stripped oil drain

[mike042]

trying to change oil in 83 venture but the drain plug is stripped on the bolt face but there is a Phillips head in this bolt is that the drain plug or is that there for some other reason. this is my first time doing oil myself so I never noticed the bolt before

[Prairiehammer]

The Phillips screw holds the magnet assembly into the drain plug. Don't remove it. The oil will not drain through it. Get another drain plug (and crush washer) and then remove the drain plug with a Vice-Grips or pipe wrench and replace with the new plug and crush washer. The drain plug is common to many, many Yamaha models. Old PN: 3VD-13455-00-00, superceded by 90340-14132-00 (also used on many Yamaha models, including the RSV). But the 90340-14132-00 lacks the magnet. An ordinary M14 flange head bolt should work. Use a crush washer.

If you want to get an original '3VD-13455' plug there are some on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Yamaha-FZR1000-XT600-XVZ1300-Oil-Drain-Plug-/220483499138?hash=item3355d73482&vxp=mtr (expensive!)

Edited April 16, 2015 by Prairiehammer

[syscrusher]

Use a crush washer.

 

Are we supposed to use a new crush washer with each oil change or are these re-crushable?

[Prairiehammer]

Are we supposed to use a new crush washer with each oil change or are these re-crushable?

 

Well, Yamaha says that one should use a new crush washer everytime, but I have always reused the old one. In fact, on my 1990, I ran it for 25k miles, only to discover that I was missing the washer. No leaks. But I don't recommend that. One thing about replacing the crush washer every time, you may find that trying to get an already crushed washer to seal will cause you to over torque the plug, with the real possibility of stripping the oil pan threads. Yamaha wants you to torque the drain plug to (I think) 18 foot pounds. That is fine if you use a new crush washer/gasket, but it may be not enough torque if you reuse the already squashed gasket, and then you tighten it some more to stop it from leaking. Stripped!

Any 14mm crush washer will work. The RSV is one, or as some have discovered, crush washers from the Honda automotive dealer, where one can buy a dozen for pennies per piece.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Prairiehammer

[MiCarl]

You can also get crush washers at any auto parts store.

 

I believe the oil drain torque is 31 ft-lb and the filter housing is 11 ft-lb.

[dna9656]

At my local Yamaha Dealer the crush washer was $2.00 each! So yeah get them someplace else! If the threads in the engine are striped have no fear, once you get any/all (how do you know? well that's what filters are for I guess) pieces of metal from the striped threads that might be inside OUT of there... go to NAPA or most any A/P store and get the universal drain plug that is a screw/rubber sleeve/washer kid of a thing. It's inserted into the drain hole and when the the screw is tightened the tube is drawn towards the head of the screw and forms a ball inside the crank case. The screw's head turns against 2 washers (so to speak) there is a metal washer directly under the screw head and a sort of rubber washer (it's directly against the crank case) under it; and it forms a seal against the outside of the case. So the screw creates a binding action making a good seal. They don't leak in my experience.