BX oil sump plug woes

kevlights · Post by **kevlights** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:40 pm

BX TRS MKI 1986 114,000 miles ,the garage normally does the oil changes ,but i thought,stop being a lazy git and do it your self; problem is there appears to be two,yes two; sump plugs . one above the other on the side of the sump,at the back ,i can get the top one off but not the bottom one, it doesnt matter how much pressure i put on the plug it wont move.
is the bottom of the two supposed to come off? and why two bungs in the first place? regards Kev

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:02 pm

Manual or auto? Aircon or not?

I know little about how the underside of an auto looks but a manual car will have clearly have only one sump plug for the engine oil and the sump itself is smooth - you need a square key (10mm AFAIR ).

Auto BXs almost certainly have the same engine sump - though it's the bit I'm about to describe which won't be the same on an auto.

There is a bolt on manual models at the lowest extremity of the gearbox which points downward at a shallow angle towards the rear of the car. Leave that one well alone. You're probably not referring to it, but thought I'd mention it just in case.

Similarly, don't touch anything that could be a drain plug on an autobox unless that's exactly what you intend doing.

The only other variation is if aircon is fitted. In this case, the engine's sump will be ribbed and there is probably an oil temp sensor fitted to the rear face of the sump - again, leave well alone. On balance, this sounds the most likely.

Also, be aware that Aircon sumps are aluminium alloy and can be cracked/broken if roughly handled (see recent post with pic of a broken one).

kevlights · Post by **kevlights** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:41 pm

tis a manual non aircon BX TRS16 1986,the sump is smooth alloy ;definitely has two sump plugs ;one directly above the other;the bottom one i"m having difficulty removing ,its stuck,immobile,jammed is it possible one of the might be for a oil temperature sensor and is blanked off? it says in the manual that the car holds 5 litres of oil and i was only able to get 3 litres out of it via the top bung .

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:19 am

I had a smooth ally sump from a TZD Turbo with A/C, with it not having an oil temperature gauge as standard both holes had drain plugs in them (the top one just as a blanking plug) - rather like this:

Does yours have 4 lugs on the front of it? If so, it was from an A/C car.

Until a few weeks ago it was fitted to my BX, until I smashed it on a rock. A rather drastic way of getting the last bit of oil out, and not one I would recommend...

Have you tried hitting the drain plug key to turn it? Sometimes impact can help in loosening a stubborn thread.

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:37 am

.....or try giving it smooth pressure BOTH ways in turn with plenty of leverage to aid the 'cracking' process. It can't be that bad as it's been done relatively recently by your garage (though someone there might have been daft enough to use an airtool to tighten the plug).

It's not like it's one of those bolts that you come to undo and realise it's hasn't moved in 15+years so several applications of loosening juice might be needed repeated over several days - after all, the top of the thread gets plenty of lubrication here .....

kevlights · Post by **kevlights** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:59 am

"The top one is for the temp sensor, not fitted to several models".thanks guys ;exellent response to my problem ,now i know the bottem one is the oil sump plug ;its going back to the garage to get them to undo ;as none of my tools will move it: thanks again for that;regards Kev ,at least now i will be able to get all the old oil out !

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:13 pm

If you get really stuck, you can always drop the sump completely (takes ages as there are a lot of bolts) they refit with relevant gaskets (soem models dont need gaskets at all.

The Xu sumps are all compatible, the only exception is that some of the sumps on the Pug 306 GTi6 (and possibly a few others) is deeper so takes more oil. I suspect finding a replacement even in NZ shouldn't be a problem!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 8:45 am

i would not recomend hitting a sump plug on an alloy sump, as you will almost certainly crack the sump,

regards malcolm

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:28 pm

Vanny wrote:If you get really stuck, you can always drop the sump completely (takes ages as there are a lot of bolts) they refit with relevant gaskets (soem models dont need gaskets at all.

An easier solution if you're stuck would be to go to one of these garages or DIY filling stations where they do an oil change by a machine sucking out the old oil through a tube that goes down the dip-stick tube.

I take it this facility still exists but haven't noticed it for some years (but then haven't been looking for it)

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