Did I just ruin brand new $40K airplane engine? 

My only suggestion would have been to use some REAL heat, a torch, that's a pretty big heat sink for an electric heat gun. Another trick I've heard about is to get a TORX wrench/socket, that is slightly too big for the Allen head, and tap (smack) it in to get it to seat, a last resort for sure! A pisser all around, glad you got it out.

99% of the time it's not the metal, it's the wrench's or not using the proper one as any uneven pressure can easily cause strippage. I switched to socket allens and haven't had an issue since! Just some friendly advice, glad you got it and progress continues!

I can't believe you used an adjustable open-end (Cresent wrench) wrench. lol

Couple of tips for the future: 1. Use a torch to heat the plug not a heat gun. 2. Heat the plug a lot then quench it with a wet rag. Have a bucket of water to keep cooling the rag to quench the plug. 3. Use a quality tool in the correct size. If you do this, it will come right out. The heat expands the plug, but since there is nowhere to grow in the threads, it expands out some. The quench shrinks it across all facets. It will come right out with ease. I've used this method on everything from motorcycles to heavy equipment, it works.

Glad I could be there for your success! It won't be the last challenge, but hopefully never as stressful! Good job!

So glad you were able to get it out clean! Good job remaining patient and keeping your cool.

I see a lot of people on here saying to use a torch. Don’t do that because it will burn your gasket and or O- rings on the case. However they are correct a heat gun doesn’t get hot enough. What works the best for the scenario you were in is a soldering iron. It will heat up the pipe plug and loosen up the sealer that is on the treads and will come out easy.

I hope the first thing Continental told you was “Get an insured A&P mechanic to work on your $40,000 engine.”

Steve, great job on getting that task accomplished!!! I was definitely feeling the tension you were going through at the beginning of your video.. I have learned over my life, that sometimes you have to have a little patience and wait for the correct tools, or the right help from someone that has that experience.. I purchased a tail kit many years ago from Vans and because of my wanting things to be perfect and seeming to fail at certain things, I sold that and threw my arms up.. I am ecstatic that you were able to get that problem solved.. It seems like you have great resources in the background willing to help at any cost or time constraint. Your gonna get this Rans in the air soon.. You got this!! Great job and thanks for sharing a moment that is purely frustrating and packed full of Bravo Sierra!!! 👍👍

Glad it went well! I feel your pain I had to use an extractor on mine as well. NERVE RACKING puts it lightly.

Dont drill. I owned a machine shop for over 10 year and often broke taps off in some expensive parts. I found a very good tig welder. He was able to weld a bolt onto the tap.and we were able to then screw the broken tap out of the hole. I feel your pain. This happened about once a month and we became good friends. Good luck finding a good tig welder. He worked as a contractor for GE jet division..

NICE BROTHER!! I was pulling for you. Thanks for showing that not giving up is how you WIN!! God Bless brother..

Glad you got it out! One trick is to try to heat the outside of the thread (the case) while cooling the inside plug you're trying to remove. Luckily aluminum expands more with heat than steel does, so you're still helping by generally heating everything. The huge heat sink of the case is a challenge, though, usually calling for more heat. In any case you're good! I struggled with this port also, in my case the hole where you were removing the plug wasn't even drilled. It took some clever plumbing to make the 90 degree hole work with minimal clearance from the engine mount.

At least the crescent wrench wasn't from harbor freight... $40k engine, $4 tools....

Man, what a relief!! I totally feel ya, I had a similar problem when I was rebuilding my motorcycle, sick to the stomach and sleepless nights. So glad that the extractor tool worked. On an unrelated note, I’m heading to your neck of the woods in August to celebrate the big 5-0 👍🏼

Always use the right tools the first go around. If you don't have the right tool and are reaching for some other tool that you think might work, stop and go get the right tool. It's never worth the headache

As soon as I saw the Harbor Freight (Pittsburgh) Allen Wrenches on bench, I understand how the plug stripped out. Maybe next time use a quality Allen wrench. I don't think you would end up with the same result. I know from experience using these allen wrenches.

I didn't see you clean the inside of the allen head before inserting the extractor. I always spray with parts cleaner or carb cleaner so tool doesn't become a thread cutter instead of an extractor. Glad you got it out!

Years ago I had a set of left hand drill bits they were German made they were excellent when you get a real jam like that but also driving a Torx in really tight and using a torch and heating is about the only best thing I know of doing

Wrap drill bits w/insulated wire tightly end to end & connect ends to a 12-volt battery briefly till the wires heat up... Cool and repeat. Now the bits are magnetized.

I have used JB weld to bond a extractor, leave overnight then try to tighten a hair, then work it out slowly.

Good Quality socket allen wrenches and a soldering iron for just heating the bolt works well. And no left handed adjustable wrenches. :)

Nice job! such a relief :D

Ha! Glad everything worked out. Good stuff.

Nice work mate

Couple of tips for the future: 1) peanut butter does wonders. Not on engines, of course, but on pancakes. 2) heating up the engine helps, but it takes a while, so if you drain it of oil first it’ll heat up in a jiffy. 3) hire someone who’s a quality tool. Someone who mimics every handheld object as his genitals, but really knows what he’s doing with engines.

Here’s a tip if you have to ever drill through one. Rig up some air pressure on the oil spout and pressurize the crankcase. When you drill through, it’ll blow the shavings OUT. Done it many times.

one hint as a life long Harley tech fixed many broken bolts ( most caused by customers ) use a T handle on socket to extractor allows more and even pressure to broke part much less slipping.

Nerve racking work for sure.

That's a vein plug, when taking them out always heat them when removing. I learned another useful trick is to actually go tight with them at first just till the vein plug begins to turn in the hole, that allows the threads to break any sealant loose. Then back it out, since the head is stripped it's feasible to do multiple things. You could drill it out and use an extractor. Another option is to use a chisel and actually rotate the veil plug using the chisel. If you drill a very very small pilot hole, that allows the metal to expand in while heating, heat the outside of the crank case not the vein plug itself. Then use the chisel to spin it. Another, better option is to tig weld stainless steel to the vein plug (higher tensile stength than welding mild steal for filler). And then spin it out. Also helps alot before removing any fastener that has been fastened for a while, to hit the fastener with a hammer, usually with thw socket on there. If you need to make a metric work on a standard bolt you can also use this trick to swell the metal that last little bit for a tight fit! Sorry they made it from soft metal!

Somewhere in the development of that engine somebody should have caught this. Because this kind of a problem is freaking inexcusable. I learned when I was still a teenager. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, that when you use any kind of a set screw that uses an allen wrench, but to remove.

It‘s all a learning process. BTW I‘ve seen elevated failure rates on the Red Cube FF meters lately on the Glastar Forum (my FloScan is still humming at 2500 hrs aft of the firewall with my carb’d 320). Although on the ‘cool’ side of the engine as shown, it’s still a high vibration mounting location. I’m also not sure having a 90° fitting on the outlet is prescribed. Personally, I’d mount a fragile sensor like that on the firewall with the straightest runs to and from that your other constraints allow.

I have no idea how cheese grade that bolt steel is but would an impact gun help in this case to just break it loose ? (with a hex bit driver).

Throw the adjustable wrench away. That thing could have made your problem so much worse. Glad to see the extractor worked for you, though!

Shaky Hands?? I feel your anxiety Mister!

As an auto tech, haven’t been in that exact scenario, but you can believe I breathed a sigh of relief when that bad boy broke loose.

Please, please tell me the manufacturer and source for this *specific* “power extractor”.

Nice job. I've never seen an extractor set like that. Do you have a link to the 'magic extractor'?

The oil filter also is pointed in a really precarious position for removing it without making an absolute mess. I would put a remote oil filter bought it and put it down wherever you can access more easily.

Just tig weld a allen wrench to it. Have done it multiple times and successful everytime

A lot of people in motorcross switch all hardware out for titanium for regity and weight savings. I’d try and find titanium replacements

Well guess I should of watched the video all the way through before I commented....lol Congratulations on getting it out though....its frustrating I know

If you ever need to drill all the way through, grease up the drill bit real good. The grease will catch the drilling chips.

If the extractor does not work, you can clean the bolt and use JB weld with a Allen wrench in the bolt, let it cure and it will can out.

You really earned your beer that night. That is some tense stuff, man. Yeah...Allen's can be a real bear. Glad it all worked out. Torx bits do make good allen extractors. If it's already rounded out and going up one size is a bridge too far...you can always grind a larger one down a bit and bash the bastard in until it gets what's coming. There is no 'one size fits all' stripped bolt/nut situations. Also...L shaped allen wrenches are definitely not the way to go on iffy bolts and such. Too much uneven side load. A socket type is the way to go. You can put a bunch of pressure directly in line with the thing while cranking. RCH. Bad Steve. Bad. I'm already going to hell so I know what that means but think of the children.

Wonderful.

Looked for a post on the sportsman on the eaa site and Facebook any other options?

I’m not a fan of using a Torx bit as if one or more of the hardened teeth break off, it makes drilling out out nearly impossible. I don’t know what brand Allen wrenches you used, but I suspect they were a cheap set. Cheap Allens are almost always undersized and also of poor quality alloy with improper heat treatment. If you follow these steps, you are very unlikely to ever have this problem again. 1. Buy high quality internal hex wrenches that are driven by a ratchet, not the L-shaped wrenches that are for low torque fasteners. If your set costs less than $100, it is a cheap set. 2. If you suspect the fastener has thread locker applied, and I generally assume that is the case, heat the area to 350 F using a good heat gun and a handheld IR thermometer to get the right temp. 3. Dip the business end of the internal hex wrench into valve grinding compound before inserting it into the fastener to be removed. That will greatly increase the friction. Once you have sufficient experience, you can omit the valve grinding compound at the start as most fasteners will come loose without that, but you have to have enough experience to feel the initial stage of deformation of the socket and stop immediately if that begins and apply the compound before you damage the fastener too much to allow removal. To be on the safe side, and for critical fasteners, just take the time to find the compound and use it at the outset. It was nice to see you succeed in removing the plug without damaging the engine case.

Yeah don't use the ball end of the Allen wrench to get those plugs loose. Use the other end the straight end. Then you can flip it around and use the ball end once it's loosed.

Next time don’t use an adjustable wrench but rather a long extension with a 6point shallow socket to hold pressure in while you turn it and to control its angle holding it straight while it’s being turned. Also the heat from the heat gun is not significant enough to do anything. And you don’t want to heat the interior object you’re trying to turn anyway which would just expand it and make things harder. Fortunately for you you don’t have enough heat to matter and the aluminum probably absorbs it faster anyway. Although it absorbs it so fast that it probably also does practically nothing.

Grip edge rpt bit

Great to see you got yourself out of the s#%t, Stud extracors are good for Chevy Nova''s and lawn mowers! As they bite in, they expand what you have left of the plug and increase the bind! There are 3 things you do... 1. cook any chemical/sealant to beak it down - the heat gun wont do this, you need oxy torch or similar. 2. shock it - get a punch that is about the same size as the plug outer and hit it once hard with a decent hammer once it is cool again. 3.To rotate the plug, use a 45 deg chissel and work it around on the outer of what's left if it's an alloy plug, or tig weld on an old allen key if it's a steel plug (this also does the same as #1 so you weld on a straight shank & can hit the shank. NEVER use the grease trick if it's not your Chevy Nova or a lawn mower or you are 100% going to strip down the motor completely. Oh yeah, replace all the plugs with quality stuff, and don't assume because it comes from the manufacturer it is good quality!

You did get really lucky. Never use an extractor on anything. Throw them away. They break off often and then you are totally screwed. Instead, jam a torx or allen in there as tight as you can. Weld it in place. It will come right out. If you have a bolt twist off, then weld a washer on the remaining piece, then weld a nut to the washer. It will come right out.

Main point here everyone is missing is that the use of that type of plug is a piss-poor design to begin with. I thought the main reason for waiting forever for an overpriced Lycoming or Continental was for superior quality! What a letdown! You sure are a lot calmer about the situation than I would be because if they can't even use proper temporary hardware on a oil port , u gotta wonder where else have they cut corners on these engines???? Been a professional mechanic all my life and constantly get mad at engineers because most do not ever consider even basic maintenance in their design . Just the thought of running into this issue on a 50 thousand aircraft engine is appalling. I knew they were owned by China but they must be making em there too. Pitiful

Let's hope not!

That is a Lycoming engine. I worked on them for 34 years while employed there.

In my A&P school they would confiscate a Crescent wrench if they saw me with it anywhere near an airplane.

AeroKroil FIRST, Heat second followed by an impact hammer. Not a pneumatic air-impact hammer, a manual impact hammer. The kind you "peen" with a regular hammer.

The electric heat gun was not good. In that a small oxy - acetylene brazing tip to get more heat in a pin point location is your best bet. Smith brand makes some really nice small torches for brazing. But in this situation; precision heat placement is your best friend. Heat and Cool. Heat and Cool again - you might have to this several times of heating and cooling. Once you get all those low grade bolts out - go with high quality stainless steel socket allen head bolts and always use - Never--Seez Marine grade Lubricant on all bolt threads. Never--Seez Marine grade Lubricant is made by Bostik Company. Applying the Never-Seez will insure that the next time you need to do some service work the bolts will come out without a hassle.

I see a case going to that shop mechanic

Don't mount your red cube there!!! There are specific mounting (orientation) requirements that, if you don't meet them, you will have issues...

I don't care who you are, and if you're doing anything mechanical, you can't have enough extraction tools. Buy all that you can find, wait until you break a bolt, and have to remove it. Good work, by the way.

I'd be more worried about what the "rust-sand" material is on the inside of the plug...

That's a kill!

It is not a bolt. It is a plug!

Seriously?

It’s not a bolt. It’s a plug. If you don’t know the difference, then get a professional to work on your $40,000 engine. A couple extra bucks will be worth the peace of mind.

Get a can of croil penetrating oil. Grease trick plus magnent

Hey I’m in Redmond and am a A&P/IA/Pilot if you ever need any help let me know. Would like to connect sometime

That is not a bolt it is a plug and it is tapered and sealed in with a chemical sealant. Good quality tools will do better but the plug is soft steel.

that hair dryer is not hot enough. also get something that you can beat on with hammer and smack it 4 or 5 times damm hard

PLEASE! NEVER USE A WRENCH ON YOUR PLANE AGAIN! It hurts my eyes! Buy, borrow or steal some propper tools. I might use a wrench on some old car but NEVER on my bike or if/when I get my plane. It's like using a table knife as a screwdriver.

Next time use a impact driver with an extractor or a flat driver that bites into the bolt.

Just a Information note, what you are removing is a Plug!!!

forget my comment lol

Welder

Chinese metals

use ball end wrenches and never harbor freight tools

Just breathe. Its stupid crap like this that makes us all better at our work. I never learned a damn thing when it all fell into place.

Builder of N36LV here. My friend, I know you have the best intentions but firstly, this needed a pencil torch then quench not a glorified hair drier. And secondly, you used penetrating oil on an area where you needed maximum friction?!? I’m very glad you got it out but you should really have someone looking over your shoulder who knows what they are doing. That was truly straight-up amateur hour stuff. Sorry to be that guy.

Dude I admire your drive but maybe you shouldn't work on that video your that nervous. Those are not bolts they are socket head pipe plugs. Bolts have straight threads and those plugs will have a tapered thread.

Harbor Freight hex keys ..... shame on you . Get some Wera hex keys .

So stripping a hex head ruins a $40k motor. Overly dramatic.

I'm happy you got it out. But I'm a Retired Aircraft Mechanic of over 55+ years. This is going to be some constructive criticism. You're right. You are not an Engine Mechanic. There were several times you did things so wrong it was scary. Using the wrong tools can and always has resulted in major screw ups. You were very Blessed to get that Allen plug out. One of the first things you need to learn is PATIENCE. Slow down. It's good you reached out to others and got the other type of nut and bolt remover. Using a Heat gun wasn't the greatest idea. A torch or even a Bic Barbecue Lighter would have been much better. I've done it. Using a crescent wrench was scary. Ok. Enough of the negative. I'm proud of your sticking to it and not giving up. You got it out. That was actually very rewarding to see. When you have questions ASK!!.... There are lots of us old guys that would love to help you out..... Cheers.

Hopefully