Stripped threads on sump plug/oil pan

[crowther7689]

So, I thought I'd save some money and do my oil change myself. All went fine until I was doing up the sump plug. I was using a torque wrench, and hadn't put any real force on it, and heard a ping. I knew the threads had stripped, immediately tried to remove the plug, but it just spins.

Is it possible just the sump plug is damaged? Or is it likely the oil pan is threaded?

Looking at the haynes manual, removing the oil pan looks tricky, especially after my cock-up, could I tap the oil pan to fit a larger thread while its still on the bike?

How can I get the sump plug out if it just spins, lay the bike on its side and drill it out? Pull it somehow?

Its a vfr800 98. Would anyone hazard a guess at how much a garage would charge to sort this?

I bought a new magnetic sump plug off of ebay, could this have caused my problem? Maybe it was made of weak metal...it was cheap.

Any advice would be great. I'm so gutted.

[Guest Hodgy]

I'm not sure about the vfr as I've never had the sump off one, but on some bikes, especially Suzuki's, there is a captive nut fastened into the thin metal that the sump is made from, this can come loose if too much force is applied to the bolt when tightening, or if turned in the wrong direction when undoing!

Try looking for sumps on Ebay or the like to get an idea of what the bolt is screwing into, it might help decide how to fix it

[Mrbarry]

To remove it use a screwdriver tapped between the bolt and sump pan as you turn it, it should come out. As a rule it's the nut you strip as it has the softest thread, but you could be lucky.

If the nut is stripped the fix is to remove the sump, grind the captive nut off, weld a new boss/nut in place, paint the sump and replace. It's easy enough.

Either way the swarf generated from nut and/or bolt means you need to filter or scrap the oil before it goes back in your engine! I always recommend people fit magnetic sump plugs Especialy on a fresh engine as it runs in and cuts the rings, it's never to late to fit one tho!!!!

To help the seal get the copper washer cherry red and drop it in cold water, it's soft as butter for a few hours then and forms to the shape of the faces.

[Stu]

To remove it use a screwdriver tapped between the bolt and sump pan as you turn it, it should come out. As a rule it's the nut you strip as it has the softest thread, but you could be lucky.

If the nut is stripped the fix is to remove the sump, grind the captive nut off, weld a new boss/nut in place, paint the sump and replace. It's easy enough.

 

 

I think you will find it will be the sump thats gone as there is no captive nut the sump it threaded and made of alloy which is the softest part

personally i would remove the sump and re tap it oversized if you have enough meat on the sump then fit a oversized plug

you would probably be cheaper and easier getting a sump off ebay though

[Mrbarry]

You can fit a nutsert to get it back to standard thread, or post it to me and I'll tig weld a boss in for a tenner.

[Stu]

before you decide what to do i would check the sump and make sure its not the sump that has cracked as it will feel the same as a stripped thread trust me i know

theres only two sumps on ebay and they arent that cheap either but looking at the ones on there they look easy to remove

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-VFR-800 ... 500wt_1055

[crowther7689]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try and get the plug out tomorrow and see what's what.

I was searching for oil pan on eBay and found none, but that sump tray looks like the easiest solution, if mine is dead. Thanks for the offer of welding for me Barry, I may take you up on that. Too pissed off with myself to think straight tonight.

Hopefully my eBay plug is made of such cheap metal that it is the only thing damaged.

Will update tomorrow, cheers guys.

[crowther7689]

Update.

I don't think it could have gone any worse. I tapped the screwdriver twice, and not hard, between the plug and the sump, and the head of the plug came flying off, along with maybe 8mm of bolt section. Seeing as a threaded section came out, I'm guessing the threads on the sump have failed. I can't find the plug head to have a look at the threads on that, it has disappeared, spent half an hour looking for it.

So now, the bit of plug still in the bike is recessed by 8mm or so, next step take the sump off?

[Guest Hodgy]

You may be lucky and if it's a cheap Ebay sump bolt it may have snapped leaving the sump threads intact?

Try drilling a small hole through the centre of the bolt remains and use some stud extractors? You may need a right angle adapter on your drill to be able to get in at the bolt to drill it.

Good luck

[crowther7689]

The threads look still there, but silvered (not the right word), in the visible section of the sump tray.

Is http://www.screwfix.com/p/stud-extracto ... -pc/20084# this what I'd use? Or could you recommend a more suitable one?

Thanks

[Stu]

If the bolt is just spinning then stud extractor's will do nothing

If there is a silver ish colour on the threads I think the sump has stripped

[Mrbarry]

Don't try to drill it you will screw it into the engine and the sump will need to come off anyway, the other potential danger is if the sump has no splash guard you could damage a big end cap etc if the drill reaches it. Depends how much mechanical sympathy you have.

[Guest Hodgy]

If the bolt is just spinning then stud extractor's will do nothing

If there is a silver ish colour on the threads I think the sump has stripped

 

I was thinking perhaps the bolt could be spinning because it had snapped and stripped it's threads?

Wishful thinking maybe but I like to look on the bright side, it never seems to work like that in practice for me though, I'm just not that lucky

[crowther7689]

Thanks again for the advice.

Looks like I'm removing the sump tray then. There are none on ebay for my model, and can't find any anywhere else, so I'll have a mechanic fit an insert or tap to a larger plug.

I have found other people having these magnetic plugs failing.

"My mistake was the use a magnetic sump plug, and the type I bought has a long waist between the hex head and the start of the threads. As a result the first threads of the drain hole were not used, the torque was taken on only a couple of threads and these eventually succumbed despite careful use of a torque wrench."

I have optimistically messaged the ebay seller, but I doubt they are going to be interested.

I'm so paranoid about messing something else up now, might just get a garage to sort it all out, would happily pay £100 to have it sorted, think it will be more?

[pointblank0]

I would personally head down to Chiswick Honda and just order a new sump and have done with it (and the gasket). They wont be too much and will be cheaper than going to a garage. You may need to remove the exhausts to get to it but I'm not sure with VFRs.