I found out when doing an oil change that the previous service facility had stripped the thread on the sump plug. It had been (successfully) sealed with thread tape.
The local bike shop suggested that I have the oil pan fitted with a helicoil which should rectify the seal. I dropped the bike off and midway during the day, the shop rang and told me that the helicoil had failed to seal the sump but they were confident that a particular type of loctite would do the job.
I rode the bike home and was most disappointed to see a puddle of oil beneath the bike the next morning. It was coming from the sump plug.
I considered that the helicoil was only really there to give the plug something for the thread to bite into and that any sealing happened on the surface between the plug and the oil pan. So, I replaced the aluminum crush washer (new) with a fibre one. No success, still leaking.
As I needed to use the bike, I have reduced the leak to a slow seep with more thread tape (temporary).
The bike shop have quoted $279 for a new pan. I can get a used one for $125. Both require a replacement gasket.
The failed helicoil fitment, plus replacement oils have cost me nearly $400 so far and the entire problem is starting to give me the shits. My husband credits have long since run out and my wife is scrutinising every dollar I spend....
Is it a big job to remove and replace an oil pan? Can it be done at home? (I have mates with reasonable mechanical knowledge) Is is worth buying a used part risking the same problem I have now?
I have a big ride planned for 3 weeks time.
Thoughts and advice eagerly welcomed....
@ringfeder3 Quote from: seth on Sunday, 07 January 2018, 05:25 AM
on the old org a few used helicoils and dowty washers with no problems.
Quote from: Blubber on Tuesday, 01 May 2018, 06:13 AM
Quote from: Red Biker on Tuesday, 01 May 2018, 06:02 AM
I had a small drip from mine after helicoiling so replaced the standard washer with a dowty one and hey presto :notworthy:
And that ring is also known as a USIT ring
Or dyna ring :onya:
Hope that helps :smile2:
Yes, you can replace the sump at home yourself. I've done it & so has Vlad, so how hard can it be?? But anyway, no special tools req, but you need to remove the exhaust & headers & these can sometimes give trouble as well. Once they're off though, it's easy to do the sump removal & re-fit. You could probably even seal around the edges of the helicoil from the inside or get it Tig welded inside.
I pulled my sump off to hellicoil it as I felt that doing it on the bike would compromise accuracy, I ended up putting a new one on instead though, that it's leaking may be that it isn't perfectly square for that reason, as hellicoils are steel and pretty strong I would be tempted to try two crush washers with Loctite between them and pull it up firmly as a last chance try
Also drop your new oil into a clean tub and re use it
Quote from: Andre on Saturday, 08 February 2020, 11:44 AM
@ringfeder3
Quote from: seth on Sunday, 07 January 2018, 05:25 AM
on the old org a few used helicoils and dowty washers with no problems.
Quote from: Blubber on Tuesday, 01 May 2018, 06:13 AM
Quote from: Red Biker on Tuesday, 01 May 2018, 06:02 AM
I had a small drip from mine after helicoiling so replaced the standard washer with a dowty one and hey presto :notworthy:
And that ring is also known as a USIT ring
Or dyna ring :onya:
Hope that helps :smile2:
Just looked up your dowty washers, hadn't seen them before ,but I like them and agree that would be the best option if not perfectly square
Bike shop should be giving your money back, they havent fixed the problem and in fact made it worse. To tell you "it will be right" in effect by sending you home with a bit of extra thread tape on the sump plug is very poor.
In my view, they should be the ones to be removing the sump and fixing properly, or replacing the sump altogether.