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Just replaced the oil sump gasket...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Canuck_gs
  • Start date Start date
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Canuck_gs

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I just recently replaced the oil pan sump gasket on my GS750. When I took the oil pan off there was a decent looking gasket in place, but the previous owner hadn't bothered to scrape off the scraps of baked on ancient gasket before installing...

Anyway, I have a few questions that came up in the process:

1) how tight should the oil pan bolts be? I don't want to squish the gasket to the point where it's ineffective and am not sure how tight it should be.

2) while I was cleaning the oil pan, the small magnet in the oil drain plug bolt came off. I've loosely wedged it back into the bolt, but I don't want this magnet being sucked into the engine or anything... should I remove it or leave it as is?
 
Tighten bolts to 7.2 ft lbs or 85 in lbs. Put the magnet back in the drain plug. The plug is steel and the magnet will stick to it.
 
You can also clean the drain plug WELL with some carb spray and the magnet also..dry well. Then place a dab of CONTACT CEMENT in the plug hole and on the end of the magnet and let it dry. Once dry, insert the magnet back into the hole. Remove all old gasket material from both the pan and the cases and be very carefull NOT to gouge the aluminum.
 
I don't have a torque wrench so I'm not sure how tight the gasket is; is there a more general rule of thumb (ie just hand tight, hand tight then another half turn, etc.)?

As for the magnet I'll take the plug out and dab some cement on if I can find my tube. If I don't glue it on it shouldn't be a problem, right? I've already washed both with carb cleaner so it should be ready to go :)
 
Gom to the local autom places that offer toll rentals and get you a torque wrench..and Harbor freight has them for less than 20 bucks. Got a buddy that is a mechanic..or one of his buddies?
 
Finger tight and a 1/4 turn or so more will be fine, just use a small 1/4" drive ratchet and finger tips only on it, pay attention to what it feels like, not how far you turn it. If the gasket starts to squeeze out around the bolt holes that's way too far. You should redo it again a few days later, just to see if anything came loose. Even a tiny inch pound torque wrench is likely to strip 6mm bolts threaded into aluminum if you are not used to using it, or if the threads in the case are worn. Too loose is no problem, so it leaks a bit. Too tight is a big problem.
 
So it turns out my brother had an adjustable torque wrench haha. I had all the bolts to spec, and the last one the bolt snapped clean off! Oh well, no leaks so far. I found some contact cement and glued the magnet on. Hopefully I can throw a battery on and start her up for the first time tomorrow :) Thanks for the help guys!
 
Canuck_gs said:
So it turns out my brother had an adjustable torque wrench haha. I had all the bolts to spec, and the last one the bolt snapped clean off!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's kind of what I was talking about.

tkent02 said:
Even a tiny inch pound torque wrench is likely to strip 6mm bolts threaded into aluminum if you are not used to using it, or if the threads in the case are worn. Too loose is no problem, so it leaks a bit. Too tight is a big problem.
Click to expand...

Did it break off flush or is it recessed down into the hole?
 
tkent02 said:
Yeah, that's kind of what I was talking about.



Did it break off flush or is it recessed down into the hole?
Click to expand...

Recessed unfortunately. If it ain't leaking it won't do any damage in there will it?
 
If it does leak, you can always redrop the pan, clean it all..gasket included..with some crab spray or laquer thinner and add a thin coat of Three Bond 1194 to each side in the area around the missing bolt. Should be ok since there isnt any pressure that the gasket holds back. Yamabond and Hondabond are the same thing as the Three Bond by the way.
 
Throw the torque wrench away or never use it again. You shouldn't be anywhere near snapping those bolts at that torque.
 
Unless some one before him was the madman and they were already stressed to the point of breaking...he may just be the unlucky bloke that finished it off!!
 
So another issue, it's leaking at the plug. I suspect it had a leak there previously and didn't purchase a new plug and washer. It's a slow leak, but here's something interesting. While tightening the nut it got fairly snug, then went slack and I could tighten it again; does this mean the bolt or bung is stripped? What's the next step?
 
hampshirehog said:
Throw the torque wrench away or never use it again. You shouldn't be anywhere near snapping those bolts at that torque.
Click to expand...

It definitely wasn't the wrench, the bike is just a wreck. It's been pretty abused by the looks of it, and based on the leak at the seal before I'm sure a previous owner just destroyed them.
 
Canuck_gs said:
It definitely wasn't the wrench, the bike is just a wreck. It's been pretty abused by the looks of it, and based on the leak at the seal before I'm sure a previous owner just destroyed them.
Click to expand...

Click torque wrenches will go off if dropped, or stored with the spring compressed...


Canuck_gs said:
So another issue, it's leaking at the plug. I suspect it had a leak there previously and didn't purchase a new plug and washer. It's a slow leak, but here's something interesting. While tightening the nut it got fairly snug, then went slack and I could tighten it again; does this mean the bolt or bung is stripped? What's the next step?
Click to expand...

That would be stripped... helicoil
 
So in the interim what's the best way to solve this issue? Any short term fixes? Also the wrench has been stored in my brothers tool chest in a plastic padded case, used only a handful of times at the most. I really can't imagine it was the wrench.

Thought, would it be cheaper to replace the oil pan?
 
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No simple shortcuts for you...sorry to bear the bad news. You are gonna have to drain the oil and remove the pan..again. May as well get the Three Bond 1194 too and dope it up when you reinstall the pan. Like was said..Helicoil it. AND use red loctite on the Helicoil insert. Once the Helicoil is in far enough that the plug with a NEW gasket will seat, youll need to dremel some slots into the coil ( or remove whatever sticks up on the inside ) so that when you change the oil, youll be draining all the old oil out. A spark plug gasket is the same thing as an oil pan gasket too. I tired one of those +1 oversized drain plugs from the auto parts store but couldnt get it to even start into the pan on my 78 1000..supposedly they are self tapping but i couldnt get it in. I wound up buying a pan from Joe Whelan. Im sure someone around here has a pan for real cheap. Put a add in the Parts Wanted section.


Get some new unstressed bolts too..just sayin.
 
I'm not going to lie, after spending $25 on this new gasket I'm not keen on spending more. Can i throw some liquid gasket sealer on top of the now half used gasket if I get a replacement pan? I've got a local salvage yard that usually has any component you could want and can probably get a decent pan there.
 
As long as the gasket comes off in one piece, yes reuse it. Add a smear of Three Bond 1194 to eaqch side and reinstallit as normal. I have use all kinds of RTVs and "gasket sealers" but for my time, money, and piece of mind..nothing beats Three Bond. Its formulated and made especially for motorcycles. Some lessons are cheap and some expensive.


EDIT.....Be sure to degrease the surfaces and the gasket real well before application of the 3 Bond.
 
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