Stripped crankcase threads

Well dummy-ass me, was changing the oil on my wife's ST, and stripped the threads on the crankcase at the drain bolt. I was trying to loosen a Dimple hex bolt, and lost the orientation of the ratchet being on my side and overtightened.
A Major Duh. :banghead:

Now the bolt head just spins and won't come out. (Good luck drilling this heavy duty bolt out!) Now I have to take it in to a dealer, I guess unless you experts have some good advice

I've always done my own service on both Can Am's and plenty of it to avoid the dealer and save $$. Now I'm probably break-even.

Appreciate any advice, thanks

garageguy

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Originally Posted by garageguy

Well dummy-ass me, was changing the oil on my wife's ST, and stripped the threads on the crankcase at the drain bolt. I was trying to loosen a Dimple hex bolt, and lost the orientation of the ratchet being on my side and overtightened.
A Major Duh. :banghead:

Now the bolt head just spins and won't come out. (Good luck drilling this heavy duty bolt out!) Now I have to take it in to a dealer, I guess unless you experts have some good advice

I've always done my own service on both Can Am's and plenty of it to avoid the dealer and save $$. Now I'm probably break-even.

Appreciate any advice, thanks

garageguy

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Been there done that ( but not to your extant ) .... I posted a while back my surefire way of never doing it again ... before I put the socket on the plug or whatever ... I set the ratchet to loosen or tighten the object depending on my purpose ........... good luck with the problem .. Mike :thumbup:

Careful riding your Spyder to the dealer with a stripped out drain plug. Probably not likely. But if it were to blow out of there you'd be in a world of hurt. A lot of oil right in front of your only rear tire and nothing left to lubricate your engine. I know it's a real hassle. But I'd consider trailering it.

Sorry for your issues. We've all done bone headed stuff. But the sympathy doesn't help all the much. I know.

Sometimes,if you can get a box end or open end wrench on it,and pry it out with a screwdriver from under the head while you are turning it out,sometimes you can catch a thread to start it out. Did I say sometimes?...Good luck..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garageguy

Well dummy-ass me, was changing the oil on my wife's ST, and stripped the threads on the crankcase at the drain bolt. I was trying to loosen a Dimple hex bolt, and lost the orientation of the ratchet being on my side and overtightened.
A Major Duh. :banghead:

Now the bolt head just spins and won't come out. (Good luck drilling this heavy duty bolt out!) Now I have to take it in to a dealer, I guess unless you experts have some good advice

I've always done my own service on both Can Am's and plenty of it to avoid the dealer and save $$. Now I'm probably break-even.

Appreciate any advice, thanks

garageguy

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sounds like your DIMPLE PLUG may have snapped in half like mine did, but mine was just getting snug when it happened on my RT.
had to replace the clutch cover, $800.00 + and I was back on the road and I REMOVED THE OTHER DIMPLE PLUG
LEON

How much work your willing to do. I would hold the bolt with an open end wrench, drill a small hole in the center, thread it and screw in a small bolt. This will give you a point with which to apply downward pressure as you turn the bolt. This worked for me on more than one occasion. :dontknow:

If you are confident you can, drill a hole and drive in a screw or easy out. Turn the plug while pulling out, or, put a screwdriver on the edge while turning. If not, have it trailered to a dealer or machine shop. Once plug is removed, a timesert or the hole welded shut and drilled, and tapped to the proper size and pitch.

So what was the outcome?

If you decide to drill, use left hand drill bits. That way if it does catch it will unscrew instead of running the remaining part of the plug on up into the crankcase.

Well, as others have said, you need to apply downward pressure while turning the bolt. Instead of drilling, I'd suggest using a pair of vise grips to pull down on the bolt while you turn.
In either event, please keep us posted on how you make out.

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Originally Posted by splake0

So what was the outcome?

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:oldpost: over 2 years old. OP hasn't posted since July 2018. He probably won't be answering your question.