UGH! HORRIBLE screw up- stripped oil drain

[Fishwishin]

Ok, so this situation is entirely on me- I screwed up!

I installed a gold plug when my '23 bike had 17 miles on it. I think what happened is I seated the plug right near 18lb with my regular socket and then I put the torque wrench to it. I remember the torque wrench clicking almost immediately as soon as I put some pressure to it. I expected however to get some more rotation into the drain plug before the wrench would give me the audible indication so I did not recognize the click right away and kept going. I got to a point of realizing I was putting too much pressure on everything and stopped and backed off hoping I was not too late and had not gone too far.

I backed the plug out until I saw some free threads and started over again. This time I just brought the plug into light contact with the case and hoped it would seat to 18lb without any issues. To my surprise it did seem to seat just fine at the specified 18lbs. Since that time I have been dreading the first oil change for fear of what I would find. My concerns have only been reaffirmed by the fact I was getting very small drips coming from the plug area since the gold plug was over torqued/installed.

Today was oil change day and I knew something was wrong as soon as I started to take the plug out. It was "draggy" all the way out until the last couple of threads, I never reached a point of being finger loose. When I took the plug all the way out it was full of thread material from the case. I knew it was ruined but I tried to seat the plug again anyways- nothing, almost a free spin.

What is the fix in a situation like this and provided I do not overdo it again in the future (lesson learned!) how durable/reliable is the fix?

Thank you

 

[Farmer Mike]

So others may have a "much" better solution, but I have actually seen this work. Buy one of those "drain plugs" where you don't have to actually take the plug out, just push in a hose or turn a valve... and JB Weld the thing in. I've seen these still in place years later working just fine.

 

[dmonkey]

I'm in the better solution camp, JB weld is not a permanent solution here. IMO take the time to do it right so it doesn't bite you again later.

Remove the right side crankcase cover same as you would for the oil spinner and filter screen cleaning. You'll want to purchase the right side crankcase cover gasket for this in case it tears when taking it off. Plenty of videos online of cleaning the oil spinner that will walk you through the steps and it's documented on this forum. Putting it back together can be tricky but it's made easy by laying the bike on its left side. Use a helicoil or time-sert to repair the stripped threaded hole. By opening the right side crankcase cover like this you'll have access to the other side of the drain plug hole where you can inspect and flush out any debris that made up there. There likely won't be much, but it's worth taking the time to be sure.

Saw a hose with a turn valve cause a lot of damage to a 1914 Harley-Davidson 10B last year. It didn't even get bumped open, the extra weight of it ripped it out of the case and the engine lost oil while in use. A reason you might not want to go to an oversize drain plug is that accidents, just like this one, happen. If at some point you or some other owner of the bike were to replace the drain plug with a different one for any reason, assumptions could be made that it is using the OEM thread size and someone might try forcing the bolt to work.

If you're not comfortable fixing it yourself, get some help from a friend or have a shop do it. Not worth doing a janky repair on a brand new bike.

 

[SLO]

Ok, so this situation is entirely on me- I screwed up!

I installed a gold plug when my '23 bike had 17 miles on it. I think what happened is I seated the plug right near 18lb with my regular socket and then I put the torque wrench to it. I remember the torque wrench clicking almost immediately as soon as I put some pressure to it. I expected however to get some more rotation into the drain plug before the wrench would give me the audible indication so I did not recognize the click right away and kept going. I got to a point of realizing I was putting too much pressure on everything and stopped and backed off hoping I was not too late and had not gone too far.

I backed the plug out until I saw some free threads and started over again. This time I just brought the plug into light contact with the case and hoped it would seat to 18lb without any issues. To my surprise it did seem to seat just fine at the specified 18lbs. Since that time I have been dreading the first oil change for fear of what I would find. My concerns have only been reaffirmed by the fact I was getting very small drips coming from the plug area since the gold plug was over torqued/installed.

Today was oil change day and I knew something was wrong as soon as I started to take the plug out. It was "draggy" all the way out until the last couple of threads, I never reached a point of being finger loose. When I took the plug all the way out it was full of thread material from the case. I knew it was ruined but I tried to seat the plug again anyways- nothing, almost a free spin.

What is the fix in a situation like this and provided I do not overdo it again in the future (lesson learned!) how durable/reliable is the fix?

Thank you

I will have to check, I will look at the service manual to see what size and thread. I would re tap it. If you have to buy it,you can sell it to the next Gorilla grip that does it on the forum.Should be as easy as it was to strip it. You could find an engine shop or machine shop,but you can do this. But a motorcycle lift is a must for old bones like mine.

 

[SLO]

You could use a rubber bung until you get around to it.Just file a groove in it to seat it around hole so it goes in,and where it is too big below the groove to go all the way in. Rev it ,get it hot,check and see if it leaks. Probably will last until you pull it out. GET BACK OUT THERE! Life is short. Smile while you ride. YEAHHH.

 

[m in sc]

overtap it. they sell oversized drain plugs for just this reason. drain oil, as stated. tap it for the oversized plug gently. get a shop vac, suck out any debris. gently seat new plug in, use and put about 1 qts of mineral spirits in motor. shake bike back and forth, pull plug out will flush out any leftover chips. reinstall drain plug and seat, gently. use a stat o seal, not a crush washer. you only need like 10-12 ft lbs. In 30+ years of doing this, ive never use a torque wrench on a drain plug, ever. but ive repaired a lot of drain plugs that have been fucked up by others. this one was so bad we cut the bottom out of the case and welded in a new plate and bung. this was the before, it was awful. due to over torquing and cracking the case. then they had it booger welded and just made everything way worse.

 

[sieg]

Sorry, this happened to you Fishwishin. But I've heard of more drain plugs stripped with torque wrenches than otherwise. Torque specs are for clean threads NOT lubricated threads! How do you keep oil out of drain plug threads Fishwishin?
I'll be cruel here. IMHO, two mistakes were made here. One fixing something that wasn't broken, replacing a functioning drain plug. Two if you need a torque wrench to replace the drain plug you shouldn't be doing oil changes.

As for the fix m in cs has the simple fix and a very good fix. But the Helicoil may be better as it uses stainless steel threads which will be stronger than the aluminum threads for the next time someone uses the "torque specs".

 

[m in sc]

the only issue i have w a helicoil is there isnt much depth and they can uncurl if the depth is shallow on the material. TBH, a time sert would be a better option that a helicoil, but, i agree, a thread insert would be best, but i don't know how feasible that is on this motor w the OP. (no offense).

Amazon.com

usually these can be found at local parts stores as well as soft seat sealing washers.

 

[oldskool]

You could use a rubber bung until you get around to it.Just file a groove in it to seat it around hole so it goes in,and where it is too big below the groove to go all the way in. Rev it ,get it hot,check and see if it leaks. Probably will last until you pull it out. GET BACK OUT THERE! Life is short. Smile while you ride. YEAHHH.

You are kidding.......right?

 

[Msfitoy]

On my truck, I use a Futomo ball valve...for the thread, you might look at helical thread repair kit? Or take it to a pro shop and have it done...

131Pc Thread Repair Kit HSS Drill Helicoil Repair Kit SAE Metric M5 M6 M8 M10M12 | eBay

8milelake 131 Piece Thread Repair Kit - M5 M6 M8 M10 M12. 5pcs Twist Drill Bits: M5, M6, M8, M10, M12. 5pcs Insert Installations: M5, M6, M8, M10, M12. 5pcs Lug Breaking Tools: M5, M6, M8, M10, M12. 110pcs Wire Thread Inserts: 25pcs M5, 25pcs M6, 25pcs M8, 25pcs M10, 10pcs M12.

www.ebay.com

 

[m in sc]

heres another issue w the helicoil type repairs.... the tail. unless you really know what you are doing the tail will get in the way, and its hard to get them to break off clean and allow a thread to pass all the way through w out pushing the coil out of shape at the end IN the cases. . I used those kits on amazon, they are as good as a genuine helicoil kit for a fraction of the cost, BUT, again, can be an issue. and they are pretty shallow, too shallow for a drain plug.

 

[dmonkey]

Sorry, this happened to you Fishwishin. But I've heard of more drain plugs stripped with torque wrenches than otherwise. Torque specs are for clean threads NOT lubricated threads! How do you keep oil out of drain plug threads Fishwishin?
I'll be cruel here. IMHO, two mistakes were made here. One fixing something that wasn't broken, replacing a functioning drain plug. Two if you need a torque wrench to replace the drain plug you shouldn't be doing oil changes.

As for the fix m in cs has the simple fix and a very good fix. But the Helicoil may be better as it uses stainless steel threads which will be stronger than the aluminum threads for the next time someone uses the "torque specs".

It's likely a wet torque spec and takes into account a replacement washer specifically for that reason.

Sounds like compounding issues of not having a feel for how tight is too tight before even putting a torque wrench to it, and then not being familiar with the click-type torque wrench. If Fishwishin decides to do the repairs themself they'll be a better mechanic from the hands on experience of it, though it was an avoidable mistake.

With the right side crankcase cover off you'll be able to easily measure the thickness of the case where the drain plug seats. That info can be used to buy an M12x1.5 time-sert of the correct depth. A little taller will just leave a little more oil in the engine when draining, but you should be able to find something pretty close without being too short. You'll want to buy the kit and an insert or otherwise piece together what you need, but for the reasons mentioned as pitfalls of the helicoil, a time-sert is likely a better solution for the drain plug hole.

M12x1.5 Inserts – SHOP TIME-SERT

time-serts.com

 

[m in sc]

-IF- you are going to go that route just bend a paperclip end to a short 90 degree L (like 3-4mm), put up in the hole, hang it from the inner side, and mark the bottom edge of the paperclip w a sharpie. pull it out and measure from bottom of L to the top of the sharpie line. there's your depth measurement. no reason to pull engine covers.

 

[Farmer Mike]

Fishwishin, suffice it to say there are many ways to get to Disney World... you just have to pick one. I thought when I retired, things would be much simpler... In a previous life, I sat in MANY meetings as we were working out just how much radiation you could give a man by performing radiological procedures (diagnostic, and/or invasive), before you crossed the line of attempting to help him, and drifted into harming him... I think it may have taken us 10 years to settle on a safe standard, and it's been tweaked a bit over time since then. The body rids itself of radiation over time, so it's a complex algorithm with rolling windows based on the various types of radiation in play, when the body received various doses, size and weight of the patient, and their state of health... I had joy of writing the software that would factor in all these things, and fire a popup (if necessary) to advise anyone ordering yet another radiology procedure on a given patient, that maybe you should wait 6 weeks, and or weigh the pro's and cons of cooking him vs. letting him die. I think Bones was right... we are barbarians.

Whatever you do, do not ask just how much drag should be on the feeler gauge when setting the valve tappet spacing... just saying.

I can't even imagine the conversations at NASA about how to land on MARS.

 

[dmonkey]

I agree, take a step back before doing more work on it. Evaluate the different solutions as there are multiple options that will get the job done.
It's not necessary, but personally I'd want to inspect the other side of the through-hole after tapping it and installing either a time-sert or helicoil to make sure the shavings are flushed, confirm you have retrieved the tang of the heli-coil if you go that route, or make sure the time-sert has expanded properly into the case sitting flush and without cracking after reinstalling the drain plug since that expansion is what holds it in place. Someone else might just pay someone else to fix and and be fine with not knowing what was done as long as it holds oil again, and that's fine.

I can't even imagine the conversations at NASA about how to land on MARS.

I don't have lander experience (yet), but as a professional space nerd working in Mission Ops with my name on a probe currently orbiting Mars, I can tell you the conversations for most missions consist of months to years of enthusiastic discussion and debate by email, ticket, and in committee meetings with the principal investigator(s) before decisions are made. Mission planning is reused as much as possible to expedite timelines and reduce costs. Nobody wants to budget for reinventing the wheel, but corners are also rarely cut where it matters. People tend to RTFM, FOD isn't left behind, and even the students in engineering aren't tightening a fastener to gutentight. It's a different world from small engine repair, and the desired benefits are always top of mind. Working on your own vehicle that's used for your own enjoyment and transportation, you get to call the shots and make your own decisions toward the desired outcome.

 

[m in sc]

or, just KISS and get an oversized drain plug. 6 dollar solution. you guys brainfuck the simplest shit to death sometimes I swear.

 

[TrailBoss]

or, just KISS and get an oversized drain plug. 6 dollar solution. you guys brainfuck the simplest shit to death sometimes I swear.

Party pooper!

Personally, I was rooting for the Fumoto/JB Weld solution. I had a Fumoto valve on my 2001 Dakota because if you yanked the drain plug it would dump two quarts of oil directly into the skid plate. Handy devices. Plus the wonder of a JB Weld repair. What's not to love?

 

[m in sc]

how about a wine cork with a wood screw in it, to expand it, swathed in ultra blue rtv? (ive actually seen this.. it was....glorious)

 

[SLO]

how about a wine cork with a wood screw in it, to expand it, swathed in ultra blue rtv? (ive actually seen this.. it was....glorious)

The corks used today on wine bottles are not actually cork bark, and I have shaped them for plugs for other stuff,like gas can spouts with missing caps and plugs for holes in kayaks or some other boat .
You are kidding.......right?

 

[SLO]

You are kidding.......right?

Best idea to get back on the bike until you stop over thinking. One of my tractors had a rubber bung holding in the hydraulic oil,and I overheated it,and it blew it out along with hot oil, It probably saved something else from blowing out. I might have had too much oil in it,but I was definitely over working the little fella.