Putting project bike back together after a two week break due to a new job found I have a slight problem. After finishing the clutch project and replacing the clutch cover tonight I went to put the oil plug back in and fill it. Found that the project bike oil plug hole is stripped. I sure don't want to have totry and find a case and pull it all back apart.Anyone give me an idea on retapping since it is soft metaland using a larger pug?

Doc you around ??

What kind of bike?
What year model?
Which plug is stripped out, filler or drain?
Is it the primary drain plug or the transmission drain plug
It would help if you could be a bit more specific.......pg

Check J&P cycles or some of the aftermarket parts dealers. They make an oversize drain plug that is sold with the tap for the threads

ORIGINAL: piniongear

What kind of bike?
What year model?
Which plug is stripped out, filler or drain?
Is it the primary drain plug or the transmission drain plug
It would help if you could be a bit more specific.......pg



76 IronHead Sporty

oil drainplug hole

There are two oil drain plugs under there.

I'll be ordering a tap and plug. Problem resolved.

You never remove the "plugs" under the engine. They strip easily and are not suppose to be removed. You drain oil in an Ironhead "crankcase"from the OIL TANK DRAIN ONLY.

You drain the primary/transmission through the primary oil fill level plug. (lean it to do full drain)

Leave the plugs under the Crankcase alone. There is not hardly any oil in there anyway.

I just had to post that tidbit to hopefully save others from a stripped plug.

You can't tap the crankcase plug without splitting the cases. The flywheel is too close to the hole to run a tap in. Go to the auto parts store and get an oversize drain plug (they are self tapping) and run that in with some JB Weld (sorry Pinion). That plug aint supposed to come out anyway.

Be careful with those self-tapping drain plugs. Some of them have a slotted nose on them, the thread cutting part, that can end up touching the flywheels if wound in far enough. I saw pics a while back where it looked like the end bits had broken off one inside the engine when the wheels turned.

If you are retapping the hole, and the tap is too long (or the self tapping plug is too long), once you have wound it in as far as it will go, youcan grind a bit off the end and get it in a bit further. Repeat process a few times until the tap goes all the way in. Just wont be able to use the tap again.

I tried the self-tapping plug yesterday. Stopped by NAPA with old plug in hand making sure the self tapper was no longer. But could not get it started after about an hour of trying even tried recutting it. After that I recut with with a course tread cutter and was able to get a bolt in with no problem. Going back to NAPA this morning to see if they have a course tread over size plug.

H-mmmm, this does not sound like a good situation at all..........pg

ORIGINAL: piniongear

H-mmmm, this does not sound like a good situation at all..........pg


No it sure does not!
Which is WHY you NEVER pull those plugs.
EVER!
They ain't made to be removed and not needed to remove to change oil.
Period.

This is not a problem it is only another learning experience. We either Improvise , adapt and/or over come one way or another.The old biker who runs the NAPA store reminded me of something to use that will work and I have used many times on other problem projects.Now that I have it reamed out to a 1/2 inch course thread I got a short bolt the isall most same length as the original plug, a washer and a tube of 5200. If you are not familiar with 5200, if there had been one tube on the Titanic it would not have sank. The NAPA manager had about the same problem years ago on an old shovelhead. He put it back in with 5200 drove it for a couple of years before he sold it and last he head it is still in.

ORIGINAL: madcritter

This is not a problem it is only another learning experience. We either Improvise , adapt and/or over come one way or another.The old biker who runs the NAPA store reminded me of something to use that will work and I have used many times on other problem projects.Now that I have it reamed out to a 1/2 inch course thread I got a short bolt the isall most same length as the original plug, a washer and a tube of 5200. If you are not familiar with 5200, if there had been one tube on the Titanic it would not have sank. The NAPA manager had about the same problem years ago on an old shovelhead. He put it back in with 5200 drove it for a couple of years before he sold it and last he head it is still in.


I hope it stays fixed and leak free. I would not remove it again if it is fixed. The tiny bit of oil in there is not a worry. Just drain tank and drain primary through overfill plug by leaning bike.
Best of luck!

Yeah Horse13,
I cannot count how many people I have come across who have just had to remove that infamous plug in the crankcase bottom. Every one of them has had an unhappy ending, without exception! The best ending has the JB Weld holding, for a while anyway.......pg

ORIGINAL: piniongear

Yeah Horse13,
I cannot count how many people I have come across who have just had to remove that infamous plug in the crankcase bottom. Every one of them has had an unhappy ending, without exception! The best ending has the JB Weld holding, for a while anyway.......pg



You won't see "remove plugs under cases" in any service manual that is for sure! ;)

Not sure why they are even there. I was told once it had something to do with the manufacturing of the cases???

The JB Weld will hold great if the crankcase and such is totally drained, the bike laid on it's side and the surface cleaned completely. Then let the stuff sit for 2 days.

Don't ask me how I know this. LOL

BTW, sure is a pretty bike you have.

Yes, that is my understanding as well. It was put in there as a cheap way to plug up a hole needed for a machining step in building the engine.
If that story is true, I have never heard exactly what machining step was done. Earlier engines did not have this plug, so what the heck could have been so different to require a hole there?
I have no idea myself.......pg

i had the same problem.used a self tapping bolt made for this purpose.i never screwed it in all the way as it became really tight(perverts)i also screwed it back out pour oil in just to make sure there were no metal particles and then screwed it back in...buti just left it partially out.there is a small small leak that i am living with temporarily.--------i just wanted to say i am 99% sure i saw a haynes manual saying to drain it from the bottom.---yes everyone i am aware of what i can do with my haynes manual...i am just sayin...btw i will start leaning bike.

ORIGINAL: straydog13

i had the same problem.used a self tapping bolt made for this purpose.i never screwed it in all the way as it became really tight(perverts)i also screwed it back out pour oil in just to make sure there were no metal particles and then screwed it back in...buti just left it partially out.there is a small small leak that i am living with temporarily.--------i just wanted to say i am 99% sure i saw a haynes manual saying to drain it from the bottom.---yes everyone i am aware of what i can do with my haynes manual...i am just sayin...btw i will start leaning bike.


Thanks:)

for the record the bolt i used i got from advance(probably same everywhere) and it was a slight oversized,made specifically for this reason.--what hopper said above scares me.next time i change fluid i will do what he says and be careful when i put it in and never remove it again.

Forget it! If you have removed the plug only one time it is history. You are not going to be able to undo the damage you have already done. That crankcase material is at most 3/8 inch thick of very crummy cast aluminum alloy material.......almost like pot metal.
Inside the crankcase sits the flywheel assembly about another 1/4 to 3/8 inch away from the plug. You strip that plug and you are screwed...........pg