Tech Tip-e30 brake rotors and differential

[VIDA]

replaced my rotors and differential fluid this weekend....

as a mechanic, i rarely have the good fortune to work on a repair that i performed. i don't know how much time i waste undoing someone else's shoddy work just to do it right way.

when removing my rotors, i discovered that all 4 locator bolts were at least 50% rounded out, so the last guy that replaced them simply reused the bolts. also anti-seize was not used, so the bolts were pretty much welded into place. i hate allen bolts for their tendency to strip out under any kind of torque. solution? soak with pb blaster, that's no secret. then use a 3/8" mechanical impact driver and your 5mm allen socket. insert the tool and blast away with a heavy mallet. after 3 or 4 blows, the impact breaks up corrosion and rust while the fractional rotation and high-torque from the driver carefully loosens the bolt. viola. pneumatic impact guns can work too, but they spin so quickly there can be a risk of rounding out the bolt even more. this tool's not a secret to all, but just informing those that aren't aware such a tool exists. beats drilling it out.

so i changed my diff. fluid this morning. i was able to remove the lower drain plug (i have the 10mm allen plugs), but i rounded out the upper fill plug. the clearance between the differential and spare tire well was tight that i could barely fit my ratchet and socket in. these things were on way too tight. snap on make a great screw/bolt remover set (#REX10B), sized from 1/8" to 13/32". they have a 1/2" hex head and are very stout, not like most "easy outs". i was able to use the 13/32" extractor-- leverage it in with a long wrench (no space to hammer it in properly). place a 1/2" closed-end wrench on the hex head and whack it with a hammer. several blows and it finally loosened up. (note: i didn't start out with a hammer, that was last resort. the 1/2" wrench was too short to apply any kind of torque. then i doubled up the wrench with a 19mm and bench-press-style tried to loosen bolt. the rear suspension actually began rising, but no bolt movement. then the hammer. like i said, this thing was really on way too tight!) after filling the the differential, i had to reuse my now-mangled fill plug (only temporary). i put it on finger tight then 1/8 turn with channel locks until i can get a replacement from the dealer in the morning.

hope this helps those whom encounter similar situations.