| Author | Message | ||
     Adrenaline_junkie |
I thought the drain plug felt a little "soft" the last time I changed my oil. This time, the aluminum swingarm threads came out with the drain plug. I ended up buying a double oversize drain plug at the local auto parts store. It has a smaller plug inside of it so I don't have to take the plug out of the swingarm itself any more. Has anyone else tried this solution? The bike is out of warranty so I'm probably not eligible for a free new swingarm. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I've used similar things working at the garage i was at. It works and you'll likely be fine so long as the install goes smoothly, but I've always seen it as a temporary fix. make sure you put some thread locker on the outer threads. More for making sure it seals up nice rather than keeping it from backing out - though both are things you want to avoid. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Drill, tap, reinstall. | ||
| Azxb9r |
A Heli-coil would be my first choice, it is pretty much a permanent repair. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Thanks for the responses. A Heli-Coil was my first thought but I read somewhere on BadWeb that they don't seal very good. I'm hoping I have enough Lock-Tite on this thing I've installed that it won't leak. I'd love to never have to run a steel drain plug into the aluminum threads again. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
could you jb weld the outer plug to make it more permanent? | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
It is leaking. Appears to be the outer plug. I have been thinking along the same lines as Badlionsfan. Anybody know how much a new swing arm for a Ss costs? More than a pack of JB Weld I'm sure. | ||
| Teeps |
Use a Time-Sert. http://www.timesert.com/ $107 at Flanders for 1/2-20 kit. Not as cheap as afore mentioned solutions. But the best one period, including replacing the swing arm. Someone on BadWeb had the repair kit and was passing it around last year; but I forget his name. (Message edited by teeps on March 17, 2008) | ||
| Loucksgl |
Adrenaline_junkie --- Hey man! Incorrect thinking on the replace swing arm thing. The torque specs are wrong in both the service manual and the owners manual. Call Buel customer service and tell em you did as instructed and stripped it out. They're good people there and as I understand it have replaced swingarms on other out of warranty bikes. It's not your fault that you follow the mfg's instructions. Good luck......... | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
That looks like a great solution. Thanks Teeps. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
Gary: That was cool of you to post up like that. Can you also tell us what the correct spec is so we can pencil it into our books? Admittedly I just torque mine up by feel and haven't had a problem, but I would like to know what the number is anyway. Thanks again. | ||
| Sparky |
I believe the seal on the drain plug is taken care of by an O-ring, so the seal-ability should not depend on the threads whether a heli-coil or insert is installed or not. Adrenaline, I'd make sure the O-ring is in good condition. | ||
| Teeps |
I've been torquing mine to 12lb/ft. I also use the thread sealer and either an o'ring or Honda crush washer. Neither one leaks, but for piece of mind I safety wire the both the trans and drain plugs. | ||
| Azxb9r |
Torque the drain plug by feel. The spec is for clean, dry threads. When you drain your oil, you are going to have oil on the threads, which allows the drain plug to turn more freely, putting more pressure on the threads before your torque wrench registers the desired amount. A Heli-Coil was my first thought but I read somewhere on BadWeb that they don't seal very good The o-ring on the drain plug should seal it up just fine. The time-sert that someone else mentioned is also good. | ||
| Arnhold |
I just had the exact same thing happen to me about 3 weeks ago on my Ss. Changed the oil, put the plug in and out came the threads. I did a helicoil fix with some thread sealer and so far it hasn't leaked a drop. I am a bit concerned however because while installing the plug after I put the helicoil in, I noticed the coil itself was advancing in the threads whenever I turned the plug. It is maybe 1 turn past flush, so I am hoping that it stays put, we'll see. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
For anyone who may be interested, the timesert worked great. High quality stuff. |
