Has anyone ever filled the head unit from the drain plug? Or is this just a silly question?

I have zero access to the fill plug up top and short of removing the charge side piping, possibly the radiator hose or removing the head unit itself I see no way I'm going to have access to the screw up top.

I'm running ATI's FMIC and the charge side piping runs right over where the head unit sits, as well as the radiator hose and a few other lines.

I called Bob and Procharger and neither had heard of being able to fill it through the drain plug, but Procharger stated it would probably be possible. Don't really want to be the guinea pig considering it's a lot of money to rebuild a head unit that's not even paid off yet

I have the drain relocation hose kit that I'm not using since access to the drain hole is relatively simple. The thought was to attach it to the drain plug and run it up above the head unit and then fill it. Obviously I'd have to account for how much oil the line held (that's easy). Just not sure if this idea would actually allow the oil to be fed into the head unit properly.

Any input would be appreciated. I did try searching btw

 

im not sure its worth the risk. i dont see you being able to feed in the pressure , and gravity is a hard thing to beat to begin with. do it right man. it sux.

 

That's what I was thinking too. Just figured I'd ask the question anyway as a few friends mentioned it as an idea and it never popped into my head at all to go that route until then. I'm attempting to make a long, flexible screwdriver to try to snake it in there, but I don't see me being able to get access. I've tried to remove the charge piping with no luck. After so many heat cycles the rubber couplings are pretty much part of the piping now.

I attempted this after being outside in the yard all day in 95 degree heat so maybe now that my head's a little less full of frustration when I go back into the garage I'll figure out a simpler way to get the screw out and pull the dipstick.

 

Did you get oil back in it? The heat yesterday didn't help any.. Bob

 

If heat made the silicone coupler stick to the charge pipe, then use a little heat to get it off as well. Grab a hair dryer and some WD40 and slowly work around the seal with a small screwdriver and a hair dryer working it loose. Once you get a little wd40 in between the silicone and the pipe, it'll pop off pretty easy.

Then to fill it, I used a hose that was 12-14" long and was able to snake around the rest of the stuff in the way.

I can't see any way to fill it from the drain hole to answer your original question.

 

You could put the car on a rotisserie and flip the car upside down and fill it that way, jk.

 

Haha. They may be easier. I haven't messed with it anymore since Saturday. I'll be working on it again Thursday night. Thinking with a helping hand we should be able to knock it out without too much headache.

In the event I have to remove the charge side piping, I'll try the hair dryer and WD-40 idea.

Thanks for the replies.

 

Remove the clamp from the throttle body and the clamp at the 45deg. elbow, disconnect the methanol hose to nozzle and maf connection then twist it off the throttle body from there it should free up the other connections. I'd personally stay away from putting wd40 on connections. It's not an easy task by any means Sorry Im on closer or otherwise i'd swing by and do it for you.

 

Well, the counter measure for wd40 on silicone is to spray some hairspray on them when re-installing. It helps to lubricate as you slide it on, but when it dries, it becomes sticky and helps to seal the connections.

 

I've just never been a fan of using a lube on charge pipes. I installed this whole kit less then a year ago for John I can tell you this I made sure the pipes weren't blowing off. I'd just try how I suggested and see if you can peel it out before using lube and heat

 

Thanks for chiming in. I had planned on removing it from the TB as that looked to be the easiest route. I have made the hose to attach to the oil container lid provided by ATI, so filling it should be easy and mess-free once I get the screw out. I'll let everyone know how it goes. Might have some time tonight also, but most likely Thursday is when I'll be free to work on it. I also have a screwdriver which is bent on the end and that is what I planned on using to run in-between the connector and pipe/TB prior to pulling it off. I definitely will take caution when removing it and be sure to mark and clock things when re-installing.

 

It's a tight fit as you can see. Sounds good John Good Luck man! I replaced the blue coupling also with a even longer black coupling I'm sure that isn't helping either

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasty_nates_performance/5808402100/ ,Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasty_nates_performance/5807836863/ ,Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasty_nates_performance/5808402620/ ,Flickr

 

Haha no, it's not. That pipe is in there several inches at the 45 degree bend! I'm confident I'll get it apart though. Even if I have to get out my sawzall lol. Kidding of course.

Here are some more pics:

 

how often do you have to change the fluid?? having the same issue..

 

Procharger recommends every 6K miles.

 

Oil has been changed! Took me about an hr after I had all the right tools.

Tools:
- 18" long homemade screwdriver
- 24" long pick-up tool (the one that is flexible with a little claw at the end)
- 18" clear plastic hose that is about 3/8" diameter (fits over the oil bottle nozzle)

With the 18" long screwdriver I was able to unscrew the screw. I then used the pick-up tool to grab the screw head and pull it up and out of the head unit. The dipstick attached to the screw is about 7" long, but flexible so it came out relatively easy.

I then took a small piece of straight 1/4" diameter plastic and pushed it onto the end of the hose I cut. 3/8" OD was too big to fit into the hole of the head unit,but pushing that little straight piece into the end of it fit perfectly and was really snug inside the hose so there was no chance of it coming off once I got it into the hole.

Took the other end of the hose and pushed it up over the end of the oil can nozzle and proceeded to fill it. I kept getting air bubble so I cut a hole in the bottom of the oil container to let air in and filled it slowly. Barely spilled any at all. There was about a 1/2" diameter small puddle on the garage floor after I was done.

Screwing the screw back in was a bit difficult. It didn't want to start. Had to mess around with it awhile, but finally got it then used the long screwdriver to tighten it up. The screw looked a little crooked, but it went in easy so I don't think I cross-threaded it at all. I even unscrewed it some once I had it going to make sure it unscrewed easy and it did. The threads on the screw are coarse threads so I doubt again that I could have screwed it in wrong.

Now that I know how to do it, it wasn't all that bad.

Hopefully will get the car out now on the next nice,sunny day!

If anyone wants to see pics,let me know. I didn't take any of the dipstick itself. I can take pictures of the tools I used though,or the hose.

 

I'm glad to see you got it filled back up! Bob

 

Thanks, Bob. Been sitting awhile bc I've been really busy. Can't wait to start getting it out again.