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Oil change disaster...

46K views 85 replies 49 participants last post by  LouG 
#1 ·
Is it possible to strip threads on oil pan by just removing an oil drain bolt ?
I had a hard time getting it out. Whole bike was moving when I was working on it.
I was trying to be carefull putting it back in. I was using torque wrench but as I was trying to get right force I noticed bolt getting loose. Once I took it out I also got shavings with it. So I'm not a happy camper now...
So this whole situation just sux, especially on the brand new bike. I'm still not sure how this happend. I talked to a dealer, they said that it would not get stripped on the way out, so basically it's my fault bc I forced it. We were talkin about putting "timesert" in it. Obviously cheaper then replacing the oil pan.
But when I talked to a guy at different shop he was tellling me not to go with that. He is saying get new parts, replace the whole thing, but that would run almost $600. I think the estimate was high on labor. It was about $240 on that alone.
What you guys think? Anybody has experience using timesert on oil pan ?
Am I the first person to mess up the bike on regular oil change ?
 
#2 · (Edited)
is this the first oil change?

it's misleading to tell you that the pan would not get stripped when the plug is on the way out, because if the drain plug was over torqued on the previous install, then the next time the plug is removed the threads in the pan will come out with the plug... sometimes looking like a spring or coil of metal wrapped around the drain plug.

something like this:



or this



Don't consider a new pan. Use a Timesert and you'll have drain plug threads that are better/stronger than stock and will never strip out again (unless you're a gorilla).

All repairs of threads, regardless of the type of repair, depend absolutely on accurate drilling AND tapping.

Do NOT be lazy and take a shortcut and try to do the repair without removing the oil pan. The repair will end up crappy and it will always weep/leak. To do it properly, you'll need to remove the pan.
 
#54 ·
I'm new on the forum, but I've seen this before. What you have are pictures of pulled thread inserts (like Heli-coil). Improperly installed thread inserts that pull out cause a huge mess.
Is there a thread insert in the oil drain hole from the factory? That would be nice, but it's doubtful they'd screw up installation there. It's hard for me to imagine anything other than a machine doing that sort of thing...
are they being made in India or China?
 
#5 ·
Thx I was thinking to maybe do that , but after messed up oil change I'm iffy about doing pan myself since I never done one before.
Lucky Devil if I go with timesert then I will pay somebody to do it and pan will definetelly come off.
 
#4 ·
It is first oil change and bolt was really tight from factory. The shavings I got out looked pretty similiar to that picture, just wasn't one piece like that. It looked more like couple seperate cicrles. I'm not ruling out that it was my doing either, but I was using torque wrench to avoid this kind of situation.
Now I'm thinking maybe my torque wrench is shot ? Or is Yamaha crazy with 31ft of torque for drain bolt ?
Come to think of it once I removed the bolt the washer was pretty flat on it. So maybe there was too much force on it ?
I just don't know and I'm going crazy over this.
I guess that's what I get for not trying spend money at dealer for first service.
 
#78 ·
It is first oil change and bolt was really tight from factory. The shavings I got out looked pretty similiar to that picture, just wasn't one piece like that. It looked more like couple seperate cicrles. I'm not ruling out that it was my doing either, but I was using torque wrench to avoid this kind of situation.
Now I'm thinking maybe my torque wrench is shot ? Or is Yamaha crazy with 31ft of torque for drain bolt ?
Come to think of it once I removed the bolt the washer was pretty flat on it. So maybe there was too much force on it ?
I just don't know and I'm going crazy over this.
I guess that's what I get for not trying spend money at dealer for first service.
If you're concerned about the job being done right, you'll probably be a lot more concerned that whoever the shop has doing the job. I'm regularly checking my torque wrenchs against each other. If they're not in the ballpark of each other (they always are) I'll think maybe I've got a bad one and investigate further. Kind of like tire pressure gauges. If they don't agree, which one is right?
 
#12 ·
Honda East-Toledo has the pan for $119.60 and the oil pan gasket for $10.48. A new oil drain plug and washer is.. $4.41 and $1.24. There would be shipping involved also, depending on where you live I would guess. Here is a link to the page....

Parts Finder Honda East Toledo Maumee, OH 1-877-437-1631
 
#15 ·
You were using a torque wrench to remove? I generally wouldn't do that. Seems all 09s come with the drain plug really tight, wouldn't be surprise me if it came from the factory damaged.

Also, because the bolt is upside down it is easy to get mixed up and turn it tighter when you are trying to take it off..., so maybe it is your fault. Not casting stones, I have to be careful about it too lol.
 
#39 · (Edited)
No,no I wasn't using torque wrench to remove the bolt. I did use it to put it back in that's why I'm so mad that it still got messed up.
I'm sure I was going in right direction. It's easy when you just set a wrench the right way.
I keep thinking maybe my torque wrench failed and I just kept going with it like an idiot :(
At the end, washer on the drain bolt is so squeezed that doesn't want to separate.
 
#17 ·
#18 ·
Same thing happened to me. Except I did the exact thing mentioned by V2Bob. I turned my drain plug the wrong way while removing it. I ordered the oil pan, actually they call it a strainer cover assembly for $112 from Partshark.com. That part includes the drain plug and washer. The gasket was about $10 i think. I dropped off the bike at the mechanic and he called me to tell me it was done before I even made it back home.
 
#22 ·
I kind of was doing this mistake too till my super who was hanging around came and stopped me. I think initially, we pulled a bit to the wrong side and it felt really tight. Then we pulled the right way and it came out much easy! The bolt went in fine and have done nearly a 1000 miles since the oil change. So far, no leak. Phew!

Are all drain bolts the same size? Are magnetic bolts a better option?
 
#19 ·
Could have been cross threaded from the factory like one of my fork tubes was.

Cap was still white knuckle tight after unseated for 4 full turns before it loosened up.
 
#20 ·
Option 1: Get the new pan and gasket. I just looked at mine...shouldn't be a difficult process. Probably an hour taking your time.

Option 2: Drop the pan and have a local welding shop drill out the damages threads and weld in a bung. Probably pretty cheap.

Option 3: Timesert/thread repair kit. Will work but your dropping he pan anyway due to metal shavings while drilling and tapping.

Option 4: Drop pan. Drill out and retap drain hole using larger size bolt.

FWIW mine was stupid tight from the factory also. I don't use a torque wrench on drain bolts--never have and have done hundreds of changes. On bikes I use a new crush washer everytime, snug with a little calibrated "extra" and it's done.
 
#21 ·
I just replaced my pan... 110 bucks and it was easy to do.
 
#26 ·
I can say the drain bolt and filter were VERY tight the first change. Much easier next time around, filter hand tight and drain plug snug. Always has worked for me on all bikes and vehicles. Oh, and have fresh crush washers on hand.
 
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#29 ·
As others have said, 31 pounds is insane for a drain bolt in an aluminum pan. Just snug it down with a 3/8 ratchet, gently, of if you want to use a torque wrench, set it for 10 pounds. There are a few typo's/mistakes in the manuals for this bike, including the rear axle nut at 108 pounds....WTF!?
 
#44 ·
All 4 of my Yamaha's are over 100 #/' for the rear axle. If I didn't torque the FJ12s to at least 108, it would shift forward on the drive side.....
 
#30 ·
I've probably done 100's of oil changes on various bikes over the years (43 years of riding) and I've NEVER ONCE had to replace the crush washer on the oil drain plug......and I've never had one leak. I know that little washer isn't expensive or anything, but why replace it if it doesn't leak when you are done......I'm just sayin'
 
#32 ·
My first oil change it wasn't the drain plug-it was the filter bung. Went to remove the filter and after a half turn it just stopped. Tried a little more with the filter wrench and the can collapsed.Ended up carefully cutting away the shell with a sharp chisel then carefully removing the media(didn't want anything going into the clean center port)and then using a blunt punch and hammer tapping against the dirty oil inlet holes of the end plate to get it off. The spud threads were severely galled. I removed it-a 27mm deep socket-and used a 1.5mm thread file to clean it up.New filter spun on no problems.Showed the old part to my dealer-ordered a replacement.I have been a professional mechanic for 40years and i gaurantee this was a factory screw up on assembly. By the way 31 ftlbs is way to tight for the drain plug-use 17 if you insist on a torque wrench. Jeff
 
#35 ·
If I'm not mistaken, the heim that is on the shift pedal is the one that is left hand threads. I replaced mine when I converted it to GP shift.
 
#37 ·
I just use a socket, and make sure the rachet is set to loosen and not tighten. That way, even if i'm upside down, i'm never making the mistake.

HOWEVER, on my 600mile change, i did overtighten the bolt, damn el cheapo torque wrench wasn't clicking, so i kept tightening, til the point i said nah this is not right! i loosened it back to hand tight plus a little extra snug... Anyway, if i've stripped it on the next, at least i know its only $150 ish to fix.
 
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