Drain plug stripped--self-tapping plug?
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From: Mark Olson on 18 Aug 2007 00:16 Carlin wrote: > If I take the pan off, I might as well just put on a new one instead of > repair the threads. I'm thinking to go this route. This is where your lack of experience shows. If you go to all the trouble of taking off the pan, and the pan is otherwise undamaged, there is no reason whatsoever to replace it. A properly executed repair (very easy with the pan off) of the drain hole, using either a Time-Sert or a Helicoil, is permanent and will never leak. This is a quality repair, and is much cheaper than replacing the whole pan. > In the near-term, I'm goign to try a self-tapping drain plug to keep things > in for now. Then, I'll order the drain pan, gasket, etc. and schedule some > time to work on it later. If it were mine, I would leave the pan on, do the permanent repair in situ, and not worry about a few chips in the bottom of the pan. If you had taken off a sump or two you would know that there are a fair amount of little metal pieces sitting in there already. If the prospect of swarf bothers you, JB Weld a strong magnet into a hole drilled into the drain plug. > Yes, I know you all think that I shouldn't touch a bolt on the bike, > but I'd like to learn. I may employ my cousin who, although is not too > familiar with bikes, has done a lot of his own mechanic work on cars. I > will use a torque wrench! Nothing wrong with you working on it, that's the only way to learn. Many of us who work on our own bikes made our beginner mistakes on cheaper things like lawnmower engines or crappy cheap bikes or cars. You're starting on a somewhat more valuable vehicle, but it's yours to do with as you wish. -- '01 SV650S '99 EX250-F13 '98 ZG1000-A13 OMF #7
From: Timo Geusch on 18 Aug 2007 01:35 Mark Olson <olsonm(a)tiny.invalid> writes: > Carlin wrote: > >> If I take the pan off, I might as well just put on a new one instead of >> repair the threads. I'm thinking to go this route. > > This is where your lack of experience shows. If you go to all the > trouble of taking off the pan, and the pan is otherwise undamaged, > there is no reason whatsoever to replace it. A properly executed > repair (very easy with the pan off) of the drain hole, using either > a Time-Sert or a Helicoil, is permanent and will never leak. This > is a quality repair, and is much cheaper than replacing the whole > pan. And as the pan seems to be alloy, I'd even go as far as saying that it'd be an improvement over the original. Especially if the OP is using a Time-Sert... -- Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450K4 | XL250 Motosport x2 | 900SSD | K1100LT Laverda SF2 | Harley FXD BOTAFOF #33 TWA#10 The UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/index.html "Je profite du paysage" - Joe Bar
From: The Older Gentleman on 18 Aug 2007 03:20 Carlin <nospam(a)nospam.com> wrote: > If I take the pan off, I might as well just put on a new one instead of > repair the threads. I'm thinking to go this route. You're silly. > > In the near-term, I'm goign to try a self-tapping drain plug to keep things > in for now. You're mad. And you run the risk of cracking the sump pan and damaging it severely. -- BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125 GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3 BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
From: Carlin on 18 Aug 2007 07:00 Mark Olson <olsonm(a)tiny.invalid> wrote: > Carlin wrote: > If it were mine, I would leave the pan on, do the permanent repair > in situ, and not worry about a few chips in the bottom of the pan. > If you had taken off a sump or two you would know that there are a > fair amount of little metal pieces sitting in there already. If > the prospect of swarf bothers you, JB Weld a strong magnet into a > hole drilled into the drain plug. Hmm. Well, the thing is, from what I could tell, a full Time-Sert kit (with all the bits) costs almost as much as a new pan. And, because of my inexperience, it seems it'd be easier for me to swap the pan instead of trying to properly install a Time-Sert which seems like it takes some skill with a drill to do correctly. Or is it actually pretty simple? All of the dealers I've talked to indicate that the inserts are a bad idea. One actually suggested it as his first suggestion, but when I asked questions, he went on to say that, if it were his bike, he'd replace the pan. He said that the Time-Sert might work--in fact, probably would work. But seemed to think there was a chance that it might not. He quoted $120-150 for the shop to do the Time-Sert. >> Yes, I know you all think that I shouldn't touch a bolt on the bike, >> but I'd like to learn. I may employ my cousin who, although is not too >> familiar with bikes, has done a lot of his own mechanic work on cars. I >> will use a torque wrench! > Nothing wrong with you working on it, that's the only way to learn. > Many of us who work on our own bikes made our beginner mistakes on > cheaper things like lawnmower engines or crappy cheap bikes or cars. > You're starting on a somewhat more valuable vehicle, but it's yours > to do with as you wish. True. I've thought about buying a $300-500 non-running bike off Craigslist and working on it, but never got around to it. There are so many options on where to go on this simple problem I'm going nuts. :-) Thanks for everyone's insights, though. It's certainly better to make a decision with more information than less. Carlin
From: Rick Cortese on 18 Aug 2007 15:23
The Older Gentleman wrote: > Mark Olson <olsonm(a)tiny.invalid> wrote: <snip> > It is quite extraordinary, but I think that in Britain we have more > little men in born coats, beavering away in small workshops, than > anywhere else on the planet. Except possibly India. > > You can get *anything* for a classic vehicle made here. It's all cottage > industry stuff - when it comes to translating the industry into mass > production, we lose the plot. > > Look at Formula One racing cars - with the exception of Ferrari and > maybe Honda, virtually the entire industry is based in the UK. Demographics have changed with the times in the USA. I mean we used to make fun of the British liberal arts school system when compared to the German technical schools where you actually learned something useful, then we followed the same British model. We used to be quite rural and self reliant population. Lots of pay, little work jobs along with our agriculture going corporate meant less technical training and more lawyers. Several of my friends have started vineyards in the last decade. I have spent more time working on their stuff then I have on my own. I enjoy the work but they are entrenched in their idealized agrarian worlds. I tell them "The first thing you need is a barn/work shop to keep your stuff out of the rain and have a dry place to work instead of in the dirt or mud. Some of the stuff they do is IMO borderline insane: They will do things like haul a tire 16 miles to town because they refuse to buy an air compressor. Things are quite upside down now. Instead of the first thing you need being a place to work on your equipment followed by the equipment followed by the planting, even a tasting room comes first now. The home mechanic has been under attack for decades as a major source of polution. If you get a chance you may want to take a look at Varmit Al's web site. He is kind of the last of a dying breed. http://www.varmintal.com/apopt.htm His memories growing up echo my own. Rick |