Your best trick to remove blue plastic plug when both ears broken
10-13-2018, 09:04 PM
#1
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Your best trick to remove blue plastic plug when both ears broken
of course it sometimes happens! But first time for me! Those blue plug screwing into the bottom of a cooler, i removed the other no problem but this one must have been dry from heat and i broke the 2 ears. Of course it is one underneath the fuel cooler at the bottom of front of engine, so no need to say you can not see it, and can not either have a lot of room or enough room to use a vice grip... so i had no success removing it. What are your best tricks to take it off? Besides having to remove the engine of course! I was thinking i could try drilling a hole thru it, big enough to slide in a nail or something to be able to unscrew it, that is of course of i can reach there with a drill since i dont have much room for a simple vice grip!
pleasure of winterizing i guess!
thanks ro share for who have been there before and found a way!
pleasure of winterizing i guess!
thanks ro share for who have been there before and found a way!
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10-13-2018, 09:58 PM
#4
Charter Member
I've had good luck heating up an old screw driver with a torch and melting the tip into the remains of the drain plug and unscrewing. Got in the habit of just replacing those plugs every so often because they seem to get brittle. Noticed last week my marine had a jar of them on the counter now that winterizing season is upon us.
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10-14-2018, 01:20 AM
#5
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iTrader: (9)
the centers are hollow - very easy to get out with an ezy out or screw driver or even needle nose vise grips - use one side of the end of the needle nose vice grips and the jaw section grabs the plug up thru the center - then screw out or break it out.
Sometimes just breaking it apart - it falls right out. Always replace them and the O rings every 2 to 5 years max. If you over heat your engine ever - replace at that time. I prob have at least 200 of them and even the brass style but only 25 of those on hand.
Sometimes just breaking it apart - it falls right out. Always replace them and the O rings every 2 to 5 years max. If you over heat your engine ever - replace at that time. I prob have at least 200 of them and even the brass style but only 25 of those on hand.
Last edited by BUP; 10-14-2018 at 01:23 AM.
10-14-2018, 08:18 AM
#6
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iTrader: (6)
I removed one with a screwdriver on the water once. It had broke off and squirted water into boat while engine running. I found a non-critical bolt and used it as a temporary plug. Now I carry spare plugs.
10-14-2018, 10:32 AM
#9
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iTrader: (1)
Galvanic corrosion
Brass and cast Iron is considerably increased (OEM)
Stainless and Cast Iron has a marginal increase (Not being used)
Stainless and Brass has a marginal increase (Hardin Plug)
Also these are finger tight and not being installed with a wrench so don't see how the normal person would damage the threads
10-14-2018, 11:08 AM
#10
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you can cross thread by hand. lets take the cast iron V 6 intake manifold. It has a brass water drain plug in the front of it to drain the water out - its the exact same brass drain plug the transom uses. Some people change them out to SS drain plugs for the V 6 cast iron intake drain hole --- have no idea why -- they are so hard and or next to impossible to get out compared to the brass drain plug over time. This is not a one case only issue.
Why do you think the Bravo 3 becomes more corroded than any other Merc drive ? The extra SS prop. There is different types of SS and some will promote corrosion because of the disimilar contents. I have less issues with brass drain plugs than any other drain plug. Keep in mind the brass drain plugs have been used since 1950 s in I/O s. The reason for the plastic drain plug is because its a throw away item and Merc sells more by far. Merc and Sierra are the only 2 places who sell them for Merc apps.
Next why is the core plugs aka freeze plugs in the block itself Brass ? because they hold up over time. I have yet to see a SS core plug.
Why do you think the Bravo 3 becomes more corroded than any other Merc drive ? The extra SS prop. There is different types of SS and some will promote corrosion because of the disimilar contents. I have less issues with brass drain plugs than any other drain plug. Keep in mind the brass drain plugs have been used since 1950 s in I/O s. The reason for the plastic drain plug is because its a throw away item and Merc sells more by far. Merc and Sierra are the only 2 places who sell them for Merc apps.
Next why is the core plugs aka freeze plugs in the block itself Brass ? because they hold up over time. I have yet to see a SS core plug.
