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overdrive drain plug

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WALTER

WALTER

Jedi Hopeful
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I have been putting off putting redline in my trany because I did'nt know how to take the odd looking plug off. On a recent drip reduction mission under the car I grabbed that plug and found it was loose. Is it supposed to be that loose or do I need a special tool.

Thanks
Walter
 
Hi Walter, the large brass drain plug on the overdrive unit should be tight.There is a special wrench for it but difficult to locate at times.However, it can be tightened using a soft brass drift placed against one of the notches and" tapped lightly" to tighten it.-FWIW---Keoke
 
Walter,
There really is no good substitute for the correct tool. You can see one here, #BT8:
https://www.britishtool.com/servtool.htm
Kind of spendy, but, a new plug costs about $70, so maybe worth it?, before rounding off the corners of the plug. If the plug falls out, you ruin a VERY expensive transmission & OD unit.

I don't know why they made the plug this way, the earlier cars had a large standard hex head.
D
 
Brass drift will not hurt the plug Dave I doubt if many listers own that wrench, but they drain their oil-FWIW---Keoke
 
Thanks guys. Now ..... what would Macgyver do?

Walter
 
Walter, Macgyver would forget it and go sailing----Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif OK
 
Forget it I'm going fishing!

Walter
 
OK here is how a dumb southern redneck did it. I wrapped the nut with a couple of turns of duct tape to protect it and used a small pipe wrench and it came out and went back in without so much as a scratch on the nut. Skip
 
HI Skip, I was just thinking about that again. You know those mickey mouse tools that are a take off of the Spanish windless{China has recently flooded the market with cheap ones} they have either rubber,leather or heavy braided straps that you wrap around and then use reverse torque to remove round objects would also work and be very cheap.Just a thought.---Keoke
 
You know I have one of those things with a nylon strap and it never occured to use it but I`ll bet you are right. It would work great and the notches in the plug would give it something to grip on. Skip
 
I've not been on lately but had to say "Welcome Back!" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
 
In the Moss catalog they call it a fiber washer. The existing washer is cork. If this plug is supposed to be tight The cork seems wrong. Right!

Walter
 
Is there a separate fill plug/hole for the overdrive unit itself? Or is just filled through the trans? If yes, I assume you would have to remove the trans tunnel. To refill with redline, it should take about 6 1/2 pints?
 
Hi Walter, it may be that the PO used cork to make the gasket it should be a "Fibre" type.Much larger than most oil pan drain plug wahers but of a similar material.-FWIW---Keoke
 
[ QUOTE ]
Or is just filled through the trans? If yes, I assume you would have to remove the trans tunnel. To refill with redline, it should take about 6 1/2 pints?

[/ QUOTE ]
Most Healeys have a rubber plug access hole near the top front right of the transmission tunnel. Under the carpet & padding of course. A few early ones had a flap in the carpet that could be lifted. Under the plug is a dipstick/filler plug.
D
 
Okay folks thanks for the link and comments. But I have a stupid question. I have been thinking about the baulkiness the tranny has been giving me and read about the redline oil. I assume that I should drain the od all the way and then fill with new redline? Also on the regular 4 speed where is the drain plug located?

Thanks
 
Both the tranny and the over drive drain plugs will require removal to make the oil change over. The OD drain plug is a large brass plug with ears on it located at the bottom of the OD housing.-FWIW---Keoke
 
[ QUOTE ]
I assume that I should drain the od all the way and then fill with new redline? Also on the regular 4 speed where is the drain plug located?
Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
Both the OD & the non OD transmissions have a separate gearbox drain plug located on on the bottom of the main gear box. It has a 7/16" recessed square drive & requires a 7/16 square drive wrench. You can grind down a short 1/2" square drive extension to fit this plug, & it will also fit the differential plug. Or, several commercial 7/16" square wrenches are available.

Actually, with the front of the car elevated, most of the oil will drain out through the rear OD plug & I have not bothered to remove the smaller plug.
D
 
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