Just replaced the oil sump gasket...

[Canuck_gs]

I just recently replaced the oil pan sump gasket on my GS750. When I took the oil pan off there was a decent looking gasket in place, but the previous owner hadn't bothered to scrape off the scraps of baked on ancient gasket before installing...

Anyway, I have a few questions that came up in the process:

1) how tight should the oil pan bolts be? I don't want to squish the gasket to the point where it's ineffective and am not sure how tight it should be.

2) while I was cleaning the oil pan, the small magnet in the oil drain plug bolt came off. I've loosely wedged it back into the bolt, but I don't want this magnet being sucked into the engine or anything... should I remove it or leave it as is?

[TeamDar]

Tighten bolts to 7.2 ft lbs or 85 in lbs. Put the magnet back in the drain plug. The plug is steel and the magnet will stick to it.

[chuck hahn]

You can also clean the drain plug WELL with some carb spray and the magnet also..dry well. Then place a dab of CONTACT CEMENT in the plug hole and on the end of the magnet and let it dry. Once dry, insert the magnet back into the hole. Remove all old gasket material from both the pan and the cases and be very carefull NOT to gouge the aluminum.

[Canuck_gs]

I don't have a torque wrench so I'm not sure how tight the gasket is; is there a more general rule of thumb (ie just hand tight, hand tight then another half turn, etc.)?

As for the magnet I'll take the plug out and dab some cement on if I can find my tube. If I don't glue it on it shouldn't be a problem, right? I've already washed both with carb cleaner so it should be ready to go

[chuck hahn]

Gom to the local autom places that offer toll rentals and get you a torque wrench..and Harbor freight has them for less than 20 bucks. Got a buddy that is a mechanic..or one of his buddies?

[tkent02]

Finger tight and a 1/4 turn or so more will be fine, just use a small 1/4" drive ratchet and finger tips only on it, pay attention to what it feels like, not how far you turn it. If the gasket starts to squeeze out around the bolt holes that's way too far. You should redo it again a few days later, just to see if anything came loose. Even a tiny inch pound torque wrench is likely to strip 6mm bolts threaded into aluminum if you are not used to using it, or if the threads in the case are worn. Too loose is no problem, so it leaks a bit. Too tight is a big problem.

[Canuck_gs]

So it turns out my brother had an adjustable torque wrench haha. I had all the bolts to spec, and the last one the bolt snapped clean off! Oh well, no leaks so far. I found some contact cement and glued the magnet on. Hopefully I can throw a battery on and start her up for the first time tomorrow Thanks for the help guys!

[tkent02]

So it turns out my brother had an adjustable torque wrench haha. I had all the bolts to spec, and the last one the bolt snapped clean off!

Yeah, that's kind of what I was talking about.

Even a tiny inch pound torque wrench is likely to strip 6mm bolts threaded into aluminum if you are not used to using it, or if the threads in the case are worn. Too loose is no problem, so it leaks a bit. Too tight is a big problem.

Did it break off flush or is it recessed down into the hole?

[Canuck_gs]

Yeah, that's kind of what I was talking about.



Did it break off flush or is it recessed down into the hole?

Recessed unfortunately. If it ain't leaking it won't do any damage in there will it?

[chuck hahn]

If it does leak, you can always redrop the pan, clean it all..gasket included..with some crab spray or laquer thinner and add a thin coat of Three Bond 1194 to each side in the area around the missing bolt. Should be ok since there isnt any pressure that the gasket holds back. Yamabond and Hondabond are the same thing as the Three Bond by the way.

[hampshirehog]

Throw the torque wrench away or never use it again. You shouldn't be anywhere near snapping those bolts at that torque.

[chuck hahn]

Unless some one before him was the madman and they were already stressed to the point of breaking...he may just be the unlucky bloke that finished it off!!

[Canuck_gs]

So another issue, it's leaking at the plug. I suspect it had a leak there previously and didn't purchase a new plug and washer. It's a slow leak, but here's something interesting. While tightening the nut it got fairly snug, then went slack and I could tighten it again; does this mean the bolt or bung is stripped? What's the next step?

[Canuck_gs]

Throw the torque wrench away or never use it again. You shouldn't be anywhere near snapping those bolts at that torque.

It definitely wasn't the wrench, the bike is just a wreck. It's been pretty abused by the looks of it, and based on the leak at the seal before I'm sure a previous owner just destroyed them.

[bluewool]

It definitely wasn't the wrench, the bike is just a wreck. It's been pretty abused by the looks of it, and based on the leak at the seal before I'm sure a previous owner just destroyed them.

Click torque wrenches will go off if dropped, or stored with the spring compressed...

So another issue, it's leaking at the plug. I suspect it had a leak there previously and didn't purchase a new plug and washer. It's a slow leak, but here's something interesting. While tightening the nut it got fairly snug, then went slack and I could tighten it again; does this mean the bolt or bung is stripped? What's the next step?

That would be stripped... helicoil