Instead of having the Mini Dealer doing the oil change this time on my 2006 Mini Cooper S ... I decided I would do it myself. Last year on this forum I found the 12 page pdf file with photos someone provided to change the oil.

I have a stock filter and even the special tool that helps remove the oil filter instead of a 36mm socket. Every thing was going smoothly until it came time to remove the oil pan blu

I go to remove the oil drain plug and it is on so tight I can't even move it. I tried a socket and breaker bar with my foot, using my leg ... WON'T MOVE!!

Any ideas what might be the problem and is this something I can fix??

Otherwise I guess I'll have to take it to the dealer. I am NOT a mechanic but can do the normal maintenance auto stuff ... but my wild *** guess is that the plug might be cross threaded. Which would mean the dealership would have to do their magic and charging me a 2nd mortgage to pay for it.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

Can slip a pipe over the breaker bar to extend the length and the leverage.

Another trick is to jack up the car, put the breaker bar on it so it's just about touching
the ground, and then lowering the jack so that the weight of the car pushes the
bar to turn the plug counter-clockwise (breaker bar toward the PASSENGER side).
Might work if everything is lined up nicely and the socket doesn't just pop off as
you lower it. Make sure you don't have it set up to TIGHTEN the plug. Make sure
you use a 6-point 1/2" socket (fits better than 13mm), 1/2" drive would be better
than 3/8" drive for the sake of the socket and the breaker bar.

Could try heating the pan near the bolt, icing the bolt, and trying again with the
breaker bar.
Clean the area first and be very careful not to burn your car up if you try this.

Would take it to any trusted repair shop before the dealer. Any professional mechanic
worth his/her salt deals with this kind of stuff all the time, with more convenience and
less expense than the dealership. They can get it off. If the threads are toast, they can
retap larger, or put in a helicoil or similar, or as a last resort, replace the pan and gasket
(this would involve them getting the parts from the dealer).

 

I'd make sure to use a six point socket. Tap the bolt a few times. Try a longer breaker bar. Once out, use a torque wrench to reinstall, and order a Fumoto drain which eliminates the plug- never again will you struggle to drain oil!

 

I bought a Fumoto drain when I bought the filters and the filter housing removal tool ... so whoever or however this plug gets removed, the Fumoto drain will be installed.

 

I have just the pipe to do that with … I never thought about that option, thanks for the suggestion.

The pipe that I am going to use is long enough to do this. Thanks for the suggestion of the 6-point 1/2” socket as well as the 1/2” drive … I would not have thought of that.

With my history of many years of never having any kind of automobile maintenance to go smoothly … I think I will pass on this option that “not to burn my car up” … just my luck, so I’ll not try this … LOL

That was my next move. I have a local trusted mechanic, 1/2 mile from the house, that also does all maintenance and repair for the other Mini Cooper that is located in this small rural redneck town. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. In fact the more I think about it and since I have the Mini Cooper back down off the ramps and jacks due to high winds this afternoon … I think I’ll make this option as my first.

Thanks for the fast replies and the suggestions … they helped.

 

First and foremost so you don't round it off, don't use a 13mm socket. Use a 1/2 socket instead, fits snugger less chance of rounding it off.

Heat/Fire. Need to get under there, preferably on a lift and carefully apply some heat to the area with a torch. Diff metals will contract at diff rates and should come loose. I had same issue after purchasing my MINI when it had 38K miles on it...

Worked like a charm.

 

Thanks, that sounds encouraging. My Mini just turned 68K miles.

 

Once you get it off (and have a new one to replace it), coat the threads with wheel bearing grease or moly grease. Do not over-torque.

 

+1 on the Fumoto...

I needed to utilize a basin wrench to get a very tight plug off my R53 when I first picked it up. It appeared that the previous owner (or hack JiffyLube type shop) had used an air wrench to tighten the plug, which was also pretty-much rounded off...

 

Yikes it was stuck that bad. Fumoto is very nice.

The 11137513050 head is 1/2 " not 13mm , so that what happen most of the time.




Also noted if you are the super rare MINI oil gauge kit installed , you have this instead:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-and-leak.html






Great pic by capt_by here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rain-plug.html

 

If you do round it off, I had a MINI friend use these and it worked like a charm. Apparently, he tightened his plug a little too much and it became stuck. He tapped this on and used a torque wrench to get it to move after it was rounded off.


They are also sold at Lowes I believe...

 

+1 for heat, both of my mini's were a pain in the butt to remove the oil plug when I did my first oil change. The first time I rounded the plug and had to get a nut welded on (which helped with the heating process)

I also like to spray pb blaster on it 5-10 mins before I take a crack at it.