Forgot to make sure the Fill Plug on the GKN Diff would undo before I replaced the Cage and now there is not enough room to get to the Plug with an Impact Wrench

Just wondering if it's possible to undo one of the Bolts that hold the Diff Cover on and then Fill it up through the Bolt Hole, with an Oil Can

Or is the Hole for the Diff Cover Bolt Blanked Off?

Any ideas?

 

OB,

Not sure which of your cars, you are working on? However, assuming it's your pre-facelift V12, then there are 2 suggested tips if you can't easily access the plug from the back:

- Remove the reinforcing plate under the diff can improve access to the fill plug from underneath
- Strip out the the spare wheel etc. Remove the mat in front of the fuel pump. Remove the metal plate in the floor and access the fil plug from above

Good luck

Paul

 

Won't work.

I'd go with removing the tie plate. In my experience this always allows enough room to remove the fill plug

Cheers
DD

 

Hi Paul (ptjs)

Not wanting to 'Shoot the Messenger' but either of those fixes sounds a 'Nightmare' so if I can't come up with something then it might be easier to jack up the Car so the Cage hangs down a bit more

But thanks for those suggestions anyway

Yes, it was my pre-facelift V12

 

I'm don't know what your usual procedure is. I can't imagine filling the diff without the car jacked up to begin with....though I've never tried it!

With the rear of the car elevated you can have the tie plate off in 10 minutes. It's just nuts and bolts.

I wouldn't expect the cage to drop very much if hanging free. If it does the condition of the mounts is suspect.

Cheers
DD

 

OB,

As Doug says, it's just a few mins to whip off the reinforcing plate. A man of your calibre will have that plug out in 10 mins!

Paul

 

Hi Doug

Not keen on removing the 'Tie Plate' as the PO's Shop Put a Jack underneath it and what I found the last time I did this on my other Car, the stretching seem to lock the bolts in position, to the point where I thought that they might shear off

 

Well, then, you're left with the thru-the-boot method.

Or drop the cage out.....which sounds really unappealing for the mundane purpose of filling the diff.

Not to make light of your predicament but your choices are limited !

Cheers
DD

 

Hi Doug

Half the problem is I'm really not 'in the zone' today, as its not only freezing Cold but chucking it down with rain, where a little bit of Sunshine can make all the difference, so I will take a 'step back' until the Weather warms up a little bit

As its not a mega urgent job but thanks for your suggestions that are appreciated

Hi Paul (ptjs) thanks for your suggestions, so I'll take 'step back' and reconsider those options
Self inflicted on my part as I should have loosened the Plug like you told me before

 

OR,

Tie plate off, reach up and undo the breather vertical tube, then undo the 90deg elbow and fill via that. SIMPLE even for an Aussie Fossil.

I have had too many tie plates bent from jacking, and when I take them off, a BFH and a block of wood, and BASH it flat, problem solved.

ALSO

You could take the backing plate off, remove and sort that plug for next time, refit the plate and fill with oil.

 

Hi Grant

Mmmm! a couple of very interesting ideas there!

The Breather Tube idea is drawing me in!

So I will have a closer look at the situation, just as soon as I've hopefully got the Merc to pass her MOT this week as without my daily driver (my baby Merc) life as we know it is unable to continue

Note to Self: When all else fails the 'Wizard' will come to the Rescue

 

So true for us all!

 

I have been able to slip a ratchet in-between the body and the cage and with a short extension I can undo the fill plug. I'm assuming this is the typical fill plug that has the square recess? Not a square headed plug? Make sure the plug is clean first, clean out any oil and dirt so the extension has a good seat in the recess.

I can use a long handled ratchet and brace myself against the car to be able to get quite a bit of leverage on the ratchet. If there is some loctitie on the plug you might want to put a propane torch on it and warm it a bit to help things along. The bond of loctite breaks when it's heated to over 200°C, so doesn't need to be that hot.

 

Hi Jagboi

Interesting idea!

I'll give that a try as soon as I've got an MOT on the Merc