and no way to get them out....


You can remove the mangled plugs with a sharp chisel and medium sized hammer.

With a corner of the chisel, make a notch near the edge of the plug and then give it a couple of good whacks in the CCW direction. It will loosen and start to back out.

This can be difficult with the transmission still in the car. With the car on jackstands there just isn't enough clearance to take a good swing at it so if you don't have access to a lift you will probably first want to remove the transmission.

It sounds like you really need to remove the gearbox anyway to renew seals/gaskets and inspect for internal problems.

Replacement plugs are available that have a large hex head. Between that and the use of anti-sieze compound, future removal should not be a problem.

Beware that the plugs from earlier gearboxes use pipe thread. If the gearbox in your '89 is original to the car, the plug you need is, I believe, UNF. Just compare old thread to new.


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'79 242, '84 DL 2 door, '80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6 AWD