Readers’ Tips—

Pumped Up Strength for Removing Stubborn Drain Plugs

After suffering countless bloody knuckles, wrenched back muscles, and bouts of swearing fit to make a sailor blush, I have come up with a simple method for removing stuck drain plugs with relative ease— using a floor jack.

Instead of cranking on a wrench with all of my might, pounding on the handle with a hammer, and adding a pipe extension and cursing when the plug still won’t turn, I simply fit the socket wrench tightly on the drain plug, raise the jack so it is nestled up against the handle of the wrench, and slowly put pressure on the jack handle. Every time (during my experiments, at least), the plug surrenders and turns without so much as a groan.

I use a fairly long socket wrench without a ratcheting mechanism—the kind used for removing lug nuts (see photo). I suspect one could use a traditional socket wrench in a pinch, but the mechanism may be damaged due to the extra force applied. Also, I make sure that the socket is on tight, and I apply pressure to the jack handle very slowly, readjusting if the socket or wrench handle begins to slip.

That’s all there is to it. I have used this method on several stubborn transmission and differential drain plugs, and I suspect there are numerous other nuts and bolt heads lurking beneath your car that could be tackled using this method.

The limiting factor, of course, is that the angles must be correct. For example, if the drain plug is on the bottom of a drain pan, instead of on the vertical side of a differential cover, then the head of the jack won’t be at the right angle to turn the wrench handle.

Is this dangerous? Yes, I suppose the wrench could go careening off and damage part of the car, or part of the car owner, but keeping your head far away from the wrench and wearing eye protection minimizes the chances of serious injury, and I have yet to have the wrench slip off with any velocity. This method, in my opinion, is far less dangerous than cranking with all of your might on a wrench, heating the plug with a torch, or any other diabolical method one may conceive of to remove a frozen drain plug.

Joe Younger Sequim, Washington