I drained the antifreeze recently and I knew exactly what you're talking about.
I did not remove the splash shield at all b/c I didn't want to break the pushpin thingy.
Initially, I tried to squeeze my hand through the small hole (like you did) and it was impossible to grip the drain plug.
After 15 minutes of trying, I could see a different opening toward the middle of the splash shield.
The splash shield was flexible enough that I used one hand to pull the opening large enough to squeeze my forearm in.
Sure enough, I was able to get my forearm in far enough to twist the drain plug.
(Wear long sleeve shirt if you want to avoid scratches on your arm ).
I just let the old coolant run out, some of which landed on top of the splash shield and had to be sponged dry later.
Maybe next time, I make some kind of paper funnel to avoid the spill.
Use a long pair of needle nose pliers and try to not grasp it but to make the twp prongs of pliers to twist the drain plug. If the pliers can't be oriented to twist the plug then do as the previous poster said and reach in the other hole with needle nose pliers and try that way. Always worked well for me
The plastic push pin removal tool offered by Harbor Freight and others is one of the best tools for a DIYer. It seems all modern vehicles use these types of fasteners in one application or another. I use mine all the time it seems. You can drop the shield once and enlarge the access hole provided with a Dremel tool, key hole saw or utility knife. The shield is fairly robust/rigid and not a flimsy piece of ABS plastic. I suppose you could enlarge the access hole with the shield in place but if your tool runs off course or slips you could create some other collateral damage. Cut at your own risk.
Thanks guys. I tried the opening towards the middle. I am to reach it. But the darn valve is tight, and with the small space, I can't muscle enough leverage on the valve.
It looks like I might need to remove the shield. And according to txn, some will get to the shield anyway, removing it may be a good idea.
7triple, is this the tool you're referring to? Push Pin Pliers
Where can I buy those clips? That way, I have spares if I break some.
Can you point me to the exact picture of the angled plier that you used ?
How do you use the plier ? Did you put the plier through the square hole below the drain plug ?
Yes, I used the pliers and reached thru the square hole under the drain plug. Think of the plug as kinda shaped like a "wing nut". In my case the plug was tightened where the "wing" is going vertical. With the pliers, I grabbed it the "lower wing", and turn the handle right (so the plug goes counter-clockwise. All I need was to break it loose. After breaking it loose, I snaked my arm thru the hole next to the tow-hook point, and loosen it more by hand... that way, I won't have coolant running down my arms if I loosen it from the square hole.
Just remember not to grab the plug too tight. It is plastic, and can break if you grab it tight with pliers.
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