Putting project bike back together after a two week break due to a new job found I have a slight problem. After finishing the clutch project and replacing the clutch cover tonight I went to put the oil plug back in and fill it. Found that the project bike oil plug hole is stripped. I sure don't want to have totry and find a case and pull it all back apart.Anyone give me an idea on retapping since it is soft metaland using a larger pug?

Doc you around ??

 

What kind of bike?
What year model?
Which plug is stripped out, filler or drain?
Is it the primary drain plug or the transmission drain plug
It would help if you could be a bit more specific.......pg

 

Check J&P cycles or some of the aftermarket parts dealers. They make an oversize drain plug that is sold with the tap for the threads

 

76 IronHead Sporty

oil drainplug hole

 

There are two oil drain plugs under there.

 

I'll be ordering a tap and plug. Problem resolved.

 

You never remove the "plugs" under the engine. They strip easily and are not suppose to be removed. You drain oil in an Ironhead "crankcase"from the OIL TANK DRAIN ONLY.

You drain the primary/transmission through the primary oil fill level plug. (lean it to do full drain)

Leave the plugs under the Crankcase alone. There is not hardly any oil in there anyway.

I just had to post that tidbit to hopefully save others from a stripped plug.

 

You can't tap the crankcase plug without splitting the cases. The flywheel is too close to the hole to run a tap in. Go to the auto parts store and get an oversize drain plug (they are self tapping) and run that in with some JB Weld (sorry Pinion). That plug aint supposed to come out anyway.

 

Be careful with those self-tapping drain plugs. Some of them have a slotted nose on them, the thread cutting part, that can end up touching the flywheels if wound in far enough. I saw pics a while back where it looked like the end bits had broken off one inside the engine when the wheels turned.

If you are retapping the hole, and the tap is too long (or the self tapping plug is too long), once you have wound it in as far as it will go, youcan grind a bit off the end and get it in a bit further. Repeat process a few times until the tap goes all the way in. Just wont be able to use the tap again.

 

I tried the self-tapping plug yesterday. Stopped by NAPA with old plug in hand making sure the self tapper was no longer. But could not get it started after about an hour of trying even tried recutting it. After that I recut with with a course tread cutter and was able to get a bolt in with no problem. Going back to NAPA this morning to see if they have a course tread over size plug.