Engine drain bolt

In a rush yesterday I managed to damage the corners of the drain bolt ...



Bugger, what a silly billy I am (I thought) with nowhere open to buy a replacement, I put it in the bench vice (between blocks of wood so as not to damage the threads) & set to with a coarse flat file,3 or 4 min's later it now fits a 22mm socket, a quick & easy home repair that did'nt need the use of machine tools ...



Nothing astounding or original about that ^^ my tip, if you damage yours (or it's tight) it can easily be removed by placing a jack with a block of wood on top, under your knuckle bar...



Light pressure on the jack will prevent the socket 'camming' off.
HTH

Thanks for the tips! This is one delicate area that you can booger up very easily. For myself, I always change my own oil and am extremely careful about the process. I have nightmares of some lube jockey tightening up the plug with an air wrench...AAAAGGGGGHHHH

Sadly I've only myself to blame for not being more careful, that & it was me who tightened it last. I messed up, but having the ever present camera it shows a practical way of getting over that particular problem, should it occur to any other member/s

I ordered a spare just in case I mess it up which I have been known to do from time to time even tho I'll never admit it...

So far I've never messed up the drain plug but I guess there's a first time for everything.

on the scissor jack idea. So far so good here, remember a 6 point socket works best.

Two ways to trash this piece: using a 12 point socket and not paying attention to righty tighty leftie loosie. I have had issues with this with my previous SWing, thankfully I only needed to learn that lesson once.
Jay.

tip for anyonw not near a main dealer but have a honda quad bike dealer, the valve cover on i think a 400 quad is the same. Quad dealers are often more helpfull than bike dealers when it comes to going the extra mile.

Late but if you can find an OLD drain bolt / I'm told they are heavier in construction, perhaps a bike salvage yard would have one.

Boy does that strike a nerve. My oil bolt looked worse than that. Nothing worked to remove it until I tried an Irwin Tools 53917 Accessories, Impact Bolt Grip 15/16"/24mm 1/2 Dr. It spun it right off. I couldn't find a replacement until i called it an oil CAP. Then it popped up on ebay and amazon. Now I make sure I only use a 6 point socket to tighten and remove it. Lesson learned.