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Old November 1st, 2018, 01:34 PM   #1
dodgerdad
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Stripped drain plug threads

My new (2007) bike is now running and ready for an oil & filter filter change and oil screen cleaning. I knew the drain plug was likely damaged as it wouldn't tighten so I have a new OEM plug on hand.

I removed the drain plug and it turns out it was just held in place by blue Loctite. The new plug goes all the way in without even threading it, so clearly the case threads are stripped.

I removed the oil filter in hopes that I could access the top of the drain opening through that big orifice in order to remove shavings from inside the case if I use a heli-coil type product, but no luck.

I'm now considering just using teflon tape (safe up to 300 degrees)to create a seal and safety wiring the drain plug head in order to keep it from working itself loose. I know this is a ghetto solution but do I have any other reasonable options?
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Old November 1st, 2018, 02:16 PM   #2
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Don't use teflon tape, it greatly reduces friction and your drain-plug will vibrate loose and fall off. If you really want to fill gap in loose & damaged threads, use something that's not quite so slick, like masking, duct or gaffer tape.

Many, many solutions to repair with longer-term results than tape...

Here's an easy one... Piggyback bolt - bolt within a bolt
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Old November 1st, 2018, 02:28 PM   #3
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J B Weld! Great stuff!
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Old November 1st, 2018, 03:28 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DannoXYZ View Post
Don't use teflon tape, it greatly reduces friction and your drain-plug will vibrate loose and fall off. If you really want to fill gap in loose & damaged threads, use something that's not quite so slick, like masking, duct or gaffer tape.

Many, many solutions to repair with longer-term results than tape...

Here's an easy one... Piggyback bolt - bolt within a bolt
I really like that self tapping plug. That's the best solution I've come across so far. THANKS!!!
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Old November 1st, 2018, 05:30 PM   #5
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You should also consider changing to a Next Gen oil screen cover/drain plug that way you will never have to touch the motor drain plug again. I found mine used on ebay for less than $20.
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Old November 1st, 2018, 05:47 PM   #6
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And I would Heli-coil or similar to repair the drain plug threads.
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Old November 1st, 2018, 07:22 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceeloo Yello View Post
You should also consider changing to a Next Gen oil screen cover/drain plug that way you will never have to touch the motor drain plug again. I found mine used on ebay for less than $20.
I'm not sure I understand, are you saying a newgen oil screen cover has an integrated drain plug? If so, will that drain all oil from the case (not leave any oil in the existing drain plug area)? What parts need to be swapped, screen, cover? Different gasket?

Very interested in learning more about this. Thanks.
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Old November 1st, 2018, 07:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
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And I would Heli-coil or similar to repair the drain plug threads.
Don't wanna go that route because I have no way to ensure I can get all the aluminum shavings out of the case after cutting into it with the heli-coil.
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Old November 1st, 2018, 07:55 PM   #9
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Don't wanna go that route because I have no way to ensure I can get all the aluminum shavings out of the case after cutting into it with the heli-coil.
Go slow with heavy grease on tap to catch the shavings.
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Old November 1st, 2018, 08:00 PM   #10
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Quote:
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I'm not sure I understand, are you saying a newgen oil screen cover has an integrated drain plug? If so, will that drain all oil from the case (not leave any oil in the existing drain plug area)? What parts need to be swapped, screen, cover? Different gasket?

Very interested in learning more about this. Thanks.
I followed this:

https://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Changi...ver/drain_plug
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Old November 2nd, 2018, 02:40 PM   #11
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Helicoil works for permanent bolts that don’t get removed frequently, such as case or head bolts. But repeated use will have helicoil fall out. A permanent insert works much better. Such as bolt-in-bolt solution above, or next-size-up insert.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MEFKNX4

Note this is for autos. Find one with Njnjette threading. Time-sert, Ez-loks and other one-piece inserts always better than helicoil for most apllications
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Old November 2nd, 2018, 07:44 PM   #12
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The plan

Today I bought an over-sized M12 drain plug and some JB Weld to use for the drain hole. I also ordered a used newgen oil screen pan, metal gasket and two long bolts.

I hope to JB weld the new drain plug in the next couple of days and allow it to cure while I wait for the oil screen parts to arrive in the mail.

That's the plan, hopefully this will take care of it. I'll post a follow up with some photos once it's wrapped up.

Thanks again for the assistance, guys!
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Old November 3rd, 2018, 06:17 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceeloo Yello View Post
Go slow with heavy grease on tap to catch the shavings.
That works in theory, but not in practice. I've experimented with the greased tap method, and it does not get all the chips out when threading a hole.
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Old November 3rd, 2018, 07:47 AM   #14
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That works in theory, but not in practice. I've experimented with the greased tap method, and it does not get all the chips out when threading a hole.
I'm not willing to risk it. I'm calling that "Plan Z".
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Old November 3rd, 2018, 03:46 PM   #15
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I recently helped my son put Timeserts in the four spark plug holes of his Ford Focus. We filled a cylinder with greased rope and used a greased tap on the hole. The tap came out with lots of chips on it. The rope then came out with lots of chips on it. Then I used a vacuum cleaner with a small wand I made to vacuum the rest of the chips out of the cylinder. Then we moved on to the other three, and the engine has been running fine for a few thousand miles.

Luckily the spark plug hole is in the top center of the cylinder so vacuuming was easy.
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Old November 4th, 2018, 11:59 AM   #16
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That's pretty clever! Glad to hear it worked out.
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Old November 5th, 2018, 12:09 PM   #17
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Quote:
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That works in theory, but not in practice. I've experimented with the greased tap method, and it does not get all the chips out when threading a hole.
The difference here is that in this situation gravity is your friend.
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Old November 14th, 2018, 08:28 PM   #18
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Conclusion

My little saga has successfully come to completion so I thought I'd pass on the info in hopes it may help someone down the road.

I installed an "oversized" drain plug (when you buy it, get the EXISTING drain plug size which in my case is an M12). When installing it I tightened it about half way, then backed it out and cleaned out a tiny bit of shavings. I threaded it again, all the way, and removed it to clean out the threads again.

I applied some Loc-Tite brand thread sealant (not thread locker) to the drain plug threads. It's white and somewhat resembles runny toothpaste. I then installed the plug and tightened it snugly. I then let it sit overnight.

As for future oil changes I just installed a used oil screen cover from a newgen ($20 Ebay) along with a new metal gasket.

I've put 95 miles on the bike now and it appears the oversized plug and thread sealant worked as I'd hope. Hope this helps someone in the future.
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Old November 14th, 2018, 08:31 PM   #19
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In the photo you can see the old drain plug which was held on only by Loc-Tite, the new OEM plug and the oversized plug in the middle.
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Old November 15th, 2018, 06:55 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceeloo Yello View Post
The difference here is that in this situation gravity is your friend.
You're right about that being a difference, but I would bet that if I tried the greased tap method on a drain hole, greasy chips would be all inside around the rethreaded hole. Maybe at that point you could take a bent strip of metal and scrape them out of the hole, but only if there's no lip around the edge.

I think the reason the greased tap method works so well is that most engines have full flow oil filters, so anything getting into the oil pump through the pickup screen is filtered out before being pumped to the bearings. The pump itself won't like the chips though.

And maybe I'm wrong. I won't rely on that method being perfect though.
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Old November 15th, 2018, 02:03 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dodgerdad View Post
My little saga has successfully come to completion so I thought I'd pass on the info in hopes it may help someone down the road.

I installed an "oversized" drain plug (when you buy it, get the EXISTING drain plug size which in my case is an M12). When installing it I tightened it about half way, then backed it out and cleaned out a tiny bit of shavings. I threaded it again, all the way, and removed it to clean out the threads again.

I applied some Loc-Tite brand thread sealant (not thread locker) to the drain plug threads. It's white and somewhat resembles runny toothpaste. I then installed the plug and tightened it snugly. I then let it sit overnight.

As for future oil changes I just installed a used oil screen cover from a newgen ($20 Ebay) along with a new metal gasket.

I've put 95 miles on the bike now and it appears the oversized plug and thread sealant worked as I'd hope. Hope this helps someone in the future.
Congrats on your success.
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