Broken Oil Filter Cover Bolt

[Bonarj]

Good day,

Has anyone experienced this? I did myself the first oil change for my bike but I over-tighten one of the two bolts for the engine oil filter cover. Brought my bike already to the nearby machine shops but no one dares to give it a try to remove the broken part due to its small diameter.

Can somebody give me a good advice for this?

 

[Maddog Reynolds]

Step 1. get yourself a small/low range torque wrench and set it to 5 lb-ft (or 7 Nm) for next time

Step 2. Work in the warm if you can. Alloy expands more than steel, loosening thread slightly. If the threads were clean when the bolt went in, I'd expect it to be fairly loose once it has snapped and tension is off. Try to tease it out with small tools such as an old electrical screwdriver, but be careful not to slip and damage the alloy.

Try some taps on the end with a small (1 lb) hammer, but not realkybheavy blows. It may be loose enough to pick out after this.

If you are brave and there is a flat area on the centre line of the bolt you can centre punch (with a sharp punch and small 1 lb hammer) then you might use a left-handed drill for a screw extractor/EZ-out but I don't like using them myself! They are hard and brittle and if you snap them off, you have made the problem worse. As I said before, *if* the threads were clean and not corroded, it should come out easily. In fact, it might unscrew and come out while drilling, which is why I said left hand drill bit

If you are not brave (and this may be a bad time for bravery) keep asking around for someone who has experience of extracting steel bolts in soft alloy. There will be someone, even a mobile mechanic?

Good luck and don't make any hasty decisions!

 

[Diploman]

It's astonishing that the steel bolt snapped under overtorque rather than the threads stripping out of the alu alloy engine case. This is a comment on the low-budget, cost-cutting fasteners used in the 390 assembly. Many 390 owners, including myself are progressively upgrading fasteners in the course of maintenance. You have to wield a gentle wrench/spanner on the 390. I generally ignore the torque spec (which assumes good quality metallurgy) and just tighten to snug, along with blue Locktite.

 

[CDN Duke]

What is the spec on this bolt? M5x15mm or similar? I'd like to buy replacements in advance of next oil change if I can.

 

[Kuroneko3]

Punch the middle of the broken bolt, use a small diameter drill bit and SLOWLY (or you will snap the bit and be f***ed) drill the hole deep enough to get an EZ-OUT to work. You should be able to spin the bolt out with that.

If that doesn't work, call a professional, don't keep drilling deeper.

Hope this helps.

 

[Maddog Reynolds]

I found this info somewhere on these forums
Bolts are M5 x 0.8mm pitch x 17mm (that thread says). That's standard pitch, I think. This is the picture I downloaded from that thread. Cheapo fasteners, yes...

 

[Maddog Reynolds]

I've just ordered some A2 stainless M5 x 16mm bolts. I'll change then before they corrode and turn into cheese

 

[Bonarj]

Step 1. get yourself a small/low range torque wrench and set it to 5 lb-ft (or 7 Nm) for next time

Step 2. Work in the warm if you can. Alloy expands more than steel, loosening thread slightly. If the threads were clean when the bolt went in, I'd expect it to be fairly loose once it has snapped and tension is off. Try to tease it out with small tools such as an old electrical screwdriver, but be careful not to slip and damage the alloy.

Try some taps on the end with a small (1 lb) hammer, but not realkybheavy blows. It may be loose enough to pick out after this.

If you are brave and there is a flat area on the centre line of the bolt you can centre punch (with a sharp punch and small 1 lb hammer) then you might use a left-handed drill for a screw extractor/EZ-out but I don't like using them myself! They are hard and brittle and if you snap them off, you have made the problem worse. As I said before, *if* the threads were clean and not corroded, it should come out easily. In fact, it might unscrew and come out while drilling, which is why I said left hand drill bit

If you are not brave (and this may be a bad time for bravery) keep asking around for someone who has experience of extracting steel bolts in soft alloy. There will be someone, even a mobile mechanic?

Good luck and don't make any hasty decisions!

Thank you for this advice Sir. I'll get myself a low range torque wrench. But i'll shy away from drilling or or giving it some light blows..but sure, threads were clean when the fastener snapped. Dumb me, i watched a video before doing it myself. That youtube video notes to be very careful in tightening the bolts as the filter cover easily snaps in after few torques. But i could still feel the snug when I didt it that's why i keep on turning it tight. Damn! But in fairness, this overpriced machine is using some low quality bolts on it!

 

[CDN Duke]

Bolts are M5 x 0.8mm pitch x 17mm (that thread says).

Thanks ​Maddog

 

[Maddog Reynolds]

But in fairness, this overpriced machine is using some low quality bolts on it!

In truth, I'm not sure an accurate torque wrench would have helped in this case. You're right, there are some cheapo screws around and yours seem to have corroded near the heads and gone weak and stretched. Do you jet-wash the bike a lot?

 

[Bonarj]

nope. It's a two months old bike.


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[MrGrody]

I snapped mine too.

I opted for Allen head bolts to replace and just tightened them with a t handle. Worked like a charm.

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[MrGrody]

Here is the post I made about mine

http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/kt...n-forum/694-oil-filter-cap-bolts-pansies.html

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[Treachery]

Yeah, mine's the original thread with the snapped bolts. Broke at the second oil change (300 miles, IIRC). HERE is the thread where I commented on it.. If you haven't gotten the stub out yet, read my first post. Once it's broken, there's no tension on the stub, and if you can rotate it, you can get it out. As I said in that discussion, I changed to stainless bolts, and go "snug," and no more. I don't think a torque wrench would make any difference in the longevity of the OE bolts, and I don't trust the threads to hold up to over-tightening with better fasteners.

 

[OldVet]

14K on my bike at present and no issues with the OE bolts...

 

[Treachery]

There's gotta be an age/strength joke there somewhere...

 

[Maddog Reynolds]

I ride my RC 5 or 6 days a week to work (which is much more fun than any other way to get to work) and just for fun the other 1 or 2 days