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Twisted Off Oil Drain Plug - Need Advise

13K views 80 replies 18 participants last post by  Joe_ 
#1 ·
Did a major "F" Up and need direction... (I know, I know, just don't beat me up to hard!!!!)

Changed the oil in my '15 XCT lastnight and used a torque wrench on the drain plug set to the 15 ft/lbs per the manual.. I did use caution and stopped when I thought I felt the click of the wrench.

Found drips this morning on the garage floor, grabbed a normal ratchet figuring I did not get it tight enough and proceed to twist off the head of drain plug..

So, advise on how to fix this. I figured easy outs is really my only choice but looking for someone that has experienced this and how it was fixed.
 
#2 ·
With the head busted off, the threaded section might back out easy. See if you can find a section you can tap on with a screwdriver or something and try backing it out.
 
#3 ·
Can you share a picture of the damaged plug so we can help you better ?

Andre
@
TaPaTaLk
 
#4 ·
Yea a picture would help us a bunch. If there is something left you may be able to score a slot in remains with a dremel and then back it out with a screwdriver. Left handed drill bits if it comes to having to drill it out. Or I have a set of these "speed out"
 
#5 · (Edited)
yup been there done that. what I did was lay the bike on its side ( anchored from the joists). drilled 3 small holes or dimples, if you will. Took a sharp punch, put the point in a dimple and sharply punch counter clockwise. it may take a little while. Be prepared for some oil to run out.
 
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#6 ·
or you can do what others suggested with left hand drill or extractor. The key is to keep the dill centered. start with small drill bits and work your way up to the recommended size for the extractror.
 
#7 ·
When I was in the USAF we use to have these small angle cut chisels for screws the head got mangled on. We called them screw chisels, still got one somewhere I think. But yea that works too, sometimes one of those automatic center punches will walk one out doing the same thing. Had a point something like this.
 
#12 ·
I'm guessing it is the plug as much as technique.
Being a parts guy do you know what the blue adhesive that Walmart puts on their drain plugs to seal and retain them when they do an oil change for customers.
It keeps the plug in with very little torque on it and seals things up so it does not leak. Seems like just the stuff for Victory drain plugs.
 
#9 ·
The larger the extractor you can use the less chance you have of breaking that off, and you DONT want to do that.
 
#10 ·
go out and buy new drill bits and chisel punches. Most are do beat up and dull they'll just give you fits.
Rent a bunch of moving blankets for laying bike on its side.
youtube has some good how to videos.

GOOD LUCK

To anyone reading this get a hex head drain plug to help prevent the stripping
 
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#11 ·
Good advice here.
Pictures would be awesome. I'm not exactly certain what was left in after the drain plug broke and that matters on how you take it out.

Minus pictures and with all the good advice here now, I would add to not get in a hurry. Put a drain pan under it right now and deal with it when your calm and have the time to not rush. By all means post some pictures because all broken plugs are not equal.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Looks like loctite recommends 565 pst. It's not what walmart uses, but I do have some in the shop. I think I will give that a try next oil change and cut back on the torque on the drain plug. With an adhesive sealer there should be no need to put a lot of torque on that plug. Probably get away with 1/2 the spec'd torque which should eliminate any chance of breakage or stripping the case.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Save your torque wrench for big ends, mains, and head bolts.
Use the Allen wrench Victory provides on the bike and tighten it by hand.
Sadly for the OP its too late for this advice but hopefully it'll save others from a Torquewrench Tragedy.
Happens way too regular on here.

No extra goop is needed to seal it either.
 
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#17 ·
Update on the "Twisted Off oil Drain Plug"!!!!

Well, bike laid on its side, gas siphoned from tank (was running out the over flow, had to), pilot hole drilled, then larger hole drilled... Success!!!!! Oh, and not a drop of oil lost!!!!
 

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#18 · (Edited)
Well, bike laid on its side, gas siphoned from tank (was running out the over flow, had to), pilot hole drilled, then larger hole drilled... Success!!!!! Oh, and not a drop of oil lost!!!!
Perfect!!! Did it back right out almost freely or was it jammed pretty good?
 
#20 ·
I dont usually have issues with allen bolts. But I aint using no harbor freight L key jobs neither. Great you got it out. I would have maybe taken the gas tank off, but hey whatever works for ya.
 
#21 ·
Replacing the plug with a hex head seems a good idea to me. Is there an aftermarket plug available? Maybe with a magnet?
 
#22 ·
Yes, several. I'm using a Dimple, like a lot of other folks here. (In fact, I switched a few years ago from a much weaker magnetic plug from another company, one I put on shortly after buying my XCT, to the Dimple.)

See: DRAINPLUGMAGNETS.COM
 
#23 · (Edited)
#24 ·
Excellent! Thanks, Bill! Just ordered 1.....
 
#26 ·
It's an excellent product -- you won't be disappointed.

A) Here's my magnetic drain-plug history for my XCT:

- 03/12: Ordered one from VictoryOnly.com, which they sourced from Wings Products, for $19.95, to go on my then brand-new XCT.

I just looked, and VictoryOnly now sells the Dimple (for $33.95), and NOT the one I bought four years ago.

- 07/14: Ordered the Dimple one, direct from Dimple, for $34.95. MUCH stronger magnet on the Dimple, appears to be a very high quality product.

(All prices do not reflect shipping charges.)

Don't forget to wipe off any minute ferrous particles when changing the oil.

B) For those considering other brands, @djh3 has a good group of links.

I would add, though, that plugs like the Gold Plug ( Gold Plug Magnetic Drain Plug MP-01 - Gold Plug LLC ? Magnetic Drain Plugs ) would make me nervous. If you've ever come mighty close to -- or actually scraped -- a speed bump, I would not want something that large hanging out on the bottom of an oil sump. That is, the Dimple head seems much more low-profile than the Gold head (and most of the other plugs), and, IMHO, that's important.
 
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#25 ·
Somebody confirm this for please....
The oil drain plug is an M12X1.25 12MM long? Right???????
 
#27 ·
I don't know about the stock plug -- it's in some box on some shelf, somewhere in my garage -- but the one I ordered direct from Dimple is the one listed at DRAINPLUGMAGNETS.COM , the "DIMPLE M12X1.5X12R INDIAN/VICTORY super plug," and it's been on my XCT for two+ years now.
 
#30 ·
Hard to say...however, here's a DRAIN PLUG that fits the bill
12MM X 1.25..it's for a Suzuki RM125/250, it's magnetic if that's important to you and it's 8.40$ on Amazon with free shipping if you're a Prime member(I am)...just ordered 2...I just happened to have that die in a set so I'll run it thru to be sure it's OK. BTW, I'll just use the Victory sealing washers with the plug...I already have a bag of those.
 
#33 ·
I think maybe the "R" designation may be reduced head thickness. I wounder if the head would sit lower than anything else under there. IE any boss or fins? But it is good info to know the Drain Plug magnets one dimple plug or whatever.
 
#37 ·
Well I don't ride an XC XR or XCT, my Vegas scrapes the join in the crankcases over severe speed bumps, and a busted drain plug is a busted drain plug.
Clearance may be better on an XC, rode an XR once but not for long enough to ground anything out.
You may have more clearance, dunno, Aint got an XC that I can crawl under.
And as long as I keep using the Victory Allen key, by hand, I'll never have a broken drain plug.
End of story.
 
#39 ·
And as long as I keep using the Victory Allen key, by hand, I'll never have a broken drain plug.
End of story.
Couldn't agree more MBX.

I clocked up 40 years of motorcycling last month and have changed my own oil on every bike and car I've owned in that time.

I have lost count of the number of stripped sump plug stories I've heard over those years and still can't figure out how people manage to do it.

It's a simple bung people - it doesn't secure anything! Just nip it up is all it needs.

Torque wrench on a sump plug? No wonder the thing stripped. The OP was way overthinking the function and capabilities of that little plug.

Russ
 
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#38 ·
OK had to go look to refresh my memory. Now I see if the head of the new plug is say 3/8 more than the OEM allen it could protrude lower than the fins on the bottom of the case.
 
#40 ·
This is the WD magnetic plug, don't know who made them in 2014 ... It was the first thing on my list ... Don't know if other magnetic plugs have stronger magnets, but this works very well, never used a torque wrench on an oil plug ....

Small road rash ...
 

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#45 ·
That looks like the plug I got in 2012 from VictoryOnly.com, furnished to them by Wing Products (see post #26). That weaker one went on my XCT at the 600-mile oil change, a few days after I bought the bike.

Compare and contrast with the pic on the page DRAINPLUGMAGNETS.COM . As I say, that Dimple one has a larger magnet and it really is a whole lot stronger. FWIW, I'm glad I made the switch.
 
#41 ·
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