Drain bolt won't tighten? Please help

[ktmsx1254life]

Hi guys, I have not that long ago brought a ktm sx 125 off trade me as a step up from my old kx,it was fully rebuilt by a shop in Auckland and have the dockets (this was before I brought the bike) today it had done 5 hours so it was time for Oil change, while undoing the drain bolt it came to my atencone that the bolt was just going around and around and not coming out, the bolt is stirped inside off the casing, I had my dad look at it that night here he tryed to undo the cheek bolt, this was every every lose (can move with fingers) and also is wont tighen to the point where I can't move with my fingers, how can I fix this'd two problems ? Why didn't the shop fix them with the full rebuild? As they replaced the oil last? What it the easy way u can fix this?

[scumdog]

Vice-grips on the head of the bolt, wind it ainti-clockwise while pulling down.

Once you get it out get a heli-coil fitted and you should be sweet.

[ktmsx1254life]

Vice-grips on the head of the bolt, wind it ainti-clockwise while pulling down.

Once you get it out get a heli-coil fitted and you should be sweet. ok sweet, where abouts are heli coils brought from? Every body is talking about them but can't find them in shops

[Ocean1]

ok sweet, where abouts are heli coils brought from? Every body is talking about them but can't find them in shops

Most engineers supply or general fasteners shops will have them.

But to be honest you're better taking the bike to the shop, they'll do the job for probably no more than you'd pay for the helicoil kit. And they can be a tad tricky to install for the inexperienced.

[ktmsx1254life]

Most engineers supply or general fasteners shops will have them.

But to be honest you're better taking the bike to the shop, they'll do the job for probably no more than you'd pay for the helicoil kit. And they can be a tad tricky to install for the inexperienced.

Ok sweet, how much am I looking at for the heli coil kit or for my to take it to a bike shop?

[skippa1]

Most engineers supply or general fasteners shops will have them.

But to be honest you're better taking the bike to the shop, they'll do the job for probably no more than you'd pay for the helicoil kit. And they can be a tad tricky to install for the inexperienced.
^^^^^^^^what he said. Helicoil install is not really a home handyman job

[Ocean1]

Ok sweet, how much am I looking at for the heli coil kit or for my to take it to a bike shop?

Last time I bought a non-ISO ("normal" metric thread) helicoil kit it was $150 and took a week to arrive. I'd be surprised if any KTM franchise didn't have the gear and know how to use it and I'd say the price should be comparable.

[unstuck]

You certainly do not want the tang on the helicoil to go the wrong way and end up in your sump, that could be very expensive.:yes:

[Akzle]

fuck that. Run a drill through it and tap it a size up, buy a bigger bolt.

[Banditbandit]

That's not a job for an amateur either ... that would work but would need professional attention to do it ... especially on alloy cases ...

And you would need to check if there were any other consequences to widening the hole and inserting a bigger bolt .. like is there enough room inside the cases to do that without affecting internal parts or oil lines ?

Helicoil is the safer option ...

[The Reibz]

Pull the old one off, Drain oil, braze plug back in, fill with oil, sell bike. Chur

[Akzle]

That's not a job for an amateur either ... that would work but would need professional attention to do it ... especially on alloy cases ...

And you would need to check if there were any other consequences to widening the hole and inserting a bigger bolt .. like is there enough room inside the cases to do that without affecting internal parts or oil lines ?

Helicoil is the safer option ...

helecoils still need to be tapped a size up...

[Banditbandit]

helecoils still need to be tapped a size up...

Yeah, you're right ... I forgot that ... still ... either way it's a professional job .. unless the owner's a pretty skilled amateur mechanic ...

[The Reibz]

Cover the tap in a shitload of grease and the chips wont enter the sump. I have tapped aloy spark plug holes in cylinder heads this way. All the chips will be extracted but you will have to clear the tap every few turns and re-lube

[Drew]

Cover the tap in a shitload of grease and the chips wont enter the sump. I have tapped aloy spark plug holes in cylinder heads this way. All the chips will be extracted but you will have to clear the tap every few turns and re-lube

It's a dirt bike. It would be just as quick to whip the motor out, and remove the sump.

More likely to get it right too.

[Madness]

Simply going oversize is just asking for a repeated stripped thread down the track. Go Recoil/Helicoil or even a solid insert (Loctite the bitch in though). Another good option is to get an Engine Reconditioner to do the repair as they'll likely have the Recoils & associated Tap already. The Recoil Taps are the expensive part of the system, the coils themselves are worth fuck all.

Oh, good luck finding an Engine Reconditioner in this day & age.

[Katman]

It's a dirt bike. It would be just as quick to whip the motor out, and remove the sump.



I don't know of any dirt bikes that have a removable sump.

[Drew]

I don't know of any dirt bikes that have a removable sump.

Oh yeah, didn't think of that. :facepalm:

[Katman]

When helicoiling an oil drain hole it is extremely important to drill the hole perfectly perpendicular to the drain plug sealing surface.

Even a couple of degrees out can cause the plug to not seal properly.

[Drew]

Fuck it, thread tape for the win!

[Akzle]

fill the hole with weld and re-drill it.

(done with arc and steel, i :not: anyone who can do it on alloy, speaking of which, are they cast or pressed?)

[pete-blen]

what size is the dran bolt... "not head size"

Try this.. some times it works... depends how much metal has been striped out...
If its a 12mm like a lot of drain bolts... you can re-tap with a 1/2" UNC with out redrilling the hole..
1/2" is 12.7mm..

If that dosn't work... go up to 9/16".. just of the top of my head should be about 14.3mm..
9/16" bolts and taps are not so common these days but yer can still fined them..

It really NOT the big drama people would have you beleave...

Edit... just had another thought... not had to try myself..Some of the BSP-P threads should be close in size to just re-tap the hole..

[unstuck]

Get a slightly bigger sized bolt and smack it in with a hammer. Just be sure to apply lots of loktite.:oi-grr:

If you or your mates dont feel confident fitting a helicoil then take it to the shop, tis no biggie when you have the right gear and know how to use it. May save you a lot of cash in the future, to spend a little now.:2thumbsup

[ktmsx1254life]

cheers guys thanks for the help, the honda shop was the last to do the bolt up during the rebuild 2.5 hours ago and they have agreed to fix it.

[unstuck]

Good stuff, happy ending all round then.:niceone:

[gammaguy]

cheers guys thanks for the help, the honda shop was the last to do the bolt up during the rebuild 2.5 hours ago and they have agreed to fix it.


And the gorilla they had employed as a "mechanic" has now been demoted to making the tea and cleaning the workshop toilets:yes:

[Ocean1]

And the gorilla they had employed as a "mechanic" has now been demoted to making the tea and cleaning the workshop toilets:yes:

To be fair, just, y'know for the practice, you'd get away with it on almost any Jap bike. But it actually does pay to own a torque wrench when it comes to KTMs.

[Drew]

cheers guys thanks for the help, the honda shop was the last to do the bolt up during the rebuild 2.5 hours ago and they have agreed to fix it.

This surprises me no end.

Was the drain plug leaking prior to you discovering that it wouldn't undo?

I ask, because I have seen more than a couple of them stripped, from people thinking they could do a simple oil change themselves, forgot that lefty loosy is backwards when the bolt shaft is between the spanner being wielded and the head.

Infact, in this situation I would invariably blame the the home oil changer over the bike shop.

[Tarded]

Glad to hear the shop is making good on the job.

For the record KTM 525 cases are $1600 odd from memory. I know its a different bike but who expects much difference?

That figure comes into it when deciding whether to do a hoke job or pay $100-200 for a shop to do it. You'd be pretty dark if you botched it for that sort of cost difference.

[nzspokes]

Oh, good luck finding an Engine Reconditioner in this day & age.

http://www.waer.co.nz/