olie05 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Heres what happened... about 2 months ago, i had to change tranny's because old one went bad. I didn't have a pump to fill up the tranny with, so I took it to xpress lube. They filled it up for like 25 bucks and I drove away happy, with a lubed up tranny. well, I got a wild hair up my a** and decided to replace the rear main seal on the tranny 2 days ago. I spilt quite a bit of gear oil, so I decided I should top it off. I went to my tool box and pulled out the closest fitting wrench on the side fill plug. (17mm) I think i spent about an hour trying various methods to get this side fill plug off, but nothing. I decided to take it back to the xpress lube (the last people who touched that plug). The guy at the shop says he'll top it off for free, but it turns out the guys there couldn't get it off either (ha!) and the manager proceeds to inform me that they must have used their specialty 'Impact wrench that fits into tight crevices' to tighten it the last time, and that they don't have it at the shop so they cant take it off. ooookkk... wtvr. So this morning I went to a local shop that does mostly paint and body work, but also some maintenance (lubes alignments), And the guy was actually determined to get it off, unlike the xpress lube wimps... He eventually got it off in about 1 1/2hrs, and didn't charge me anything cus i know the owners son. I feel like i got the run-around with the xpress lube people. I even have the old drain plug to prove how hard it was to get off. Anyways, what should i do about this, shut up and take it like a man, or cry my eyes out in front of xpress lube until they give me free stuff? or maybe a strongly worded letter to corporate office? I need ideas here people! btw this morning's little trip to the shop made me miss 2 of my classes... xpress lube definitely put me at an inconvenience. thanks for reading through all that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfly Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I have tried to pull the fill plugs on several Z transmissions and I think that I only succeded twice, what I found that works much better (and probably what the guy at the xpress lube place did) is to remove the reverse light switch which is located right beside the fill plug. When you remove the reverse light switch the whole switch comes out leaving you with a threaded hole just like the fill plug hole (only slightly smaller). I don't know why but it seems that the fill plug it torqued much more than it needs to be and the reverse light switch is torqued at about half of the fill plug. I would think that if you lost a lot of fluid like you said when changing the seal that they did put in the fluid like you had been told. Dragonfly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 At least they lubbed you before they screwed you. Take one for the team, you got off, and free, just don't go back. -OR- Stand out in front of their store with a protest sign till they refund half the $25 they took you for in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I think you should "shut up and take it like a man". Sorry but I know what those lube guys were thinking when they pulled in an old car like yours "oh christ, do you think we'll even be able to get that drain plug out?!" Thats the way I feel when I have to work on old beaters at work(not saying your car is a beater) or if I have to do an oil change on some other make....toyota, suzuki, ford, etc... just because I know were not going to have a filter for it in stock and that we wont be upselling anything because they are going to be taking it to a dealership that services that make. Why didnt you just fill it yourself the first time? You can get a little hand pump with a hose on it to fill up your tranny. Thats what I do because the fill plug is so close to the tranny tunnel. And one more thing to think about...the guys that work at the express lubes usually aren't the best mechanics in the world. There usually is a reason they are just changing oil rather than actually fixing cars. A.)They are still in high school B.)They like changing oil(we have a guy at work like this) C.)They got fired from a place that they use to fix cars at because they screwed to much stuff up and now changing oil is the only thing they can do with out screwing things up D.)Its better than working at McDonalds! There is a reason they can do oil changes for $14.95, they only have to pay their "mechanics" $6.00/hr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 Why didnt you just fill it yourself? You can get a little hand pump with a hose on it to fill up your tranny. Thats what I do because the fill plug is so close to the tranny tunnel. I would have if i had gotten the plug off my self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 having had several real jerks work on my cars in years past I learned that if you want everything done (YOUR WAY) theres only one sure method, ....LEARN TO DO THE WORK YOURSELF AND BUY THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO DO IT CORRECTLY in this case a 5 foot long section of clear plastic tubing, (most hardware stores) a threaded fitting and a small funnel,(most auto parts stores) and a friend to hold it , all of which cost maybe $5 and 5 minutes of your time plus the lube will have allowed you to fill your own trans they come in a zillion sizes and there are adapters available, a 3/8"npt or 1/2"npt size fits many trans plugs screw the fitting into the trans,threaded hole, insert the tubing over the fitting on one end of the tubeing, stand next to the car with the funnel higher than the trans and pour trans lube into the funnel inserted in the other end of the clear plastic tubeing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 in this case a 5 foot long section of clear plastic tubing, (most hardware stores) a threaded fitting and a small funnel,(most auto parts stores) and a friend to hold it , all of which cost maybe $5 and 5 minutes of your time plus the lube will have allowed you to fill your own trans not quite, grumpyvette. I was going to fill it myself if I had been able to get the side plug off myself. So in reality, in this case a 5 foot long section of plastic tubing... etc would not have done the trick. more like all i needed was a lift, to allow me to put FULL force on whatever wrench (or pliers) was attached to the plug. not much you can do with a bolt that needs about 140ft-lbs to remove and the car is about 1 foot off the ground. I have decided to just let this one slide, and let it be a lesson learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobythevan Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 not much you can do with a bolt that needs about 140ft-lbs to remove and the car is about 1 foot off the ground. Membership at World Gym? I had one that got stuck on my BW T5, cheater pipe took care of it once I got everything aligned to fit under the car, then pipe only moved a couple inches, but it was enough to break it loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 your BASIC problem was CAUSED by some JERK overtightening the plug, those plugs normally seat or open with about 30ft lbs of force, your very lucky the jerk didn,t crack the trans case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Heres what happened...about 2 months ago' date=' i had to change tranny's because old one went bad. I didn't have a pump to fill up the tranny with, so I took it to xpress lube. They filled it up for like 25 bucks and I drove away happy, with a lubed up tranny. well, I got a wild hair up my a** and decided to replace the rear main seal on the tranny 2 days ago. I spilt quite a bit of gear oil, so I decided I should top it off. I went to my tool box and pulled out the closest fitting wrench on the side fill plug. (17mm) I think i spent about an hour trying various methods to get this side fill plug off, but nothing. I decided to take it back to the xpress lube (the last people who touched that plug). The guy at the shop says he'll top it off for free, but it turns out the guys there couldn't get it off either (ha!) and the manager proceeds to inform me that they must have used their specialty 'Impact wrench that fits into tight crevices' to tighten it the last time, and that they don't have it at the shop so they cant take it off. ooookkk... wtvr. So this morning I went to a local shop that does mostly paint and body work, but also some maintenance (lubes alignments), And the guy was actually determined to get it off, unlike the xpress lube wimps... He eventually got it off in about 1 1/2hrs, and didn't charge me anything cus i know the owners son. I feel like i got the run-around with the xpress lube people. I even have the old drain plug to prove how hard it was to get off. Anyways, what should i do about this, shut up and take it like a man, or cry my eyes out in front of xpress lube until they give me free stuff? or maybe a strongly worded letter to corporate office? I need ideas here people! btw this morning's little trip to the shop made me miss 2 of my classes... xpress lube definitely put me at an inconvenience. thanks for reading through all that![/quote'] Have your friend's shop send them a bill for the 1.5 hours of labor to take it off. Simple as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I learned that if you want everything done (YOUR WAY) theres only one sure method' date=' ....LEARN TO DO THE WORK YOURSELF AND BUY THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO DO IT CORRECTLY[/b']in this case a 5 foot long section of clear plastic tubing, (most hardware stores) a threaded fitting and a small funnel,(most auto parts stores) and a friend to hold it , all of which cost maybe $5 and 5 minutes of your time plus the lube will have allowed you to fill your own trans they come in a zillion sizes and there are adapters available, a 3/8"npt or 1/2"npt size fits many trans plugs screw the fitting into the trans,threaded hole, insert the tubing over the fitting on one end of the tubeing, stand next to the car with the funnel higher than the trans and pour trans lube into the funnel inserted in the other end of the clear plastic tubeing Buy this tool! http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=4163&cat=500&ppuser=8468 You dont even need the fittings just some tubing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savageskaterkid Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I think you should "shut up and take it like a man". Sorry but I know what those lube guys were thinking when they pulled in an old car like yours "oh christ' date=' do you think we'll even be able to get that drain plug out?!" Thats the way I feel when I have to work on old beaters at work(not saying your car is a beater) or if I have to do an oil change on some other make....toyota, suzuki, ford, etc... just because I know were not going to have a filter for it in stock and that we wont be upselling anything because they are going to be taking it to a dealership that services that make. Why didnt you just fill it yourself the first time? You can get a little hand pump with a hose on it to fill up your tranny. Thats what I do because the fill plug is so close to the tranny tunnel. And one more thing to think about...the guys that work at the express lubes usually aren't the best mechanics in the world. There usually is a reason they are just changing oil rather than actually fixing cars. A.)They are still in high school B.)They like changing oil(we have a guy at work like this) C.)They got fired from a place that they use to fix cars at because they screwed to much stuff up and now changing oil is the only thing they can do with out screwing things up D.)Its better than working at McDonalds! There is a reason they can do oil changes for $14.95, they only have to pay their "mechanics" $6.00/hr[/quote'] IDK about all that, I work at an oil change place, but I am still in Highschool. But we have quite a few people there that are extremely smart when it comes to cars. On helped me with just about every problem on the ZX, and he used to build race cars back in the 80's untill he got into too much trouble and lost his license for street-racing, he even had a 260z that was running 10's and this guy is an absolute GENIOUS. Another guy used to work at a foriegn car shop for porshe and audi and such, and he just likes changing oil. And my manager went to school for mechanics in ohio and he decided he wants to change oil. Im not sure about all the oil changers out there, but just about all the people at this place know quite a bit about mechanics and such with the exception of the few idiots that do nothing except check tires, and thats even a bit of a task for them. And Lubetechs get paid pretty decently, for my age and location 8/hr is pretty damn good, and I'm making right about there, its not alot, but its not too little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Grumpyvete, you couldnt have said it better..."you want everything done (YOUR WAY) theres only one sure method, ....LEARN TO DO THE WORK YOURSELF AND BUY THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO DO IT CORRECTLY" Savageskaterkid, I'm just trying to say that you get what you pay for. If you need something serious done to your car(obviously filling a tranny isnt serious) you arent going to take it to a quick lube. You take it to a dealership who services that make and model because they know the most about that car. In most cases the guys that work at a dealership are going to be more knowledgable than the guys that works at a quick lube. Of course there are always exception to the rule... Please dont take my opinions personal, Savageskaterkid. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some-Guy Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 hehe **** happens... coulda been worse could have cracked the housing or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 When all else fails, I usually use an adjustable wrench and a swift kick. Actually skip the when all else fails part . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 This goes back to the basics... My stepson was 15 and working a lube pit at the local chevy dealer. FIFTEEN. And his friend was YOUNGER! You get some good and some bad. Some guys who are in a rush because they are on commission and some who just don't care. Bottom line is anytime you let someone else do the work for you, your control of the situation is lost. Do it yourself or risk failure and being let down by someone else. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 ....not much you can do with a bolt that needs about 140ft-lbs to remove and the car is about 1 foot off the ground. I have found that, in situations like that.. a foot (instead of the hand) works very well at getting stuff like that off. Much more power in your legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5foot2 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 maybe they broke the pneumatic tool when they put your plug back in and it was out being serviced I love the instant victimhood. Do you get enraged when McDonalds gives you a diet coke when you ordered a regular coke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savageskaterkid Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Grumpyvete' date=' you couldnt have said it better..."[b']you want everything done (YOUR WAY) theres only one sure method, ....LEARN TO DO THE WORK YOURSELF AND BUY THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO DO IT CORRECTLY"[/b] Savageskaterkid, I'm just trying to say that you get what you pay for. If you need something serious done to your car(obviously filling a tranny isnt serious) you arent going to take it to a quick lube. You take it to a dealership who services that make and model because they know the most about that car. In most cases the guys that work at a dealership are going to be more knowledgable than the guys that works at a quick lube. Of course there are always exception to the rule... Please dont take my opinions personal, Savageskaterkid. Guy I take no offence to the statements, just throwing things out there. And you are correct that most of the time you wanna goto a dealership for certain things, but the convienence of a lube shop to do little things is unbeatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I don't think this is necessarily the fault of the last guy who put the plug in. I think it has something to do with a steel plug in an aluminum housing. My drain plug recently got totally stripped when I tried to drain my trans. I was trying to remove the plug with a 1/2 inch impact and even that wouldn't take it out. I KNOW that I don't overtighten the plugs. My theory on tightening oil drain plugs and trans and diff plugs is that all it has to do is keep the oil in, and not fall out while you're driving. I'd guess I torque them to 15 lbs or so. Maybe a little less. When I worked for Volvo we had lots of problems with the 850 oil plugs getting stuck. There was one case where the aluminum oil pan actually cracked before the drain plug came loose. I used to do a lot of LOFs there and it got to the point where I wouldn't even try to loosen them. I'd walk up with a 19mm wrench and a 2 lb sledge hammer. Usually the jolt from the hammer would crack them loose. I think it's just a corrosion issue or a different expansion rate of the plug and the housing issue more than an idiot at the lube place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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