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Drain plug hole STRIPPED!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter s32k1
  • Start date Start date
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s32k1

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I did an oil change on my new to me '80 gs850 that had no leaks at all and when I was screwing the drain plug back in something didn't feel right so I stopped. I backed the plug out and there were metal threads falling out of the hole! :mad: What can I do now?
 
How bad is it? You can get one of those universal plugs kits like they sell for cars, or you can drill and tap the next size up, or you can chase the threads and clean them up and hope like hell htat works.
 
They make oversized(+1) drain plugs for situations like this. I have had to install more than a few over the years when I was turning wrenches for a living. Other option, replace oil pan.

The type that I favored is a two part bolt, meaning you thread it into the oil pan with the gasket and it stays. In the middle of that bolt is another bolt and gasket that you remove for future oil changes.

good luck,
Bri
 
Remove the sump and do a proper repair. You may need to remove the exhaust as well depending on what type of system you have.
 
I don't know about an 850, but on my 1150 it's the same thread as the spark plug. 14mm x 1.25. Drop the pan and fix it right. Helicoil.
 
Helicoil! helicoil! helicoil! Nothing better or more sure to hold.
 
I wouldn't use a heilcoil, they tend to unscrew when you take the bolt out. A Timesert insert is far better for things like spark plugs and drain plugs because they lock in place more secure than a helicoil.

That said, to repair the striped threads there are oversize drain plugs for just such a purpose. They are self tapping; you just torque them in. Napa sells them and a number of members here have reported positive results using them.

Good luck.
 
I've never had a helicoil come out from unscrewing the fastener in it. I'm not saying it couldn't happen. But considering I've made literally hundreds if not thousands of parts using helicoils...I'm just saying.
BUT you are entirely correct that timeserts and keenserts do have a positive locking component, and therefore may offer more peace of mind. Plus they have the added bonus of usually using a standard sized tap (usually the next bigger size), instead of a special STI tap(spiral threaded insert) designed just for the insert size. Good if you have access to lots of different tap sizes, but if not, you still need to purchase or borrow the right tap.
 
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TAP New hole

TAP New hole

Same thing happened to me on my new project. I opted to remove oil pan...which gave me an oppurtunity to clean out the inside and outside. I tapped to a 16mmx1.5 and installed a magnetic plug.
 
Like Greg said above, it COULD happen, I'm sure, but I've NEVER had a Helicoil insert back out on me either. I fix them with Helicoils all the time & NEVER had an issue yet! Plus, I have a tool that I use without even removing the pan & no metal in the engine! PM me & I'll send you a picture and the part # for the tool. Ray.
 
I had the exact same problem with the exact same bike recently. When I put the drain plug back in it felt "funny" & I thought I had cross threaded. It was a minor leak so I let it go to the next oil change. Turns out the PO had put a helicoil in & the darn thing failed.

I ended up with an oversize drain plug from the local parts store. I considered taking off the oil pan & doing it right, but didn't want to take the exhaust apart.
 
I had to deal with stripped drain plug myself

I had to deal with stripped drain plug myself

Finally, a subject I can comment on semi-knowledgeably.

When I bought my '83 GS650 (22K miles) last year, unbeknownst to me it came with a stripped drain plug. It had a slight oil leak when I got it, and when I tried to change the oil the first time, the plug just spun while tightening.

I tried to find an oversized plug, but my drain plug was 14x1.25, which seems to be a very difficult size to find *any* plug for, much less oversized.

So, first I tried some temporary fixes, as I wanted to keep the bike going for a while before I had time to tackel this. I tried high-temp, oil-safe thread sealant, and that did a pretty good job of reducing the leak. If you're looking for a cheap, temporary quick-fix, I'd recommend that. You can get a tube at a hardware store for less than $5.

I considered the helicoil option, but instead of drilling a bigger hole and then inserting threads, it made more sense to me to drill a bigger hole and then CUT new threads. I dropped the muffler, then pulled the oil pan. Got a 16x1.25 thread tap, and cut new threads. I then got a Fumoto valve ( http://www.fumotousa.com/ ), which basically replaces your oil PLUG with an oil VALVE. This means that you never have to take out your oil plug again. You just turn the valve, and the oil comes out. (I also have one for my truck, and they don't leak as you might think.) This means virtually no possibility of stripping the threads in the future! = ) The only disadvantage that I've found so far is that the oil comes out slower.

The hard part for me was finding a thread tap of the right size. I ended up buying a whole metric tap set to the tune of $200, but it's already paid for itself as I've used it for other things on the bike. Some auto parts stores will loan tools like tap sets, so if you're looking to go cheap, you could call around. It's harder to find a metric tap that big, though.

If you don't want to go with the oil drain valve, the local auto parts store had 16x1.25 drain plugs, as that's a more common size.

While you have the oil pain off, I'd suggest checking the oil screen to make sure nothing's gunked up on that. Also, on my '83 oil pan, there are 3 bolts that are longer than the rest, which took some head scratching initially to figure out. I'd also recommend replacing the oil pan gasket. When I did this the gasket was $15, and a whole kit (70 or so gaskets) was $80. I ordered a whole kit and I'm glad I did. I've used all but 4 of them now, and buying them seperately would have been much more expensive.

Once I had the tap set, this was a pretty easy job. (Though, I broke off 4 of the exhaust bolts in getting exhaust system off, which lead into a much more difficult job. If you do get the exhaust bolts off, make sure you put anti-sieze on them before putting them back in.)

Hopefully this helps somewhat. Good luck!
 
Craiger said:
Really? Seems the exhaust would be the easiest part of the project. :confused:
Click to expand...
Sultan said:
Though, I broke off 4 of the exhaust bolts in getting exhaust system off, which lead into a much more difficult job.
Click to expand...

Sometimes not, I know that feeling of trying to remove an exhaust that you hadn't put anti-seize on before....(SNAP)...
 
bgmart450 said:
Sometimes not, I know that feeling of trying to remove an exhaust that you hadn't put anti-seize on before....(SNAP)...
Click to expand...

Ah....good point. Fortunately, for those of us with 4-into-1s, removing the exhaust is at least an annual event.
 
i just had to fix the drain plug on my gs1100e. i used a time-sert in order to keep my original drain plug. i found one that would go in only as far as the material on the oil pan.used a lil jb weld to secure it in place and to make sure it was sealed. worked out great. oh it was a 14mm spark plug insert i used.
 
my plug stripped on my 750 and i got one of those self tapping one size bigger bolts, and put some rtv on the threads, i've done one oil change since this and i just have to go back and retighten it very carefuly after i ride it once, it works fine
 
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