Helicoil for oil drain bolt on a 1983 GS450E?

[Synthead]

My oil drain threads are stripped! What Helicoil and tap should I use for the factory bolt?

[phydeauxmutt]

I would not use a Heli-Coil for the drain plug. You can go to your favorite auto parts store and get an oversize plug. I think it's an M14x1.25, but measure to be sure. The oversize plugs come in a +1 size or a +2 size. If your stripped plug (likely the oil pan, not the plug) still has a little "bite" to it, get the +1. If you can keep spinning it with your fingers, get the +2.

Oh, and if you DID use a Heli-Coil, it usually comes with its own special tap. It's a size that is not available anywhere else.

[Synthead]

How does the oversize plug work? Do you just torque it in there without tapping anything and call it a day?

Also, is there a reference for the torque settings I should be using throughout this bike? The Haynes manual is severely lacking this stuff

[Synthead]

I'm having a hard time finding an oversize M14-1.25 bolt. Got a link to something I can buy by chance?

[Synthead]

Oh you know what? A while back, I had a car where a spark plug came loose and stripped its own threads, and I still have the kit. The thread size is M14-1.25! I already have all the tools and extra inserts from this kit. I think I might go ahead and just use this kit one more time. It'll have a nice steel thread that shouldn't give me issues or need a special bolt.

[salty_monk]

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-65217-AutoGrade-Oversize-Drain/dp/B000COCX0E

Pretty hard not to find it with a google search to be honest.....

https://lmgtfy.app/?q=m14+oversized+drain+plug

[phydeauxmutt]

I'm having a hard time finding an oversize M14-1.25 bolt. Got a link to something I can buy by chance?

https://www.autozone.com/external-en...ize+drain+plug

https://www.oreillyauto.com/search?q=overize+drain+plug

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...0051&langId=-1

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=oversize+..._ts-doa-p_1_19

The list goes on.

And on.

Check your current bolt with a thread gauge. It MIGHT be M14-1.50.

[Synthead]

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-65217-.../dp/B000COCX0E

Pretty hard not to find it with a google search to be honest.....

https://lmgtfy.app/?q=m14+oversized+drain+plug

This is m14-1.5, not M14-1.25

https://www.autozone.com/external-en...ize+drain+plug

https://www.oreillyauto.com/search?q=overize+drain+plug

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...0051&langId=-1

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=oversize+..._ts-doa-p_1_19

The list goes on.

And on.

Check your current bolt with a thread gauge. It MIGHT be M14-1.50.

• That's 1/2"-20
• There are no M14-1.25 bolts in that list
• There are no M14-1.25 bolts in that list, either
• Amazon has a M14-1.25, but it isn't oversize

It is M14-1.25.

[salty_monk]

It cuts new threads so I don't think it matters if it's 1.25 or 1.5.... There are a bunch of threads on it here for people that have had success. Do some searching.

[free99]

Having had to do this job myself, may I strongly suggest removing the oil pan and being very careful to ensure that the resulting thread is fully perpendicular to the pan surface. I mistakenly had the angle slightly off and wound up having to machine out the crap threads, and insert an...insert, threaded and properly perpendicular.

Turning a drill press by hand will work just fine.

[Synthead]

I ended up using extra parts from my spark plug thread repair kit I bought a while back. It turned out great! I used high-temp RTV sealant on the threads to ensure that it wouldn't leak. Not that the crush washer wouldn't seal that, anyway.

[Boogywstew]

Doesn't your thread repair keep you from draining the last pint or so of dirty oil because the thread insert sticks up INTO the pan? Since you took off the pan anyways, could you have inserted the insert from the inside out so the protruding threads would be outside the pan and the inside would be flush?