First oil change went horribly awry

[remy_marathe]

Aaaah... Smell that? That's the sweet, sweet smell of absolute failure.

Today was to be day one of a weekend of bike maintenance; the 7500 mile things- Oil, air filter, tightening bolts all over, topping off brake fluid levels, yadda yadda yadda.

The oil change went great at first. I got the bike good and hot, let it cool till I could just barely touch it to pop the drain plug. Then I sat by and patiently waited till every last drop of filthy 3,000 mile-oil dripped out. Next the oil filter. No problem. Bolt the cap back on, let it run for a couple of minutes so I can check the oil. I come back out of the apartment and it's squirting oil out of the bottom of the oil-filter cap. So what does this boy genius do? I turned it off and proceeded to crank down the bolts. I could find no torque specs for them in the Clymer, so I was just going for VERY tight instead of tight. I just wanted it to stop leaking.

http://www.beginnerbikers.org/gallery/files/7/1/8/oilchange.jpg

The nut sheared off the end of the lower bolt. :redangry3

Now I instinctively knew that this was a bad, bad, fatal error. If that bolt was part of the chassis, I'd have to come up with some creative ways to cut and join two bolts with about an inch to work with. It'd have to be tight, but not permanent or I'd never be able to change the oil filter again.
If the bolt came from somewhere deep inside the engine, I'd have work to do that was way over my skill level and tool collection, and no garage in which to have it safely taken apart for multiple days.

First things first- Contain the situation. The oil was still dripping out of the oil filter area, and I wasn't sure if it would stop coming from the engine block and through the filter (eventually it does stop). My drain pan was almost full, and couldn't take another 3.1 quarts of the newly-added oil, so off I go to OSH to get another container.

Fortunately, at least from the looks of the fiche at bikebandit, that bolt is just an independent stud (much like myself ;-) ). My initial attempt to unscrew it with a pliers failed, but that was because I was being very gentle, unsure at the time that it should unscrew and not wanting to strip the threads in case I had to do a joining.

M.O.T.S.:
1) Careful on torque, even with things you think should be tough. Sheared off bolts can be a world of hassle; I don't even know how I would've gone about cutting the bolt shorter to get some workspace in there.

2) What did I find when I took off the oil filter cap after shearing off the bolt? The reason for the initial leaking oil had nothing to do with the bolts not being tight enough. It had everything to do with me not cleaning out the o-ring seal's area, and making sure it was seated well enough to stay in the groove. It unseated as I went to bolt on the cap, and thus pinched it in places and didn't make a proper seal. None of this would've happened if I'd done it right the first time. Or backtracked when the leak popped up, instead of just cranking it on tighter.

The parts are en route, but Sonya will be down for a week while I wait. I will be riding the bus to work. How did I ever live without a motorcycle?

http://www.beginnerbikers.org/gallery/files/7/1/8/oilchange2.jpg

[VanDawg38]

Dude, cranking them until they spin is a bad plan! I remember doing the same thing on a water pump on Dad's '72 Coronet wagon. Didn't know my own strength. :)

You break two bolts?

Tighten them gently, working your way around. Just like changing a tire on a car.

[Logan]

2) What did I find when I took off the oil filter cap after shearing off the bolt? The reason for the initial leaking oil had nothing to do with the bolts not being tight enough. It had everything to do with me not cleaning out the o-ring seal's area, and making sure it was seated well enough to stay in the groove. It unseated as I went to bolt on the cap, and thus pinched it in places and didn't make a proper seal. None of this would've happened if I'd done it right the first time. Or backtracked when the leak popped up, instead of just cranking it on tighter.




Don't forget to dip your finger in the clean oil & lube the rubber O-ring in the filter.

Tighten till it's snug & then give it just a little more tightness after that. If it doesn't leak, it's snug enough.

Ah well, that's how you learn, right?

[subvetSSN606]

Another gotcha...

Always look at the old filter to make sure the old O-ring came out with it. Otherwise you wind up with two O-rings in there. Might leak immediately, might wait till you get down the road a ways, either way it will leak... profusely.

Tom

[Zixxer10]

Another gotcha...

Always look at the old filter to make sure the old O-ring came out with it. Otherwise you wind up with two O-rings in there. Might leak immediately, might wait till you get down the road a ways, either way it will leak... profusely.

Tom
This is soooo true. When I was in college I worked at a gas station to supplement my income. A buddy from school came by with a '67 Camaro that used a cartidge filter, at that time. He wanted me to change his oil. When I unscrewed the canister, I found about four seals stacked together up in block. I started commenting on how stupid someone must have been when my buddy got this sheepish look on his face. He had been changing the oil himself and just kept putting on the new O-ring that came with the filter but it never crossed his mind to think about where was the old one. Bob wasn't real mechanically inclined, to say the least. He was about to run out of threads on the center bolt to be able to reattach the canister.

When there's a leak that involves O-rings, always check to see if the O-oring is seated and hasn't been cut or nicked in some way, during installation, that could be the cause of the leak. It's like a dripping water faucet. Don't just try to tighten up on the handle because there's probably some piece of rust or dirt in the seat that's causing the drip. Open the faucet all the way then close it back and the drip will usually stop.

Remy, I feel your pain. Anyone who works on things mechanical has been there and done the same thing at one time or another. Unfortunately, those kind of Oh-Ohs can sour a person on doing more mechanical jobs. Don't let it get you down. It's just a normal learning experience.

[MikSchultz]

I've made O-Rings leak, from nicking or stacking. It sucks.

I've also broken so many damn bolts - weither they were inbedded into something or just a normal nut & bolt. So depressing.

Heh. :)

[remy_marathe]

Unfortunately, those kind of Oh-Ohs can sour a person on doing more mechanical jobs. Don't let it get you down. It's just a normal learning experience.
No worries there, I do enjoy wrenching, even though something always seems to go wrong. Some day I intend to know my bike inside and out. Ever since I replaced my own alternator in my first car, I've enjoyed doing what I can with my limited set of tools. The motorcycle gives me an opportunity to do most of the work myself, since there're no electronic "black boxes" or parts that I can't lift or get to without a hoist.

Thanks for the heads ups. The oil ring you're talking about is on the end of the oil filter, right? I hadn't noticed one, at least one that moves freely, I'll have to dig for the old filter and look at it. The seal that I messed up was more of a tubular gasket that goes around the inside of the plate that covers the oil filter from the front.

I started to pull off the [new] oil filter yesterday, to see if the new oil would then keep coming out of the engine. It did. I then pushed the filter back into place. Please tell me that the rubber on the inside ends of these things isn't one-use?

[LordSmoke]

Oh, man. I feel your pain. When things start going pear-shaped it can really get out of hand. By the way, nice looking bike. :thumbsup:

[kywally]

I feel you pain. Bad things happen to good people. We've all been there I guess.

Hope the repairs go smoothly.

[GRYDE001]

Just wait until you've dropped your oil cap somewhere inside your engine compartment that only an anorexic spider monkey could reach. Not that I've personally done that or anything. ;-)

[remy_marathe]

Wow, now THAT would suck. I don't even know where one might find an anorexic spider-monkey, as they usually eat with gusto. My own pity-party really ended within about 4 hours of the mishap, once I discovered that the fix should be simple.

Kywally, for the record, I'm bad people. Blaspheming, scheming weasel that I am, I regularly flaunt karma and give it the proverbial finger. I am at peace with my come-uppin's, and am owed much more pain by the cosmic balancer. Thanks nonetheless.

I'm going to get everything else done on my bike that I can this week, so when that bolt comes in I can be riding within the hour on a clean, fully maintained motorcycle. I'm giddy just thinking about it.

[Oni]

The O-ring on the GS is great to have a spare of. I think I found a decent price through Bike Bandit or Ron Ayers for them. Less than $5 each if I remember correctly. Whenever we change the oil in my SO's GS500 we replace the gasket just to avoid hassle.

[Bugguts]

Ummmmm.....Remy.....as Sonya is illustrating.....we women....well, sometimes, we leak. We really can't help it, it's our monthly cycle !!! ;-) (I crack myself up!)

Being an independent stud I guess you didn't realize this!

Sounds like you're taking this as a learning experience. Wise man. Next oil change will go much smoother!

[remy_marathe]

You recall correctly, Oni- I got a replacement O-ring from bikebandit for $4-something, as well as the bolt I need. Unfortunately, now I must wait for it to ship, then arrive. I'm kicking myself for not hitting up the local Honda/Suzuki dealership on the off chance they could get it quicker and cheaper.

Bugguts, good lord! :lol: