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broken oil cap

kerrfunk

kerrfunk

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
8740156008_591a0e7ef3_z.jpg


The lip of the cap snapped as I tried to remove the cap. So... how do I get it off?

And are they standard / common to most / all GSes? I see a cap on ebay for six bucks, listed under GS450. This is a 650.
 
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Use a hammer and some sort of drift to turn it, like a screwdriver or something to drive it counterclockwise. Channelocks, Vice grips, anything like that should work.

As far as I know they are the same on all of the GSes. Suzuki still carries them, pretty cheap too.
 
Suggestions above are pretty solid but if all else fails, you can remove the clutch cover (remember to buy a new gasket as well), drill two holes in to the cap, drive a couple of stout screws in, and lever it out.

I suspect the caps are very common among models, but check the parts fiches to verify.
 
eil said:
Suggestions above are pretty solid but if all else fails, you can remove the clutch cover (remember to buy a new gasket as well), drill two holes in to the cap, drive a couple of stout screws in, and lever it out.

I suspect the caps are very common among models, but check the parts fiches to verify.
Click to expand...

The channel locks are not getting the job done, and there's less and less cap to grab on to. Makes the above picture look pretty good ;) . I 'spect I'll be removing the clutch cover.
 
kerrfunk said:
The channel locks are not getting the job done, and there's less and less cap to grab on to. Makes the above picture look pretty good ;) . I 'spect I'll be removing the clutch cover.
Click to expand...
Genuine vice-grips will work- no problem as long as there's something left to bite on.
 
You could tap it round using a sharp chisel on the edge and hit it with firm smacks like Tom says, you have to be firm because there's an o ring under that and rubber will tend to spring.
 
Yes, I'm doing leftyloosy :)
I have made that mistake before, when trying to get the oil plug off under the bike. Upside down and I forget which way is righty or lefty..

I was not the last person to put the cap on, and I don't know when the cap was off last.

I have not tried any heat.

And there is just no good place to grab it any more. The sides are getting real chewed up and I decided to walk away :)
 
Got a dremel??? Make a slit in the cap and use the biggest flat tip bit for the impact driver you have.. Heat the crap out of it and do the impacting with it hot. Obviously you dont need to worry about punching thru it..its already junk so beat on it good.

By gawled up, you mean the outer rim of the cap? It would seem some simple channel locks on the outside would snap it loose rather easily!!
 
I like the dremel idea, but...

I have removed the engine cover bolts, I've removed the oil plug and the oil filter and its cap... and the engine cover seems pretty happy to stay right where it is. There's not a great grab spot for it, really the only lip is under the oil level window.

Any tips for removing the engine cover? (gawd I feel like a noob)
 
It sitting on the dowels. Take two putty knifes and go in at the back top and front top. Gently tap them in right down into the gasket. Get them in 1/4 inch or so and twist them at the same time to get working the cover free of the gasket and the engine crankcase. Once you get a gap started you can use your fingers to grip and wiggle it off.

Set the bike on the side stand and maybe only a few ounces of residual oil in the sump will come out. Lay some rags on the floor under the bike and have a few ready to wipe the exhaust and your hands. Just soak up the oil in the sump once youve opened it up.

If the oil filler cap is off ( in your case it isnt though ) the handle of a long screwdriver ( or wood dowel ) down the hole and levered between the clutch pressure plate and a little outward pull will usually snap the cover loose.
 
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Another thought here...Why cant you put the cover bolts back in and dremel the slot? If its not leaking and all you want is the cap off, then why ruin the good gasket?

I would try that before having to clean all the hardened on stuck gasket material off the engine and the cover!!!
 
Just use a chisel and hammer to remove the cap by hitting it near the radius on the remaining upright unbroken part. By hitting down and lefty loosey, it will come undone rather easily.
 
KKBS...from what I gathered he hadnt tried to remove it yet with much force. Thus his question...you cant expect it to " just pull off" And yes, the gaskets sealed between the oarts CAN be that much of a biitch to get loose.
 
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I also have had guys that got there before me grip the dowels with pliers of vice grips to remove them and slightly "egg" them out. Then the dowels get a hold of the cover ( which is forcable reinstalled ) and the damned thing is like it has been welded to the engine after that.
 
With the cover off, I would just take the dremel and make a slot big enought to accept the biggest flat tip bit my impact driver has and whack it loose.

He said earlier he has ghawled up the entire perimeter of the cap, so obviously the channel lock to grip the outer rim has failed. I have never had one seal like he is explaining though. Sometimes just pure brute force is the ticket for the day.
 
How about using your Dremel with a cut-off wheel to make a couple of "flats" on the sides of the plug? :-k

Then, it would be a simple matter of using a Crescent wrench to remove it.
icon_shrug.gif


.
 
Oh, if I had a dremel I'd probly have tried it already ;)
That's why I say I like the idea.

I'll get this thing eventually.
 
If I was in your position, I would get the cap as cold as possible, however I could, and use a pencil-flame torch just below the cap, no heat on the cap, in any case, and use a hammer and 1/4" chisel on the remaining 'land' of the cap, patience is the key.
 
tatu said:
You could tap it round using a sharp chisel on the edge and hit it with firm smacks like Tom says,
Click to expand...

habsdoc said:
Just use a chisel and hammer to remove the cap by hitting it near the radius on the remaining upright unbroken part. By hitting down and lefty loosey, it will come undone rather easily.
Click to expand...

recycled64 said:
in any case, and use a hammer and 1/4" chisel on the remaining 'land' of the cap, patience is the key.
Click to expand...
This......
 
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