So I was doing my first oil change (cringe away) on my new-to-me 2012 FLHR..

Set the torque wrench to 20 ft/lbs, drove the oil plug back in, but it felt really tough and I either didn't get the click or totally missed it. It ended up loosening up on the last nudge I gave it and panic set in. A dozen f-bombs later I calmed down, threaded it back out, and expected to see blown threads. NOPE! All looked fine..Cleaned and re-tefloned the plug, moved the wrench down to 17 ft/lbs, drove it back in again. This time it felt much better going in and I got a definite click at 17. Panic subsided, and onwards I went to the primary and trans. All went well with all of those plugs @ 17, and things went totally fine outside of that. After cleaning up the garage and getting ready to roll her out for a warm up and short ride to check fluid levels, I noticed a few drops under the pan. Wiped it back up and thought nothing of it, assumed I missed a spot or something. As soon as I tossed the shop rag in the bin I glanced over and saw fresh oil again.

So my question is: The service manual says to torque the plugs. Talking to other folks I hear lots of "hell no"s about torquing the plugs for this damned reason. Logic, after the fact, says better to have a loose plug that drools and needs a snugging than to blow your oil pan like this. Any input on what I should be doing going forward? I'm super paranoid to ever torque on the case or pan ever again, even though the primary and tranny went fine..

Gore pics attached.

 

Get yourself a new one.

 

Plus one on the "Oh he'll no"
I've been changing oil on every vehicle I've owned since I was 15. Everything, cars, trucks, boats, bikes, lawn equipment, everything. In 47 years I've never torqued an oil plug nor has one ever leaked.

Cracking the pan is a hard lesson to learn. Good luck on the repair.

 

Sorry about your bad luck. I've never had a problem with using the lower end of the scale- on any fastener that will be R&R'd many times over the life of the bike. I also got my TQ wrenches calibrated every year, just because i'm paranoid about things like this happening- tools are supposed to make/save $, not cost you more. Drain plug torque is 14-21 foot pounds (168 "#), and I use 170 inch pounds on my 1/4" drive tq wrench-less leverage, easier to hear when it's reached, less likely to strip aluminum threads.

 

I snug up mine by feel, have never had a leak.
Same with oil filters.
Sorry for your woes, bro...

 

A loose plug that can fall out is not logical. The spec is 14-21 lb/ft torque I believe.

Overtorque on a non-tapered thread almost always rips threads out. But it can cause cracks. Grit in a thread can cause cracks, pretty quickly too. Since you describe it as feeling really tough, that and high torque may well have done you in.

You are going to need to replace the pan. You can have it welded, but that's likely to cost you nearly as much as a replacement pan. You can also play with sealers and such, but it's almost certainly going to leak and have that fracture grow.

 

Yeah I'm about to drive 2 hours round trip to grab the only pan in stock at the dealers in the area and have someone set up to put it on. He quoted 4-6 hours at about $400 which seems high, but he's local and fast so while I'll still call the dealer to get a rough quote I doubt they'll have the same turnaround time.

As to new pan or repair, for the price of the pan and the fact the old has to come out either way (weld or replace) I'm definitely doing a new oil pan.

Just mostly curious about torque wrenching the plugs or going by feel. I try to trust the service manual but on this one I feel a bit betrayed as I doubt I went that much stronger than 20 even missing the click. I do not trust my torque wrench any longer either and will probably toss it in the trash in favor of a newer, better branded one. It's been around a few years and is a cheap harbor freight one anyway.

 

I never torque the drain plugs, nor the spark plugs. Everything else that gets torqued I choose the middle (e.g. if it says 180-220 in lbs, I go 200; 16-20 ft lbs, I go 18, etc.) with the exception of a few fasteners known to have issue where I choose the lowest (like the two cam plate screws at the dowel positions).

 

HF torque wrenches have been proven to be far more accurate than given credit for, often exceeding many popular brands in accuracy.

That said, trying to detect 20 lb/ft torque with a 1/2" torque wrench is hard, especially compared to using a 3/8" torque wrench. 1/4" is even easier. Don't know which you used.

I am a person who tends to install drain plugs by feel. Finger seated (or nearly so), then a standard box end wrench. One handed to fully seated and a wee bit more, enough to barely make me go "mm" as I do it.

That said, when I've gone back to my torque wrench for some calibration comparisons (I do this off an on), I am often surprised by how much I am over torquing by hand. Spark plugs especially. You only want to crush the seal enough too seal. Not totally flatten it, which I tend to do when torquing by hand.

 

I used a 3/8ths wrench. Maybe I'll hang onto it and invest in a 1/4th for primary use. I've done a ton of spark plugs by hand (100+ easily I bet) over the years and lots of other related work, and other than crappy plastic threaded garbage I've only stripped one spark plug, and that one was really bad & ended up seized.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far. Frustrated, and wishing I had a ceiling hoist to do the pan swap myself, but it is what it is right now.