[triple3jrb]

So the drain plug is stripped and rounded off! Tried the JB weld and socket trick..let it cure for 8 hours didn't hold. Any other suggestions? Seen a few old threads for a hammer and chisel, any done this and could expand upon where to hit it at to get it to turn?





Thanks,



Johnny

 

[operose]

it is a 19mm right? Pretty sure I have an 18mm hammered on mine if that is the case... now all I need is the ratchet, not a socket

 

[Hoogie514]

If you use the hammer and chisel approach, make sure you are striking the chisel at an angle in the loosening direction around the largest diameter area possible and do not contact the engine casing and damage the mating surface. There is lots of material there to work with so you should be ok. Take a file and make an engagement point to work the punch against if you can't get a good bite in the plug with the punch alone. Use an all steel punch, no wood handle and a framing hammer or one of relatively similar size to carry the impact to the plug. Once you get it out, trash the plug.



Good luck!

 

[FortPayne]

A method I've used before is to take a hacksaw and put a line in the top of the bolt. Then get the broadest flat-head screwdriver you've got, maybe a thin chisel. Could use vise-grips at the same time.

 

[triple3jrb]

If you use the hammer and chisel approach, make sure you are striking the chisel at an angle in the loosening direction around the largest diameter area possible and do not contact the engine casing and damage the mating surface. There is lots of material there to work with so you should be ok. Take a file and make an engagement point to work the punch against if you can't get a good bite in the plug with the punch alone. Use an all steel punch, no wood handle and a framing hammer or one of relatively similar size to carry the impact to the plug. Once you get it out, trash the plug.



Good luck!

so hit it at an angle just outside of the stripped part? In the flat part right?

 

[rm_hm]

Hmm... Sometimes running the bike for a few minutes before going he-man on the plug helps things move along.... I've got mine loose before doing that and lightly tapping it with a hammer as I turned the wrench..

 

[triple3jrb]

ok went to sears at lunch then home with a new chisel set...tapped it a few times straight on the side next to the head to create a divet..then gave it some love taps at an angle and it was free in a matter of minutes. New plug is on its way from lytle racing..



this has been in the making from when I purchased the tw new in 2009. The plug head is just so soft and it just got warn over time..was a real bummer and had me sweating bullets there for a couple of days.



But...Man 1 - drain plug 0....victory!

 

[Hoogie514]

Sweet, good job!

 

[Hoogie514]

Sweet, good job!

 

[qwerty]

Stop over-tightening the plug and you won't have this problem.

 

[operose]

Stop over-tightening the plug and you won't have this problem.

Sometimes you don't have control over the previous owner's actions!

 

[qwerty]

Sometimes you don't have control over the previous owner's actions!

It is true that some people are like Slinkies, not really good for anything but it would be fun to watch them tumble down a long flight of stairs.

 

[Dave Nafziger]

I had a 4X4 Subaru one time that insisted on leaking from the 17mm plug, till eventually the corners went, like you describe, from over torquing.

I was not aware that my personal worth was diminished. I filed it 16mm instead, so I could reach through the brush guard to change oil.

Otherwise a pipe-wrench unceremoniously gets it off. -GB

 

[Mad Mac]

Stripped 24mm oil drain plugs were a common problem on BMW F650s. So much so that one ingenious rider modified Craftsman 15/16ths six sided sockets by milling off the bevel and selling them. I bought one.



I have not changed my TW's oil yet, but maybe the same principles would apply. If the oil drain plug is 19mm, maybe an 11/16 good quality six sided socket with the bevel milled or filed off would work. Anyone?

 

[operose]

I changed the drain plugs in my truck over to female hex (allen wrench style) -- perhaps there is something similar that would work on the TW? The stock plug seems like it is made out of wet clay or some insanely malleable "metal" like lead

 

[Mad Mac]

If the oil drain plug is 19mm, maybe an 11/16 good quality six sided socket with the bevel milled or filed off would work.

When I made the post above, I was not where I could check my TW. Since then, I have determined that an 11/16 will not fit. Furthermore, no milling of the beveled edge of a socket should be necessary. There is plenty of depth to the drain plug nut, unlike the F650 plug that was underneath the crankcase and only about an eighth of an inch thick.



It is important, in my opinion, to use a six point socket and not a 12 point. Better yet, Snapon offers six point flank drive sockets that put the pressure on the sides and not the corners of the fastener, albeit a bit pricey at $14.75.

Has anyone stripped the drain plug with the closed end wrench in the factory tool kit ?