Drain Petcock broke- Help

Was draining the block today, on my 2003 Merc. 4.3L MPI, and the blue drain vent petcock thing broke off. I need to figure out how to remove the remnants of the plug without dinging up the threads. The plug seemed rather stuck. None of the others gave me any problems.
This has to be a pretty common thing- can anyone please give me some pointers? At least it's on the top front of the engine, relatively easy to get to.

I'm wondering, too if it would be easier to work on if I pulled the housing. Never done that before, and I don't have the engine service manual.
I think it's manual #32.
So, (hint, hint) if anyone might know where I can "find" a loose copy of this, I wouldn't exactly be annoyed of somone helped me out here, or at least gave me their experience in dealing with this problem.
TIA

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

I'm wondering, too if it would be easier to work on if I pulled the housing. Never done that before, and I don't have the engine service manual.

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Ayuh,... That's what I'd do,.... It just screws out after you unhook any hoses, if so equiped...

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

Do NOT use an "easy out". I cracked a manifold once by trying to use an "easy out" to remove a brass one. The "easy out" split the brass and then kept trying to dig into the threads and it was too much for the cast iron. I hope knowing what NOT to do will help also.

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

If it's broken off to where there's nothing left to get vise grips on; then the only option I see is to use an easyout or drill it out and go to the next larger size pipe fitting. If it's cast iron, you could very carefully use heat on the fitting and put wax or oil on it while it cools. Then try the easyout again. Don't heat it too much or it will crack.

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

you can use an easy out, just don't go overboard jamming it in the remnants of the plug - its plastic anyways, the only thing you're gonna ruin is the broken plug

you probably don't even need to put a wrench on the easy out to turn out the plug

when installing the new plug, finger tight is all the more you need

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

drill a small hole and use a allen wrench,
heat up a screw and melt it in place,then unscrew the plastic remmants
remove the drain fitting and work on a bench

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

If the part is plastic, you should be able to heat it (with a HEAT GUN) until it is soft and remove it with a small screwdriver. If its brass put some Liquid Wrench on it and use a small easy out (just bigger than the hole) to turn it out . If you heat the brass plug with a torch the brass will heat up faster than the cast iron block and may get tighter?! IMHO
GOOD LUCK!

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

bugzy_1 said:

If you heat the brass plug with a torch the brass will heat up faster than the cast iron block and may get tighter?! IMHO
GOOD LUCK!

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You don't heat it to loosen it. You heat it so that when you apply oil or wax, it draws the oil down into the threads. Most of the time after it cools, it will come out very easily.

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'm glad that it's a plastic plug so I'm not too worried about it. I'm also glad that it's the easiest of the plugs to reach!
I've had to deal with a couple broken metal bolts over the years, and it was a royal PITA. Plastic should be much easier. Of course, it also broke much easier than brass might have?

Re: Drain Petcock broke- Help

I usually broke one of those plugs a year. I NEVER had one get stuck. Without the rubber gasket on the top part, the plug has no clamping force. It "should" just twist right out with a screw driver.
This was my "easy out" :




Worked every time. Even on the one in the fuel cooler that was upside down. Barely had to turn the broken part far at all, beofre it fell out.