If you have ever changed gear oil in a VW water-cooled transaxle, you have had to deal with that 17mm socketed drain and fill plug. In the past, people have used a 17mm allen key and also old lug bolts welded to a steel bar to fashion a removal tool, but those never worked well. A much better solution was a small adapter that let you use any 17mm socket or wrench that you already have (hint: 17mm is the size of the lug bolts on the wheels). The adapter will also work with an 11/16" socket or wrench and will also work with adjustable wrenches as well as with torque wrenches in case you prefer to torque your fill/drain pluigs.
17mm Socket Adapter | Removing drain plug |
Deluxe Adapter for deep sockets | Bolt adjusts for depth of socket |
And here it is. Pictured above-left is the adapter, 17mm hex alloy steel bar to fit whatever 17mm wrench or socket you have. Pictured above-right is the adapter fitted to a 3/8" drive ratchet and socket to remove the drain plug, but if you have a 1/2" drive socket, the adapter will work fine in that as well. Works equally well on fill plug, too. Advantages of the adapter is that you can use it with any 17mm socket, and all the extensions, ratchets, breaker bars, torque wrenches, air tools, you have. Also, for deep well sockets, such as shown on the lower row of images, we make a deluze adapter with a center threaded hole and bolt to allow the depth that the 35mm long adapter fits into a deep socket.
A couple of handy tips before trying to remove the drain and fill plugs are listed below:
Our default shipping method is USPS mail and default payment option is Paypal. If you wish to use a different shipping or payment method, please contact us prior to ordering. Let us know the item(s) you want, where and how you'll want them shipped to and we'll get back to you with a shipping quote and purchase information:
4Crawler Offroad contact link | MissingLinkZ contact link |
NOTE: Beginning 01.Jan.2021, we'll no longer be able to accept orders shipping to the UK via our on-line order system due to the VAT requirements. Click here for alternate ordering options.
If you are interested in this 17mm socket adapter, the cost is US$8.00 and the deluxe adapter is US$12.00 plus shipping. Note, socket/ratchet pictured below is not included, only the adapter. Via USPS First Class parcel.
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US Shipping | Canada | International |
Visitor # 25480 since 21.MAR.2002
[Last updated: 07.December.2022]