Ok, this is a sanity check, please help me out and don't be cruel. I am changing the oil for the first time on my 940 wagon and have come to the conclusion that either the threads are left handed on the drain plug bolt or Hercules himself appeared on earth just to tighten up the plug after the last change. I already cracked a cheapy socket with a pipe on the end of the ratchet for leverage, and I think that if i put any more force into it I will certainly strip out the pan, which i want desperately to avoid. Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty, right? Man I'm not that much of a dink. (I hope)

i use a socket and a large torque wrench, shifted a few...and some have been tough...

if you think it could be corroded on try TIGHTENING it a FRACTION like wrench and a tap with a hammer...this will sometimes break corrosion - also try doing it with a HOT engine (be VERY carefull not to get burned) its amazing how much difference that can make...(note only 'break; the seal dont rtemove the plug as HOT oil burns badly!)

if you get really stuck get the engine hot, get it on ramps...then apply ice to the oil plug (or a large block of metal suitable chilled in the freezer) then try after a couple of mins of holding it against the plug...the contraction verses expansion can sometimes help you out...but dont overdo it as you could get thermal cracking i guess (never seen it yet!)

or take it to a quick oil change place..get them to do it...stop them at the last moment and snug the plug yourself!

This i learnt from a mech, having the same problem as you. Use a T-bar, and hammer on it with a big wrench or similar item. Good metal-to-metal contact is essential. There is nothing spooky about this, except that Volvo chose to use an inch-sized plug in a car which otherwise uses mm-size. Maybe it has to do with the US market being so big they reasoned that the 1-inch size is more common in socket sets in the garages in the US?

Use a wrench, not a socket, and tap it with a hammer. Remember, when you tighten it, it must have a washer, and screw it in with your fingers until snug. Then, snug it with aforementioned wrench.
Been there with a screw driver and an oil filter, what a mess! I now use my wife's jar opener - a round piece of rubber 5 inches in dia. and .10 in thick.

The flame trap is at the back of the engine. There is a hose that goes from the intake manifold to the throttle body intake. It has a small vacuum hose 't'ing close to the throttle body. This 't' is the flame trap. When you clean it, check the vacuum hose too.

Klaus
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95 854T, 88 780, 88 245, 01 A4 Audi

Ah yes, the old Jiffy Lube air wrench trick: "this sucker will never drop off!"

Use a SIX-POINT socket with a 12" breaker bar. It loosens counterclockwise.

Dear Felix,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. You're not nuts: oil pan plug is threaded in the standard way (left, counter-clockwise to loosen).

As you point out, perhaps Hercules over-torqued the plug. It is possible, though, that the plug hasn't been removed in a long time, and corrosion has bonded it shut. This would be pretty unusual, as the film of oil on the threads should prevent corrosion.

Rather than risk stripping the plug, get some PB Blaster (from Wal-Mart, or an auto parts store) and saturate the plug with it. PB Blaster will penetrate into the microscopic nooks and crannies of any corrosion, and, together with gentle tapping - with a small hammer - enable you to "break" the "seal" created by the corrosion. Do not pound on the plug, just tap gently, as if you were putting a small nail into a thin piece of wood.

I suspect that whoever last changed the oil, did not use the copper crush washer, that goes between the underside of the pan plug, and the face of the pan. These washers cost about US$0.25, and are one-use items (get a new one, every time you change the oil).

If you are new to the 940, check the flame trap (see FAQs, under FEATURES, above).

Hope some of this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook

Thanks for the helpful replies. It seems that Hercules put the filter on also, I lost the skin on both sets of knuckles and finally had to drive a monster screwdriver through it and hammer it off. Ouch! I read the flame trap article and am wondering if it might be the cause of my new problem: the car occasionally drops three quarts of oil on 1.5 hour trips. sometimes it doesn't lose a drop on the same trip. There is a big spot on my driveway and it seems to be the aftmost lower portion of the engine only that is coated in oil. not a drop from the oil pan forward, and no visible oil from the topside EXCEPT a little wwII canteen looking thing directly under the aft portion of the intake manifold kind of snuggled up against the engine block. Is that the flame trap? It is gooey with goo. Tried the clatter test, was inconclusive. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

The canteen looking device is the breather box (sometimes called oil separator). The flame trap is on top of the breather box. Read the FAQs about crankcase ventilation if you are not familiar with this, as it is very important (http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EngineSealsBeltsVent.htm#Crankcase_Ventilation_%20A_Treatise). I would suggest that you buy a complete flame trap kit with hoses and replace the entire thing (its really cheap, even through the dealer parts dept). Make sure that you clean out the small brass nipple on the top of the intake manifold. It is still possible that the breather box is clogged, and you can clean it out or just replace it if you think its a problem, although I'd replace the flame trap system first and see how things are. Read the FAQs on how to remove the breather box as there is a washer and a hose that goes down into the oil pan that can be a problem if you accidently remove the hose.

I don't know about whether the clogged ventilation system can cause that much oil loss or not. I suppose that its possible that it could force it out of the rear main seal. Check out the very helpful oil leak diagnostics in the FAQs:

http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EngineLubrication.htm#OilLeakDiagnostics


I hope this is helpful. Enjoy the car!

Mike

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Mike Brown Greenville, NC 1996 965 113K 1994 940 135K 1986 244 137K

When the oil gets done in some of the quick lube places they get the idea tighter is better. Maybe they'd rather their bosses paid for oilpans than motors. I've even heard tell of them using impact guns. It is a shame.

It is a standard thread, lefty-loosey is the rule. Best tool I think is a 1" or 25mm box wrench. They are large enough to provide the torque (we hope) yet won't get cocked on a damaged plug and slip.

I suggest:

Get a large wrench on it that fits well, box end is better, and a full size hammer. Hammer the wrench end with one hand, while securing the wrench with the other. This is the generalized way of lostening overtorqued *anything*.
It also keeps your nuckles from smashing into the crossmember ....

Counterclockwise to losten of course.

Greg Mustang

Just wanted to add my $0.02...

As has been stated many times, it is threaded the standard way (lefty-loosey, righty-tighty), and put a wrench on it and hit the wrench with a hammer.

Since I have an IPD catalog in front of me, I'll quote their prices. You might find them cheaper somewhere else and it is common for IPD to run sales on these items:

Get Mann filters, $4.95 each or a case of 10 for $45 (on sale they will run ~ $3.95). Get a new drain plug, $5.95 for their magnetic one. And get a new copper ring for each filter you buy (goes on the plug of course, but the number of filters / rings you have is the number of oil changes you are ready for). Rings are $0.50 each. And for the oil changes, consider Mobil 1 synthetic (~ $20 / 5 quarts from Wal-Mart, you'll need 4.5 quarts if I remember right). Anyway, when you put the new plug, with new copper ring, on the oil pan next time hand tighten it, then give it a little torque with a wrench to tighten it up. You want it tight, but not too tight. As for the oil filter, put a little oil on the rubber gasket and hand tighten it as hard as you can. Let it run for a little bit or go for a quick drive, then check for any leaks.

For putting the oil into the engine, I take a plastic soda bottle and cut the bottom off, wash and dry it, then use that as a disposable funnel.

And if you have never used Mobil 1 before, change the oil the first time after ~ 2,000 miles since you will have knocked off a bunch of gunk out of the engine.

Well, hope that some drive-through oil change place didn't decide that since they stripped a plug, they'd put it back in with epoxy. We've heard of that before ...

But the threads are standard RH type - 3/4" x 16tpi to be exact. Don't be suprised if you will end up needing a new plug, so. Personally, I find a closed end wrench to be able to put more pressure.

-- Kane
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Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40