Removing Plenum Pressed Fit Fittings the Easy Way

[Dynomite]

The removal of a Plenum Pressed In Fitting came up recently. One would want to remove the Pressed In Fittings if they are leaking or if you want to plug the port with a 1/8 inch NPT Aluminum Allen Head plug.

Uauallly the only way I am able to get such out including the coolant manifold bolts sometimes is to use a torch with a little heat. A reason not to use heat in some cases...it disturbes the original coating.

But you cannot use heat successfully if you do not have much left to grab with vice grips. You could drill but you have to be VEEERRY careful so as not to upset the base hole that is Aluminum....

1. First try vice grips and after you destroyed anything you can grab on to (if that is the case)....
2. use an Easy Out. Then after that does not work (if that is the case)....
3. Use an Easy Out inserted in the pipe with vice grips tight on outside and slowly wiggle (rotation) clockwise/counterclockwise many times untill the fitting loosens. If that does not work.....(The Drill Method has very recently worked perfectly for two of us independently.)

4. use a drill as follows.......
a. I would start out with drill bit that just fits inside the original tube.
b. Drill the length of that pressed in insert (the fitting I sent you should be clear on length of inserted part).
c. Go one size drill bit up and drill again....1/64 inch increments
d. Keep doing that untill the last pieces of the pressed in fitting come out which last drill bit should be less than hole diameter in the Aluminum.
e. Again....only go as deep as that new fitting indicates. This after you have exhausted all techniques of pulling with vice grips and easy out.
f. If you can get the drill bits in 1/64 inch increments the better. You have to keep the drill bit straight somehow.

5. Practice with the drill as having a very light trigger finger able to stop the drill and KEEP the drill bit just barely turning is key. Secondly...keeping that drill bit straight with the fitting without a drill press is also key.

JB Weld around the pressed in part of the fitting you will insert to correct any screw ups during drilling. If you get the fitting out without any damage to the hole in Aluminum, just use some Red Loctite around the fitting before inserting.

Removing a Pressed In Fitting

See also Removing Cam Cover Bolts the Hard Way

[Toranamat69]

Hi Guys,
When I stripped my plenum bare, I made a couple of little adaptors for my slide hammer, 1 for the small fittings, 1 for the larger size, a couple of very gentle taps each and I got all of the fittings out in a re-usable state with scarcely a mark on them, I only took me 20 mintues to make the little adaptors. The only ones I couldn't use it on were the coolant bleed 'T' and 'L' but those i carefully worked on twisting clock/anticlockwise on them with a rod that fitted perfectly inside.

Matt

[A26B]

Originally Posted by Toranamat69

Hi Guys,
When I stripped my plenum bare, I made a couple of little adaptors for my slide hammer, 1 for the small fittings, 1 for the larger size, a couple of very gentle taps each and I got all of the fittings out in a re-usable state with scarcely a mark on them, I only took me 20 mintues to make the little adaptors. The only ones I couldn't use it on were the coolant bleed 'T' and 'L' but those i carefully worked on twisting clock/anticlockwise on them with a rod that fitted perfectly inside.

Matt

How about a picture of the adapter Matt?

[Toranamat69]

Hi Jerry,
I'll find them soon - currently searching workshop.

I did a big cleanup about a month ago so now it looks great, I just can't find anything :-)

[Toranamat69]

Jerry,

No idea where my slide hammer is but I found the little adaptors to grab the press fittings with.

I started with a length of 5/8 UNC threaded rod.

1. Drill a hole up the end of the threaded rod the same as the OD of the non-flared bit of the fitting you are removing.

2. Using a 1mm cutoff wheel on the grinder - slot the end of the threaded rod down the centre about 5 or 6 threads.

3. Cut off this slotted end of the threaded rod to get the 2 little half moon pieces as shown in the pics.

4. Place either side of the fitting you are removing, lining up the thread on the 2 halves and wind a nut on. (A couple of turns is all you can go as you need the other half of the nut to connect to the slide hammer.)

5. Screw a piece of threaded rod into the other side of the nut and nip up finger tight.

6. Attach slide hammer to other end of threaded rod and they will pop out with very little effort - from memory, I actually removed the slide bit off my slide hammer and put it on the threaded rod and put another large washer and nut on the other end to hit against.

7. You will notice I have ground 1 nut down smooth so it is cylindrical - this was needed to squeeze between the runners and back of the flange where the throttle body goes as I couldn't turn the hex nut on a couple of them.

I think there is 3 sizes you would need to make for all fittings. I didn't have to remove the tiny one on the throttle body as Greg Van Deventer removed it when he did the 63mm throttle body mod.

If I was making a set to use all the time, I would probably also just countersink the hole in the end of the threaded rod a little bit with a larger drill before cutting and slotting as it would fit up against the flared bit nicely. My ones hardly marked them anyway though.

If you were worried about crushing them, you could poke a tight fitting bit of rod up the guts of the fitting first. The little adaptors I made do not try to crush the fittings though.

Hope that helps.
Matt

[LGAFF]

Actually if you use a set of Vice Grips; grab it by the base and rock it back and forth they will eventually loosen, can then sand down the grip marks.....thats for the ones straight in.

For curved I do the same but use the curve as a lever...works well so far.