Stripped oil pan threads

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Constant Mesh

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Must be a lot of stripped oil pan threads on Yamaha bikes. They seem to recommend the same drain bolt tightening torque for all their bike engines. A few examples:

31 ft-lbs. 2004 FJR

31 ft-lbs. 2009 FJR

31 ft-lbs. 2009 FZ1

31 ft-lbs. 2009 R1

31 ft-lbs. 2009 R6

31 ft-lbs. 2009 V-Max

31 ft-lbs. 2009 V-Star 1300

31 ft-lbs. 2009 Road Star

It's odd that the recommended drain bolt tightening torque for the FJR's rear drive is only 17 ft-lbs. Maybe the engine oil pan is made of sterner stuff.

If the 31 is an error or oversight one might wonder when they'll stop repeating it.

 
It's definitely an error

Just "snug" it up after getting the gorilla tightened bolt out the first time

Good luck with that "first time" though as recently someone's threads were yanked out getting it out on a new bike

 
Just a suggestion, put a match mark on the head of the bolt and the body of the oil pan prior to removing. When re-installing don't go past the match mark.
geez, don't go CLOSE to that mark

just snug it up, 17mm socket on 3/8" drive ratchet, choke up about halfway up the handle, give it a lil wrist snap and ya done

you do use a brand new crush gasket, don't you (I don't)

if so, just hand tighten till the gasket touches the bolt, then turn 1/2 turn to crush the gasket, then ya good

<avoid the tighten it till it strips and then back off 1/2 turn>

 
As someone who HAS stripped out the threads and had a helicoil put in, I fully recommend the snug it approach. The first time I changed my oil, I needed a breaker bar (4ft of pipe) to get the drain plug off.

Greg

 
t-bar torque on my 03 was 56 ft lbs and the t-bar torque on my 07 is 27 and the t-bar has big stonkin' bolts and one hell of a job to do but the manual says 31 for the oil drain bolt, um yea, right! wouldn't want those pesky oil gremlins to get loose I guess :rolleyes:

 
t-bar torque on my 03 was 56 ft lbs and the t-bar torque on my 07 is 27 and the t-bar has big stonkin' bolts and one hell of a job to do but the manual says 31 for the oil drain bolt, um yea, right! wouldn't want those pesky oil gremlins to get loose I guess :rolleyes:
it's cause they've realize that they can expect most Feej owners to use synthetic crankcase oil... :rolleyes:

everyone knows how slippery that stuff it... :blink:

 
I changed the oil for the first time on my new 08 AE. I had to use a rubber hammer to break loose the drain plug. I don't use a torque wrench when tightening the oil drain bolt (steel into aluminum). I just use my instinct so I don't strip the threads, works for me. It seemed that Yamaha had that thing way over tightened.

 
I've been using 25 ft lbs. Do you think that's too tight? Seems to be pretty easy to remove, so I think it's ok.
In the numerous previous discussions on the matter, the best forum guess is that the 31ft lbs spec is a dry torque spec. Given that the nut is bathed in oil you would use half of that spec, ie 15ftlbs (The alternative being that the 31ft lbs is the wet spec, making the dry spec 62ft lbs, which doesn't seem likely). Why they would quote a dry spec is anyone's guess.

Given all that, plenty of good advice above on how to do the job without a torque wrench.

 
I can tell you from experience that it is a mistake. I stripped mine out and mama Yamaha paid to have the oil pan replaced when I called and bitched. All $800 of it. Of course, they didnt say it was a mistake, but I am pretty certain that they wouldnt have paid it if they didnt feel it was. The question is: Why the hell havent they changed it?

 
Those without a torque wrench could use what I call a modified version of the "German Torque" method ... get it somewhat less than "Gutentight" but not exactly "Allesloose". I think the spec is called "Tighten Auf"

On the other hand, you could use the Goldilocks method, and make sure its "just right"

Damn I'm lucky it ain't Friday... :yahoo:

Griff

 
I can tell you from experience that it is a mistake. I stripped mine out and mama Yamaha paid to have the oil pan replaced when I called and bitched. All $800 of it. Of course, they didnt say it was a mistake, but I am pretty certain that they wouldnt have paid it if they didnt feel it was. The question is: Why the hell havent they changed it?
the guy who inserts and tightens the drain plug on the assembly line overseas is a decendent of the emperor... :blink:

much worse than civil service :yahoo:

 
Must be a lot of stripped oil pan threads on Yamaha bikes. They seem to recommend the same drain bolt tightening torque for all their bike engines. A few examples:
31 ft-lbs. 2004 FJR

31 ft-lbs. 2009 FJR

31 ft-lbs. 2009 FZ1

31 ft-lbs. 2009 R1

31 ft-lbs. 2009 R6

31 ft-lbs. 2009 V-Max

31 ft-lbs. 2009 V-Star 1300

31 ft-lbs. 2009 Road Star

It's odd that the recommended drain bolt tightening torque for the FJR's rear drive is only 17 ft-lbs. Maybe the engine oil pan is made of sterner stuff.

If the 31 is an error or oversight one might wonder when they'll stop repeating it.
ya DON'T twist ya nuts that tight, do you ??? :rolleyes: :blink: :unsure:

well same with ya bolts... :yahoo:

 
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