Problem with primary drain bolt and helicoil
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Problem with primary drain bolt and helicoil
Hey All,
For all the sound advice and wisdom I've gleaned from this forum over the years, this is somehow my first time posting. So forgive me if this has been taken up elsewhere, but if it has I can't find it. My problem is this: I did a clutch adjustment on my '97 Sportster last week, and since I couldn't recall changing the transmission fluid over the entire time I've owned the bike, I figured I'd kill two birds that were perched right next to each other. But when I pulled the primary drain plug to drain the transmission fluid from the case, I found a helicoil bunched up around the head of the drain bolt. I pulled it off, and obviously the standard drain plug now does not fit the threads in the case. I inspected the threads as best I could and they look fine, so I wondered if the previous owner just used a helicoil to make the smaller bolt fit. I ordered a new, after-market bolt from the good people at the Good Old Motorcycle Parts Co. and it arrived today. It's the same size as the bolt I pulled, and doesn't fit the threads. So my question is: Did the Evo motors of the late 90s have drain bolts in different sizes, such that I could size up and find one that fits? Or, if not, since helicoils have to be fitted to standardized bolt sizes, can I just find a bolt that fits the hole, put it in there with an O ring and forget about the magnetized tip? Any and all suggestions are much appreciated.
For all the sound advice and wisdom I've gleaned from this forum over the years, this is somehow my first time posting. So forgive me if this has been taken up elsewhere, but if it has I can't find it. My problem is this: I did a clutch adjustment on my '97 Sportster last week, and since I couldn't recall changing the transmission fluid over the entire time I've owned the bike, I figured I'd kill two birds that were perched right next to each other. But when I pulled the primary drain plug to drain the transmission fluid from the case, I found a helicoil bunched up around the head of the drain bolt. I pulled it off, and obviously the standard drain plug now does not fit the threads in the case. I inspected the threads as best I could and they look fine, so I wondered if the previous owner just used a helicoil to make the smaller bolt fit. I ordered a new, after-market bolt from the good people at the Good Old Motorcycle Parts Co. and it arrived today. It's the same size as the bolt I pulled, and doesn't fit the threads. So my question is: Did the Evo motors of the late 90s have drain bolts in different sizes, such that I could size up and find one that fits? Or, if not, since helicoils have to be fitted to standardized bolt sizes, can I just find a bolt that fits the hole, put it in there with an O ring and forget about the magnetized tip? Any and all suggestions are much appreciated.
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