attempted Oil change

[Guest]

Boy oh Boy,

Man do I feel mechanically De-clined. All I want to do is change the dayum oil. I have the suzuki repair manual, the suzuki filter, I have the correct size wrench for the oil bolts, I bought the correct size plug socket for the drain plug yesterday, I have the 10W-40 motor oil, grabbed a matt to use when under the bike, (very dirty (dusty) garage), phew I'm exhuasted!! So after running around getting all the pieces together, I finally get back to the garage, the bike is nice and warm. Step One.. unscrew the oil fill plug. Yeah, it won't budge. I grab pliers and still no go. WTF!!!! I have no WD-40 with me and the sun is setting. (the garage is skylit).

Meanwhile, I decide to see if the plug socket fits the drain plug, and it does, and I loosen it a bit. not enough to let it drain. As I'm screwing it back in I realize it won't tighten... not completely anyway. Just keeps turning. Errrrr

Questions:
I Sprayed some WD-40 around the seem on the oil fill this morning. Is this correct?
What solvent should I use to clean the drain plug, as I believe it won't tighten due to oil sludge build up around the threads?
Also, someone mention I should be using "motorcycle oil" as opposed to Motor oil. What's the difference?

thanks ya'll

[relic-rider]

The threads in the oil pan for the drain plug are stripped. That is why it won't tighten up. You will need to try to retap them or put a helicoil insert in them to repair them. Or get a new oil pan. The oil filler cap shouldn't be that tight. There is an o-ring that seals the underside of it to the clutch cover. Be gentle with the pliers or wrench, it should come loose. And lastly the oil type. That has had several heated discussions on here. All "motorcycle " oil means in my book is more $$$$$. Do a search on this and the other problems using the search button in the header bar. All of these subjects have been discussed many times before.

[musclebike]

You need to go ahead and bite the bullet: remove the oil drain plug and check the condition of the threads. Also check those female threads in the oil pan. Dirt, sludge or whatever would not prevent the plug from tightening in my opinion. It may prevent it from sealing however.

[Mark whiz]

By "oil fill plug", I am assuming you mean the little screw-in plug on top of the clutch cover - correct?? If it is frozen that hard, you might have to try some temperature differences to get it loose - like warming up the engine and then spraying the plug with a can of air (like used for cleaning out computer equipment) this usually comes out pretty cold and the insueing temperature difference between the plug and the clutch cover may allow you to break the plug loose. Once you get the plug off, I would wipe down it's screwing surfaces with a solvent like mineral spirits, I'm thinking that the coating on the cover must have melted to the plug causing it to bind up like this - just don't spill the spirits on the cover or you'll make a mess of it. A new sealing o-ring on the plug when you put it back would probably be a cheap investment to prevent this situation again.

That drain plug not tightening, sounds horribly close to being stripped - so don't force it any tighter. Once you get it out, make sure you clean the threads on the plug and pan really well and hopefully it isn't stripped.

As far as which oil to use - there has been a lot of discussion about it on here.......all I can offer is personal experience. I have 96K miles on my '85 GS700 and for the most part it has gotten Mobil 1 synthetic most of it's life, once I broke it in on Castrol GTX for the 1st 4k miles. I've used Amsoil motorcycle oil the last couple of changes as well. I've notice ZERO problems with wear, gear shifting, clutch operation, etc with ANY oil I ever tried. About the only thing I've ever noticed, is that when the oil is getting in need of changing, shifting/clutch performance is noticeably affected. Other than that, I think any reputable oil in the correct weight will do the job just fine - just stay away from any "slick" additives as that can cause cluth slippage.

[Steve]

Use whatever oil makes you feel comfortable as long as it meets one condition:

On the back of the container is the API 'seal'. It is a circle divided into three parts. In the top half it will give the service rating, like Service SJ or Service SM. In the center it will have the viscosity, like 10w-40 or 10w-30. In the bottom half it might say 'Energy Conserving'. If it does say 'Energy Conserving', DON'T USE IT. It has friction modifiers to make it slipperier for better fuel mileage, but those same friction modifiers play havoc with our wet clutches. Fortunately, most of the oils that have the 'Energy Conserving' label on them are 30w or thinner. Most of our bikes use 10w-40 or 20w-50. (Some of us use synthetics that are rated 5w-40.) I have not yet seen the 'Energy Conserving' rating on a 40w oil.

What I feel is more important that the brand of oil that you use, is how often you change it. Some people feel they are spoiling their machine and changing it every 1000 miles or so. Personally, I can't afford that many changes a year. In the past 13 months, my wife has ridden her 850 for 7937 miles, and I have ridden my Wing for 17,491 miles. That's 25 oil changes. :shock: Because of the way we ride, with longer trips, rather than short daily commutes, the oil gets to operating temp and stays there, rather than the heat/cool cycles that create condensation. I am using synthetic oil and feel very comfortable with a 5,000 mile change interval. In fact, Honda recommends an 8,000 mile interval with standard oil. 8-[


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[whiteboyslo]

stipped plug for sure. just had the EXACT same thing happen on my F250 the other day. dammit!

although, in the last 2 months i have done my first two oil changes on bikes. on BOTH bikes, that bolt was in there so tight i had to grab Bertha (my handy 2.5' long breaker) to get the thing out. both biks had sat forever since their last change, but still..... thankfully the threads were OK. put in a new plug and washer/gasket, and all is well.

Mike

[maro]

Assuming it's stripped, where can I purchase a new plug? thanks

[relic-rider]

Chances are most likely the threads in the aluminum oil pan are stripped and not the steel plug, so a new plug will probably not work. You will need to try to cleanup or rethread the hole in the pan. If that doesn't work, you can drill it out and install a helicoil insert. Or replace the pan.

[maro]

thanks relic.... I'm researching "helicoil insert" now.

[Suzuki mad]

I guess from your post that it's a GS650G we are talking about?

Do you have a 4-1 exhaust on the bike?

The sump plate is held on by 12 10mm bolts. Take them out and the sump plate will come off, then take it down to a machine shop and get them to either helicoil it or timecert the plug hole. Remove the old sump gasket and replace with a new one tightening the bolts up to 7ft/lbs I believe. Job done.

You can obtain new Suzuki drain plug bolts and washers.

Suzuki mad

[nichols750]

Assuming it's stripped, where can I purchase a new plug? thanks

you can buy an oversized plug that is made for just this situation. I have one in my oil pan. the threads were stipped and i bought a single oversized plug and it works great, just take your time putting it in as it will cut it's own threads on the way in the first time.

[maro]

Okay, I've just searched and possibly read every thread regarding stripped Drain holes. Seems like there are many solutions. What's crazy is that I still haven't even got the fill hole open, let alone proceeded to deal with the drain hole.

I hope my local auto parts store and an over sized drain hole plug. for starters....

thanks all

[Mark whiz]

Rather than just the auto parts store, A better source for a bolt, helicoil, etc might be a Fastenal dealer if you have one in the area.

[Billy Ricks]

If you stripped the drain plug try this.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/archive/index.php/t-71861.html

[maro]

no bench grinder? how necessary is grinding it down a bit?