Drain Plug?

My bike is an '81 xj750 seca. Started taking the bolt out that holds filter cover on and like everyone said, it started rounding off :cry: . Lightly hammered deep well socket on the bolt and put small breaker bar on it. I put some pressure on it while wife (SWMBO) tapped on bar. YES...it broke loose before she got my knuckles!
There is a bolt right under (towards the back of the bike) where the filter cover sits. The head is 19mm. Do I need to remove it for more drainage or don't mess with it. If it needs it, I'll give it a try. Hard to push my luck that far twice in one day :wink: ...

skillet

 

yes, the 19mm bolt is the oil pan drain plug. pull it, and let the bike sit over the catch pan for 10-15 minutes... also clean off the magnet on the drain plug.

you're lucky your oil filter bolt came off easy! sometimes they have to be ground/drilled off. wouldn't hurt to get a new one...

 

You might consider an impact driver for tight bolts. I am and old time biker and it was once said that every biker needed one. I use mine constantly. Best $20.00 I ever spent on tools for the bike, also the car and even lift trucks. This is not an impact gun. Here is a link to show one if you have never seen it. I am refering to the 9 piece set on the page. Sockets can be used with it.

http://www.princessauto.com/vmchk/view- ... act+driver

 

Just for reference: oil filter bolt torque is supposed to be 11 ft/lb; 750 Seca oil quantity (w/filter change) is 5.9 quarts; sump drain plug torque 31 ft/lb. You should also pull the middle gear drain plug as there will be a small amount of engine oil back there too; middle gear drain plug torque 17.5 ft/lb.

 

5.9 quarts ?? I heard 3,500 CC full change from dry.
31 Ft /lb is a bit heavy for aluminum. . .

Middle gear torque of 17.5 will get you shot in Massachusetts !!

http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7 ... art=0.html

We need an updated and seriously factual oil tech thread written to our curent standards, and the above "sticky" needs to be replaced.
And all stickies need to be reviewed at this point.

 

My bad!! I got the info from the Haynes manual that calls for 2.8L oil when changing the filter (2.8L=2800cc=5.9 US pints=2.96qt). The torque values are good - even in MA (the OP has a shaft-driven bike, not chain)! I know Rick - The Master - Massey doesn't endorse this and it would not be the end of the world if not drained, but how many people just change the oil without also changing the filter? Or just change the filter without changing the oil? Same reasoning...

 

Thanks everyone! Got drain plug loose the same way. This is my first oil change (new to me bike). Don't think the PO had ever heard of anti-seize. Thanks JFS, I don't have one and REALLY should. All the metric tools I have are from when I played with VW's...

skillet

 

No. It's not the same reasoning.
There ARE people who change oil without changing the filter.
They change the oil at an interval that does not require changing the filter.
They change the filter every other time.

There is a very good and valid reason for not disturbing the Middle Gear Drain Plug.
They are poorly made.
Poorly designed.
And, they break.
Plus: The removal of the Middle Gear Drain Plug is NOT mentioned in the Factory Manual under "Maintenance"

If you break it, to drain less than 1/2 Cup of Oil ... Repairs are Excruciatingly Difficult and time consuming requiring the removal of the Exhaust System (8 Possibly seized Nuts) ... the Header Pipes ... (4 Possibly seized Bolts) ... The Collector Box ... and undoing the Motor Mounts ... (IF the Engine don't need to be pulled).

If the Middle Drain Plug was designed to be removed for routine maintenance ... Accessing the Plug would have been Engineered after given some thought.

But, that's not the case.
You can' t get on it clean.
This makes people want to check that its tight.
That's when it breaks.
It's a whole lot easier to just rip the errant page out of the Haynes Manual than it is trying to get a busted-off Drain Plug to stop leaking.

 

Every time you chang the oil on just about any piece of mechanical equipment you aren't draining every little last bit of oil. That last little bit hardly makes a difference and especially if you are changing the filter. Which also isn't required to be changed every time. I have an FZ1 that clearly states oil changes every 4,000 miles and oil and filter change every 8,000 miles. Several vehicles contain the same recommendation. It is based on the filtering ability of the filter that has been determined by tightly controlled and engineered tests. What are you are describing is not just a bunch of people doing what they want, they are performing factory recommended maintenance.

 

The point being (and this is a shaft-drive XJ issue only) that there is no good reason to disturb the fragile middle gear drain plug unless absolutely necessary to get at that last 1/4 cup or so of oil that gets trapped there.

The factory manual DOES tell you to pop the middle gear drain plug, however; the correct torque on it is 11.6ft/lb. It's not just a Haynes thing, although Haynes is famous for getting capacities, clearances and torque specs wrong.

I don't want to get started on Haynes manuals right now-- I'm in the middle of replacing the timing belt on my daughter's ZX2 "Zetec" (that's Klingon for "pain in the a**") motor and the Haynes book is shot full of omissions.

 

When changing the oil without the filter I remove and drain the filter and purge the oil pump by rolling the engine over a few times.
This results in a cleaner oil change.

You can't get ALL of the oil, but you can get MORE of the oil if you just try.

I read where an oil only change on the 900 leaves 1,100 CC's behind !
I even drain the big oil cooler on that one. But not the middle gear drain plug!! I also stick magnets in the filter housing.

 

Was pretty sure that I had read where that was a no-no. Thanks for backing it up (watching out for newbies) :wink: ...

skillet

 

I hope this is the right place for this, and I haven't been able to locate any comments on the topic in this forum.

My '83 seca started leaking oil: I saw it around the oil level sending unit, so I pulled that, noticed the o-ring was very smashed, so I found a replacement and installed it. No more leaks from there.

After that I am still leaking oil, annoyingly that means it drips on my header pipe collector unit, and burns off in a whiteish / bluish smoke. Embarrassing.

I washed the engine and find that the oil is coming directly from the oil drain plug...
I replaced the washer on the oil drain plug with a new one, and torqued down the plug; and I am still leaking oil!

I notice some gunk residue around the plug hole, as if they guy before me put some kind of sealing cocking on there or something. The threads on my drain plug look fine, the new washer fit correctly. What else could be causing this leak?

Has anyone had experience with something like this? Can you share some advice?

Thank you!

 

Get good light on the Case Threads and use a Magnifying Glass to look for an Over-torque Fracture.

If the Case is cracked ... you'll need it filled.

You can try:
Plug ... Steel Washer ... Tight-fitting Fiber-washer ... PTFE Wrapped Drain Plug Threads.

Repair Plug:
M14X1.5
Molded Rubber Washer
P/N 1069.

http://www.cgenterprises.com/drain_plugs_metric.htm