stripped timing plug - DR650. Options?

[rritterson]

I went to do a valve check on my DR last night, only to find the plug covering the timing hole frozen solid. I used the correct 8mm hex socket with a 18in breaker bar, and when I had about 80ft/lbs of torque on the bar, the aluminum in the bolt just completely gave way, and now, instead of a hex hole, I have a round one, shit. It looks like I overtorqued the bolt when I put it back in last time. I'm talking about #16 in the attached image.

What are my options here? A new plug is $1.68, so obliterating the current plug is an easy option. I've looked online and the three most common recommendations seem to be: sacrifice a torx socket of the same size, and hammer it in to get some bite, use an easy out, or weld something to the bolt and use it for leverage. I'm leary of using a torx idea because it's not like my socket slipped and I stripped the hole - my socket was in there and I had a lot of force (relatively) on the bolt. I'm afraid the torx is just going to strip the aluminum further because the head is softer than the force holding the threads.

The easy out idea concerns me because I'm afraid of getting aluminum shavings in the crankcase, and I don't have a bench vise at home to hold the engine cover in place while easy-outting it with the cover removed from the bike.

I also don't own any welding equipment or have any skill, so I'm not going to try welding something on an engine case.

My plan was to admit defeat and head over to Werkstatt when they open on Tuesday, and order a new plug, o-ring, and case cover gasket, then bring it back to them when the parts are in and let them have at it, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing an obvious trick/try at home.

 

[NOS-Nelson]

I had that happen on my bike as well. I took the cover off and used an extractor. No vise needed just a friend to hold the cover.

 

[ST Guy]

If you want to try an easy out or similar, drain the oil first and that way, any little chips and flakes from the drilling process will just fall inside and sit there. Of course, after the plug it out, you'll need to remove the cover and clean things up.

When the new plug goes in, put a light brushing/coating of high moly content paste on the threads before installing it. Moly 60 from Honda works perfectly. Or similar anti-sieze compound like those used for spark plugs.

Good luck.

 

[bobl]

Since the plug is no good anyway, try driving it around counterclockwise with a chisel. If that fails, Then I would go with case removal and an extracter like nos-nelson. That way, no chips into motor. If no friend, you can put the ease out in the vise, and turn the case. If the hammer and chisel will move it even an eigth of a turn, it should spin out once it's broken loose.

 

[OldFatGuy]

I would just leave it in there if it were me. You don't need to have the engine exactly at TDC to check the valves. Just rotate it a little bit after the intake valves close and check them there.

 

[augustiron]

I've had the same thing happen on 2 Hawks I bought.
I have taken a 4" angle grinder and put a slot across it as wide and deep as you can go without hitting the outer cover. Then use a hammer and punch to rotate it from the outer edge of the slot.

 

[ALANRIDER7]

Don't make a bad situation worse. Drilling is not a wise choice, as the rotor/stator is directly under the plug. Metal chips in the motor is a hassle. Timing plugs can basically bake in place and become very hard to remove. Your best bet is to wait until you have all the replacement parts ready. Wear safety glasses. Then take a ball peen hammer and gently tap on the stripped plug head to 'shock' the threads. You might have to gradually hit it harder to get it to loosen up. Use a sharp cold chisel and first make a notch to dig in with, then use that notch as your leverage point to tap on the plug and rotate it out in a counterclockwise direction. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done.

 

[Stormdragon]

Then take a ball peen hammer and gently tap on the stripped plug head to 'shock' the threads. You might have to gradually hit it harder to get it to loosen up.

Dingdingding! Winner!


I would probably try the Sacrificial Torx in a manual impact driver before going straight to the chisel, but that's just me.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Yeah, try the torx bit first. Sized so that it's a tight fit initially. Pound it in with a hammer. Then impact-driver. Nothing to lose here since if you strip that as well, your round hole in the bolt-head is just slightly bigger.

If that didn't work, try the slotting the bolt-head and using a flat tip on the impact-driver. Due to the leverage of the impact-driver's spiral, you get a lot more torque from it than trying to spin the bolt with any other method. Make sure impact-driver is set for loosening rather than tightening.

Worse case scenario, you remove the cover, drill out the bolt and chase the threads. If the threads are damaged, you can drill out and tap for next size up metric bolt.

 

[rritterson]

Don't make a bad situation worse. Drilling is not a wise choice, as the rotor/stator is directly under the plug. Metal chips in the motor is a hassle. Timing plugs can basically bake in place and become very hard to remove. Your best bet is to wait until you have all the replacement parts ready. Wear safety glasses. Then take a ball peen hammer and gently tap on the stripped plug head to 'shock' the threads. You might have to gradually hit it harder to get it to loosen up. Use a sharp cold chisel and first make a notch to dig in with, then use that notch as your leverage point to tap on the plug and rotate it out in a counterclockwise direction. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done.

I'm trying to imagine this, as I've never done it. I presume I notch the head of the bolt and not the tiny bit of shaft below it? How likely is this method to strip the thread out of the case or twist the head off the bolt, leaving the thread behind?

No one has recommended using any kind of penetrating oil on it first. As far as I can tell, it's aluminum bolt in an aluminum case. Does that matter?

 

[rob linders]

I agree with trying the torx and using an impact driver that you hit with a hammer. The shock alone, should help break loose the threads. I've used the notching trick many times on stubborn fasteners.

 

[luckett]

+1 to OldFatGuy, you don't need to remove that plug to do your valves. And if you just really, really want to have it at TDC for whatever reason, you can drop a wooden dowel down the plug hole.

The plug is steel. It's probably corroded. Use a torch to heat the plug to try to break the thread bond.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Kroil and PB-Blaster also works well on corrosion. Heating will also work as aluminium expands faster than steel. Sometimes, you need to use all the tricks available, chemical, heat and mechanical force.

 

[Diezel]

No one has recommended using any kind of penetrating oil on it first. As far as I can tell, it's aluminum bolt in an aluminum case. Does that matter?

Kroil and PB-Blaster also works well on corrosion. Heating will also work as aluminium expands faster than steel. Sometimes, you need to use all the tricks available, chemical, heat and mechanical force.

The issue lies where the o-ring is. Granted the oil can seap past it. But it will be got damned slow.


It's not THAT much of a hassle to just leave the damn thing where it is, and buy a gasket for the cover and pull the cover @ an over lapping Oil Change / Valve Inspection interval.

 

[Ironbutt]

Use a small sharp chisel and tap it loose. Works every time.

 

[angelsndevils]

+1 on heat first no matter what method of turning you try. 2 ways to go about this...1) heat the cover to a good degree then jam an icecube into the stripped out hole until it melts away and quickly try to spin it before the cover cools. 2) heat to a good degree and then spray it with PB blaster or something similar. the cooling action will suck the lubricant down into the threads.

 

[afm199]

Alan is correct. Sharp cold chisel and hammer has worked for me in far worse situations.

 

[ronenfe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSV6kYLsYI

 

[HadesOmega]

Mine gets stuck pretty bad too, I think that's common especially if you don't remove it often. I just remember not to tighten it much.

I recommend hammering the torx bit in and using that to turn it. I don't recommend hammering it with a chisel because these are magnesium sidecovers it may crack or something.

 

[ST Guy]

A necro-thread just in time for Halloween.