Hello,

I offered to do an oil change on a buddy's 190E and I can't get that damn drain plug off. Over the years, some remorseless mechanics must have rounded off the thing. Any suggestions on how to take it off and also where do I buy a new drain plug. I can't get a grip on it with the wrench socket thingy.

Thank you

Get a big hex nut that will fit over the plug and plug weld it on. Works every time for us.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

you can also hit it with a chisel and hammer, dont hit the hex part, but the round area touching the pan, becareful of the aliminum pan if you try this.
Ray
mercedessd@cox.net

When I do this in the shop I use 2 chisels. A sharp one to hit it first and cut a notch in the plug. Second I use a dull chisel to give a few hard whacks in the notch the sharp chisel cut.

i've used a basin wrench (plumbing tool) in the past with great success as you turn the handle the spring loaded jaws get tighter!

Do what us converted Corvette owners do. Get the biggest pair of vise grips you have and clamp on as tight as you can. Now get your most serious framing hammer and whack those vise grips (don't forget righty tighty, lefty loosey or it will turn out to be a long day). If that thing doesn't break free, somone welded it so buy one of those kits where you can extract the oil throught the dipstick.

I did EXACTLY this on my 260E's first oil change.

Rounded it a little; smaller, 6 point socket, rounded it more, vise grips (12"!!) rounded it more, pipe wrench fully round by now. I tried the sears bolt extractors over the outside. Drilled most of the way through & tried an EZ-out. I had visions of drilling through, letting all the oil out and then snapping an EZ-out in the drilled hole so it would never hold oil again. What a *****!! Finally, the chisel on the edge trick. I took a couple of curls of the plug material off and then it turned about 1 1/2 RCH and came out nice as pie. There wasn't a touch of corrosion anywhere. It was beautiful once you got past the remains of the hex. The plug and its copper washer had just frozen to the pan as tight as any two metals could.

Now I use a dipstick sucker outer and don't worry about it. suckers link

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Norm in NJ
Next oil change at 230,000miles

You can also try to put a little sand in the socket. I've used this many times working on trucks. Just enough to get a good grip. That is usually my first choice, then the pipe wrench or vise grips. As mentioned above if that does not work then weld a nut on. Just make sure you have a new one to replace this one with now. Also, once it's out, examine the threads because it may have been slightly cross threaded as it was put in.