Thanks to ECS' crap - drain plug broke & stuck in the hole!!
 

Bought ECS magnetic drain plug couple of months ago, put it in. Today it's the time it needs an oil change. You see what I got (picture below).

Taking if off was effortless, but when tightening it, booom! half piece in the rachet, half stuck in the drain hole, pretty much flush, no place to grab. :dunno:

Please advice, it's killing me right now, the car has to be on the stands over the night I guess.......

Again, thanks to ECS magnetic drain plug, one advice: if you like using ECS magnetic drain plug, buy A DOZEN!!!

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Get a bolt extractor bit from your local hardware store or a friendly neighbour. Good luck.

left handed drill bit/bolt extractor is what you want.

One other thing I've seen work is the spring loaded center punch. Use it a zillion times like an impact wrench to back the plug out. I saw a mechanic use this trick on a broken head stud in my old M3 (friggin' Raceware crap bolts).

you're not alone...Upgrade became downgrade.....

That sucks. Like the other said bolt extractor...sears has em

I brought my car to the dealer for an oil change after installing the ECS drain plug on the previous oil change, and they refused to do the oil change. They said they wouldn't be liable for using the drain plug and that an OEM one would most likley leak after using this one. Anyways, I did the oil change myself with an OEM one and no leaks

Ya, that sucks. Thanks for the advice!

I bought the bolt extractor from Advance Auto Parts last night. Problem is the angle. I was trying to use my DeWalt to drill it, but it gives you about 20 degrees angle. Do I have to use a rachet and hand drill it?

Thank you again!

Welcome to the club. This happened to me about a month or so ago. I tapped it out with a flat head screwdriver.

If the angle prevents you from using the extractor then try using a dremel to cut a slot for a flathead screwdriver.

I hope you have a new (OEM hopefully) plug handy since you've already done the oil change.

wow thats a great idea... very creative :thumbup:

i bought an oil change kit from esc that comes with a regular plug that i hope has a better luck than the magnetic ones

Why would they include a regular plug as part of the kit? :confused: There's nothing wrong with the OEM one and it's certainly good for quite a few oil changes unless you over torque it or strip the head.

Nothing to do with creativity - everything to do with desperation. Dig yourself into a hole enough times and you learn some tricks to get out. :rofl:

:rofl:

Over torquing looks like the problem really. Remember that it is made out of aluminum. If those ideas don't work to get it out drop the pan or use a left handed drill bit.

Good luck.

Hey guys, thanks for the replies, really. I just took it out by using an extractor. Tap tap and turn, little by little. Finally. It's really a pain in the a**.

I'll post the broken piece later today.

Thanks again.

Torque spec for the ECS plug is 22 ft-lbs. That's not much for a bolt that size. Were you using a torque wrench when it broke?

I didn't use the torque wrench when it broke, but I'm pretty sure it broke at the torque much lower than 22 ft-lbs. Cuz it snapped right after I felt it started getting tight, before I want to measure it.

Thanks for the info though. Picture post later.

Was it cross threaded when you installed it? Easy way to snap off the drain plug bolt.

I tried using one of the ECS magnetic drain plugs on a 2002 Audi 2.7T Quattro (twin turbo V6) and found it leaked badly. Either the bolt itself was too small or the thread pitch/type was wrong. I removed it and put the stock one back in. Never used one since on any of my VW, Audi, or BMW cars. Always use stock.

Oh really?! I hate to say the bad words behind someone, especially ECS being the sponsor for Xoutpost. BUT, I totally agree with you, every time I parked my car in the garage for more than 3 days, I'll find a oil stain abt 3" dia on the floor. I think I'll just never use any OEM plugs. ALWAYS go with stock one.

Here's the other piece, the broken piece which was stuck in the hole.

I've order a lot of stuff (couple thousand dollars) from ECS Tuning and have been very happy with the exception of the drain plug.