything sounds good... :-(

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

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James Sweet 20 years ago

Don't heat the plug, heat the aluminum right around it. Of course when I did it the transmission was on it's side, so there wasn't fluid cooling the back of where I was heating. It was a very hot torch too, hotter than propane.

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Clay 20 years ago

Randy G. wrote: ...So later this week I will probably buy (or rent?) an

Don't think gas welding (oxy acetylene) is a good idea. The time you get the steel hot enough to flow, you'll likely have melted the aluminum threads around the plug (assuming the hole is aluminum, I've never worked on the M47) Better, have your welding guy MIG (or TIG)weld a bar or nut or something on it.

Heating around the plug with a torch, does the hole get bigger or smaller as the aluminum expands? Smaller, I would think. Heating the whole tranny would make the hole expand though.

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John Robertson 20 years ago

I dont know what type of plug it is ,but can you square of the rounded sides so again you can use a spanner on it will give you more of a face to work on too .The other trick is to use a slightly smaller ring spanner and whack it on filing it down if need be to give better purchase .I had this problem after my differential was over tightened both in and out bolts .Remember to use a six faced socket rather than a twelve face as the later tends to turn the head of the bolt off.As a friend said to me after cutting a circuit board with a power saw blade "my dad was a butcher "my reply was "He taught you well"

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Transmissions and Bad Karma

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