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oil leak from oversized drain plug

DontEvenTrip

DontEvenTrip

New member
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Location
San Mateo/Foster City
Moto(s)
GS500e (SOLD)
i did an oil change recently and the drain plugs thread stripped and the drain plug wouldnt screw back in.

So i got an oversized drain plug for it and its screwed in tightly but theres oil leakin from the drain plug now.

i am thinking about putting RTV silicone around the drain plug to see if it'll seal the oil leak, is this a bad idea?
 
RTV wont adhere to the oily threads, so unless you tip the bike on its side and keep the oil from dribbling out of the hole, it wont work. You can try permatex aviation seal. Comes in a small container and looks like thick caramel. Another choice is teflon.. but dont get the teflon tape. Use the teflon paste. These 2 options wont need a perfectly clean surface to work well. You can get them at auto supply stores
 
You don't have many options. Unless you only plan to make one more oil change and then no more.

Two things you need:

Time sert:
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Torque Wrench
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The over sized drain plug may have eaten into the limited amount of material in the engine that a time sert can screw in to. If that don't work than a new oil pan will make it all look new. Unless your bike doesn't have an oil pan.
 
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Get it repaired properly by someone who knows what the hell they're doing. That includes making sure that the drilling operation for installation of a Heli-Coil or Threadsert is done absolutely perfectly. (Otherwise the repair will leak.) Don't muck around with mikey mouse things like oversize plugs or sealant or RTV. The last thing you want is to develop a leak and lube your rear tire while you're on a ride. (Ask my brother about this.)
 
Bronto said:
Rubber washer would do it. Buy a few extra for future oil changes. Hardware stores plumbing section has different sizes. The silicon rubber ones are better heat resistant the plain rubber. Could re-use the silicon rubber ones.
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Micky Mouse and risky. You can't tighten it down tight enough with a rubber gasket so you can be sure that it won't loosen and drop out at some inopportune moment. Like my brother's did coming out of a sweeper on the back side of 9. In the instant the drain plug fell out, the rear tire and the rest of the back of the bike was thoroughly lubricated and he found himself completely sideways in the oncoming lane with a station wagon with mom and dad and the kids, all with eyes as big as aliens. How he got it straightened up and back in his own lane before he became a hood ornament he doesn't know. He was damn lucky.

Don't fuck around with Mikey Mouse repairs. It ain't worth it trying to save a little bit of hassle or money. Do it right and stay alive.
 
You get one shot at installing the Helicoil or Timesert correctly.

After that it's time to buy a new oil pan.

You could attempt to Micky Mouse it with some fancy glue type product. Just make sure you're wearing your Micky Mouse costume if/when it leaks oil onto your rear tire during a ride.
 
Poor old Mikey......sometimes I think he gets a bad rap.
 
Bronto said:
Using rubber washer may be considered Mickey Mouse.

Have nothing against heli-coils. This drain plug leak problem could be solved using Teflon tape. Few wraps around the drain plug threads. Tighten it down, no leaks.

Pick up some metal crush washers form the autoparts. Replace a new crush washer each oil change.

Its a bonnified method, many cars use crush washers on oil drain plugs. They even include them in new oil filter boxes, to use on the drain plug.
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Crush washers are used on just about every oil drain plug I've ever encountered.

There's a potential problem with Teflon tape. If any gets inside the engine, it could block an oil passageway. For instance, OP uses tape, 6 months later he does an oil change and some of the tape remains on the inside of the threaded hole in the bottom of the motor. Then when reinstalling the plug (with more tape), some tape gets pushed up inside as the plug is threaded into the motor. The tape circulates in the oil, gets sucked up and then finds a convenient tiny passageway to block. Engine problems.

Why not just repair it properly? Experience has shown that shortcuts and half measures usually end up biting you in the long run.
 
I used one of these on my XR75 which had been stripped out by the previous owner. Worked fine at first, then after loaning the bike to a friend for awhile the thing was leaking. I assumed it was stripped out and would need helicoil/timesert etc.

Finally looked at it and realized the new oversized crush washer was a little too big and was not meeting the flat sealing surface around the drain hole properly. A new, slightly smaller nylon crush washer from the auto parts store fixed it....the threads were fine.

Peter
 
ST Guy said:
Crush washers are used on just about every oil drain plug I've ever encountered.

There's a potential problem with Teflon tape. If any gets inside the engine, it could block an oil passageway. For instance, OP uses tape, 6 months later he does an oil change and some of the tape remains on the inside of the threaded hole in the bottom of the motor. Then when reinstalling the plug (with more tape), some tape gets pushed up inside as the plug is threaded into the motor. The tape circulates in the oil, gets sucked up and then finds a convenient tiny passageway to block. Engine problems.

Why not just repair it properly? Experience has shown that shortcuts and half measures usually end up biting you in the long run.
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agreed with the teflon tape issue, thats why I thought the paste would work better. It doesnt have the unfortunate characteristics of the tape
 
things I don't fuck with: The potential of getting oil on my tires. Get someone to retap the drain hole or use a Timecert.
 
You could try using an automotive-style nylon crush washer around the plug (should be easy to find in a size that accommodates your oversize plug.) instead of a copper or other metal OEM-style crush washer.

You ARE using a crush washer, right?
 
thx to all of u for replyin, i was using a nylon or plastic washer. it wasnt cracked but it wasnt working well so got it changed to a metal/rubber washer and it's NOT leaking anymore!!!

i was expecting couple drops a night since the leak was pretty bad before but so far not a single drip :teeth
 
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