DenLorsTools.com Summary: There are several options for repairing stripped threads for oil and transmission drain plugs on motorcycles – only one is the best fix. Regardless of whether it’s a Harley or any other type of motorcycle or vehicle, these repair tips will help. See our oil pan/housing thread repair kits or read on for the advantages and disadvantages of the different ideas for oil drain plug thread repairs in this article. As you’ll learn I am biased towards a certain repair solution, but with good reason.

First a little history. I started using the Time Sert brand well before I started selling their kits, back when I worked at CarMax (Automotive Super Store). I was a senior master auto tech at CarMax, I asked management for the oil pan thread repair kit number 1415C. The reason was because we had many Chrysler and Honda aluminum pans which had stripped aluminum threads for the drain plug hole. The most common size at that time was the M14x1.5mm, which worked on most of the Chrysler, VW and Honda cars. No matter how careful you were, sometimes you just knew that on the next oil change the threads in the pan would be a problem. As a master auto tech, the last thing I wanted was someone on the next oil change to blame me! The fact is that aluminum threads just wear. The wear can be accelerated by over tightening, when using air tools or simply from pulling on the wrench a little too hard. I like using a ratchet instead of a wrench because a proper right angle is easier to ne maintained while tightening. Angled wrenches can sometimes deliver a force which is not on a ninety degree and can apply undue stress the threads.

Anyway, back to why I wanted the Time Sert kit. I wanted to have the kit on hand to fix those drain plug threads quickly. That’s so I could get the cars off my vehicle lift and move on to my next job. That way I didn’t have to either tie the lift up and wait on a pan, or push the car outside so I could keep working. The Time Sert thread repair kit for oil pans allowed us to save each customer that we used it on $400 to $600. That was on the simple, common oil pans like were found on most Chrysler and Honda vehicles we frequently had in the shop. We also were able to charge an hour labor for a repair that would usually take about 10-15 minutes. That made the customer, the service writer and me very happy. By the way, I used the kit on my service writer’s Honda Odyssey and it worked great. This gave him the confidence and the personal experience, which made selling the repair to our customers very easy. The fact that it was a $100 repair as opposed to a $400 to $600 repair also helped a lot. The great thing about these kits, is that it doesn’t matter if it’s a $200,000 luxury sports car, a $200 motorcycle or anything in between. The Time Sert kit works on aluminum no matter what the application is.

No matter if it’s a Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Can Am or whatever. They have one thing in common; they have aluminum pans or housings. Some vibrate more than others, like the Harley. But stripped threads are stripped threads no matter what type of bike it is. Faced with this problem, it’s natural to look on the Internet for a solution. The problem is that many well meaning guys on motorcycle forums may offer suggestions that may not work very well. Like using Teflon thread tape, using oversize drain plugs or using the rubber expandable drain plugs. There’s even a guy on YouTube (Eric the Car Guy) which is a very well respected auto technician that says “to use a longer bolt”. But if the pan isn’t thick enough, a longer bolt does absolutely no good.

Below are reasons not to try the so called easy fixes.

Longer Bolt – Well like already mentioned, if the pan doesn’t have enough meat on it, a longer bolt does no good. Plus even if the longer bolt would grab a little further in, who wants to trust only a couple of threads to hold all their oil or transmission fluid in?

Teflon tape – Really? Just a temporary solution at best. Once the bike vibrates a little the tape will wear against the damaged threads and the drip (or worse) will return. Teflon tape could also end up in the pan and get drawn into the pick-up screen. That could cause more problems.

Silicone – Silicone will NOT adhere to anything oily. And how do you clean the oil off a constantly dripping hole? You don’t. Also, just like the Teflon tape idea, the vibration will cause problems resulting in a recurring leak. Then there’s the problem of dealing with re-siliconing every time the plug is removed. Silicone is just not a good idea when comes to stopping a leak from a stripped hole for a oil or transmission drain plug.

Expandable rubber plug. I’ve tried this type of plug before. CarMax where I used to work kept them along with the nuts and bolts assortment. This is a waste of time. The rubber will not mate up perfectly to a hole with damaged threads. Without getting it just right, the result will be a drip. Also different temperatures may cause the rubber to expand and contract resulting in.. you got it! A DRIP.

Oversize drain plugs. These used to work OK for metal pans. I used single and double oversize drain plugs years ago when I worked at Goodyear, but that was when there were no aluminum pans. Just steel. Oversize drain plugs are NOT a good solution for aluminum pans or housings. First of all, the oversized plugs have to be installed perfectly straight. Also with aluminum housings/pans there’s the risk of cracking the pan or housing when forcing the oversize plug in. We recently had someone return one of our Time Sert kits because he discovered that when he previously tried installing the oversize plug he had unknowingly cracked the pan. Once the aluminum housing or pan is cracked, there’s no repairing it. So stay away from oversize drain plugs.

Heli-Coil. A Helicoil is a thin winding of wire. The coil has gaps between every spiral of the wire which does nothing to stop fluid. The Helicoil is held in by the outward force of the spring tension. That might be OK for some less critical applications, like repairs that will not require frequent removal of the bolt. The fact remains that the HeliCoil may come out when removing the drain plug. That’s not something anyone wants to deal with when doing oil changes. Also the risk of it leaking makes HeliCoils a bad choice for this application.

The drain plug hole thread repair which takes the guess work out and does not rely on luck.

The Time-Sert FIX. It’s easy and best above all it’s permanent. We all know that steel is stronger than aluminum. It’s ten times stronger. Time-Sert uses carbon steel. It’s also a solid threaded bushing which is not going to allow leaks between the threads. As long as there’s room in the area in front of the drain hole to use the tooling, the pan or housing does NOT need to be removed. The kit comes with a guide to line up the tooling straight. That way the drain plug and washer fill sit flush so there’s no leaks when the repair has been completed. The original size drain plug is used.

For current pricing on the kits mentioned in this article see 0122A 1/2-20 kit or for the M14x1.5 size or for the M14x1.5 size see the 1415C product listing.

Question: I have a 2005 Harley Fatboy 96ci. The primary housing drain plug hole is stripped out. It only spins. How do I remove it and what is the best repair?

Answer: If the plug just spins and won’t come out, I would try vise grips. Attach them to the drain plug and turn it to the left (counter clockwise) while pulling outward. Once the plug has been removed, use the 0122A DLT which is a Time Sert 1/2″ by 20 thread repair kit. This kit will make a permanent repair by installing a solid carbon steel insert which will accept the original size drain plug. The threads will be upgraded to steel instead of aluminum which will hold up much better making this a superior repair compared to trying to use an oversized plug which could crack the housing. If an oversized plug has been used previously, you will need to go up a little in the outer diameter. You could use a 1415C kit which is M14x1.5. The 14mm size is a little larger than the 1/2″ so that will work well. Just pick up a replacement 14mm drain plug from a parts store if you go this route.

Question: What about all the metal shavings from drilling and tapping?

Answer: The metal in the bottom of the pan 9or housing) is flushed out by putting in oil (new or old your choice) before finally installing the drain plug. Once the oil starts coming out metal free, the flush is complete.

Question: How do I know what size drain plug I have for sure?

Answer: One option is to look up a drain plug on-line for your vehicle/motorcycle at NAPA online or your favorite parts store. The plug size is usually found when looking up the drain plug. Don’t want to look it up yourself? Call a parts store or dealer and ask them to look it up for you. Another way is to take the old drain plug to the parts store and find a nut that fits, or match it up with a replacement drain plug sold at the store. Tap and dye sets can also be used to determine the size just as you would any other bolt by finding a dye that is the correct size and pitch.

Visit our oil pan thread repair kit section or give us a call at 1-800-524-9783 if we can help find the right motorcycle drain plug hole thread repair kit.