On an auto trans the drain plug is a square 3/8" socket. I tried using several 3/8" extenders to reach the plug but I find that this tends to slip out of the drain plug. Any recommendations?

 

?? I've always put the ratchet directly into the plug...of course I've never done this on a v6 of this gen.

 

3/8" breaker bar works best for me. Just make sure it goes all the way in the bolt. Just pushing it in up to the little ball on the drive will likely screw up the bolt (it may take tapping it in with a small hammer to get it in all the way). The drain plugs are usually pretty tight, so using a small pipe to help you get some leverage is an option. They are supposed to be torqued to 36ftlbs (I think), but it will take more force than that to loosen it. Good luck

PS: The fill bolts are usually pretty tight too.

 

Poorman212,

The drain plug on a V6 is on the driver side just in front of the tire. You have to turn the wheel to the outside to get access to it. I'm doing this with the car on the ground with 3 extenders to reach the plug. Granted I'm not going to get the best leverage.

EXV6NIGHtHAWK,

I'm going to tap on the end to make it go in a little further.

Thanks

 

I've always used an extension but I've always tapped it in with a hammer so it goes all the way into the square hole. Clean any dirt out of the square hole so it CAN go all the way in?

 

I don't think you are going to get any leverage...at least not enough to break that fill plug free. I would advise jacking the car up, USE A JACKSTAND, and get the 3/8" breaker bar to get it loose. You run the risk of tearing up your ratchet's internals if you use it.

 

Cool, then it is just like the others I own...and yes I do the 3rd and 5th gen's the same way (auto or manual)-on the ground with the tires turned. The Pilot is even easier-except the first time you open the fill bolt, that thing will scare you the first time. On the Accords I can get the ratchet between the strut rod (or sway bar ? can't remember-I think strut) and the trans. Not the approved method but IF the plug doesn't want to play nice, a little help from a hammer always works for me....and yes that is what lifetime warranty on tools helps with, none of us have ever slid a piece of pipe over a ratchet or breaker bar..or you have that $3 ratchet you could care less about-that is the one that gets the most abuse..

 

If you were to get a breaker-bar, maybe you wouldn't go through so many $3 ratchets, Haha.

 

Without breaker bar, I applied PB Blaster several times, over a couple days, then after all previously mentioned problems with extensions, no leverage, and no results with rubber or steel hammer, here's what I came up with....call me crazy:

Since Autozone doesn't loan a 3/8" breaker bar, and on a limited budget (who isn't), I purchased a new, decent 3/8" ratchet from Lowe's ($23.00) which I needed anyway. Then after jacking up front of car with a hydraulic jack, and placing 2 jack stands in positions to allow about an inch (or so) of free-fall space, I DID use a pipe over the end of the ratchet, firmly tapped into the drain plug, with the outer end of the pipe resting as firmly as possible on a piece of semi-smooth, hard plastic 'slide' on the driveway.

Then, while making sure that all was firmly secure, weighted and centered on the plastic, with the car still at least 1-2" above jack stands under SOLID jack points, I carefully and slowly released the hydraulic jack just enough to allow an EXTREMELY SLOW drop of the vehicle. I figured that the only possible problems here, would be: 1) damage to the ratchet, 2) damage to the drain bolt, and 3) the car not resting on the jack stands in the end as needed. Now, I was indeed attempting to FORCE that bolt, but only as much as a breaker bar would, but using the weight of the car to do all the work instead. I figured the chances of the bolt being frozen to the pan in such a way that it would cause damage, rather than give way, were slim-to-none, especially considering that if I took it to any mechanic, they'd just go as it with whatever tool they needed to break it free, any and all force required anyway, so....

It worked fine for me. I had the raised height over the jack stands just high enough so that I broke free as it came to rest on the stands, and the car never even dropped at all, especially since I was extra **** about such a SLOW, CONTROLLED, DROP, ready to freeze the drop at any sign of trouble. Then, on my 2nd drain/fill 3 weeks later, it came loose with only a few raps of a steel hammer. I'll admit, I took some risks, but I covered all the bases, and got-er-done. Gotta be careful, though, and I wouldn't suggest just anyone trying this at home, but if you do, good luck, and BE CAREFUL! (NO 4+" DROPS OVER THE JACK STANDS!)

 

I ended up stripping the nut. I tapped the 3/8 extension bar but that nut would not move. I though i had loosen it but mearly stripped it. Any ideas before I take to a shop?