Oooops!

[devonbiker]

OK I attempted to change the engine and primary oils today. Every thing went well until my oil filter remover was too big so I had to buy a new one. I torqued up the engine oil and primary oil bolts, filled with correct oil only to realise I hadn't put any lock thread on either of the bolts! Without going into the details I ended up threading the engine oil bolt in the swing arm!

Both oils have now been drained waiting for my bike to be collected by garage who will rethread both threads (yes both as I want both replaced with stronger threads) with metal threads and metal oil plugs so this shouldn't happen again! The cause of the overtightning was my Snap-On digital toque wrench. I've been having problems with the batteries making good contact, I think internally it's corroded. So as I was tightening the engine oil bolt it turned off and so didn't beep and so I threaded it! It wasn't hard to do, felt like the alloy was made of cheese! Annoying to think I was trying to save money.

 

[jetlee]

So you put the crankcase plug in the swingarm, and the swingarm plug in the crankcase...then stripped the threads?

This is why only do one fluid at a time and only snug up the bolt with a standard box wrench. Check the 'snug' after each of the next couple rides and call it good. Never had an issue.

 

[go cytocis]

I'm sure no professional mechanic, but I recall an exercise our high school shop teacher made us do to develop a 'sense' for tightening fasteners by hand.

We clamped two identical nuts side-by-side in a vise, then threaded identical bolts into each of them. He then gave us a ratchet wrench & a torque wrench with handles of equal length. We were instructed to alternately tighten both bolts, one with the torque wrench in 10 ft-lb increments, the other just by feel, until we stripped both.

In over 20 years of wrenching on bikes & cars since, often without a torque wrench, I've yet to strip a thread (knock on wood).

 

[Doc13]

Yea, I "snug it", check it before and after rides. If it leaks, I'll worry about it.

 

[devonbiker]

So you put the crankcase plug in the swingarm, and the swingarm plug in the crankcase...then stripped the threads?

No. where did you get that idea from?

I did one oil at a time, no mixing of oil drain plugs. Problem was I over tightening of the swing arm oil drain plug because of my faulty torque wrench.

 

[Sirius815]

Without going into the details I ended up threading the engine oil bolt in the swing arm!

You sure had me confused [confused]

 

[konarider94]

You sure had me confused

me too, then i was like wait a minute the engine oil bolt is supposed to be in the swingarm whats the issue here. I think he just stripped it out bec the manual uses torque specs that are incorrect for the drain plug.

 

[jetlee]

No. where did you get that idea from?

Without going into the details I ended up threading the engine oil bolt in the swing arm!

I meant to say trans plug into swingarm and swingarm plug into trans, but there were replies and quotes so I left it.

Regardless, your alternate uses of words, such as "threaded" used in place of "stripped", left me confused.

 

[gtp3800]

I just snug them. never had a leak. but I make sure that every time I do an oil change I put new orings on the drain plugs.

 

[06xbss]

I just use a little non-hardening sealant on the threads and snug with an open ended wrench. Don't have to worry about what shape the o-rings are in and no leaks in over 20,xxx miles.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/PERK/80015/N2362.oap?pt=N2362&ppt=C1984

 

[sparky300]

This would be one of those oops stories I usually keep to myself

 

[GregoXB]

Don't be embarrassed dude, I did this a few week ago. I don't think the problem was your torque wrench, but the actual torque specs for those bolts from the factory. I believe they are listed at 26-29 ft lbs which is WAAAY too much. All they need is a snug and a little tighten.

I ended up doing timsert on mine. I am not a mechanic but it was pretty easy and all is well.

 

[Shawns]

http://www.stahlbus.com/info/en/products/oil-drain-valves Use these and you'll never have this problem again. A little pricey but after you buy a timesert and the tools....not so much.

 

[devonbiker]

Sorry guys for not being clear! It was clear in my head when I was typing

I own a Snap-On digital torque wrench and I bought it second hand off ebay. I think I bought it with an inherent fault - unaware of the internal brass battery terminals corroded/green deep in the battery shaft. Snap-On say it will cost around £100 to fix. It came with batteries inserted when I bought it but when they ran out and I changed them I've had problems ever since. I insert the batteries but it's hit or miss whether the readout will power on. When I was servicing my bike it was being temperamental then but what I didn't realise was that as I turned the wrench up side down to toque up it was turning off/on or just turning off. So as I was tightening the bolt I was 100% dependent on hearing a beep and a vibrate but nothing happened and I kept slowly tightening but could not feel the point where is had threaded because of the soft metal. BIG lesson learned here!!

I'm not embarrassed because I was the victim of poor tools. When tightening bolts you can "feel" if you are over tightening, but with these Buell bolts you don't get that feedback. Just one of those things. No doubt this info might be useful to someone else.

 

[go cytocis]

When tightening bolts you can "feel" if you are over tightening, but with these Buell bolts you don't get that feedback.

I'm unclear on how Buell fasteners would differ? [confused]

Certainly some of the fasteners on my R75/5 are very fine thread and provide a different kind of 'feel' but every fastener I've ever encountered on my XB seems pretty standard...

 

[devonbiker]

I'm unclear on how Buell fasteners would differ?

Certainly some of the fasteners on my R75/5 are very fine thread and provide a different kind of 'feel' but every fastener I've ever encountered on my XB seems pretty standard...

Well I guess the soft alloy of the swing arm is like cheese and so I never felt I ever over tightened it - but I did. Tightening other Buell fastners are the same as others I agree, but not the swing arm drain plug.

 

[jetlee]

It's not the fastener...it's what the fastener is fastening to.

 

[devonbiker]

It's not the fastener...it's what the fastener is fastening to.

Agreed! [up]

 

[go cytocis]

It's not the fastener...it's what the fastener is fastening to.

Agreed, but all I'm saying is that the aluminum swing arm on a Buell will strip just as easily as the aluminum oil pan on any other bike. The only difference is that the Buell's shop manual gives erroneous torque specs.

 

[jetlee]

I wasn't arguing with you, lol; just stating the difference between the fastener itself and what was stripped, directed more towards devonbiker.