I need help here guys i'm stumped I have a 03 Honda Rancher 350 i just had it in the shop to fix the oil drain bolt it had gotten strip and they replaced the heli-coil, and i had bought a new drain bolt to put there and now the damn things leaks and the mechanic is stump too he said he has never seen that before. I have tried everything i know, tried to put a new washer on it still leaked put the old washer on it and leaked again tried just the bolt and leaks still even tried teflon tape and guess what leaks still. Was wondering if a rubber washer would that work??? Any help in this matter would be appreciated.:confuse d:

 

Most applications I'm familure with use an oversized drain plug. A helicoil by design will not provide a sealing surface, therefore you will be entirely reliant on the washer for sealing.

If it were me and an over sized drain plug or drilling and tapping the hole for the next size up drain plug were not an option, then I would drain the oil entirely. Stand the machine up on it's tail. Clean the drain plug area with a good solvent spray (carb cleaner / brake cleaner) / clean again. Let dry.

Then with the machine still on it's tail I would look to use either 3-bond or Indian head as a sealer on the drain plug. While both are made to be non permanent / removable, there is still a good chance they will pull the helicoil out next time you remove them ~ so be prepared. Once sealed add new oil and you should be good until next oil change. My next oil change I'd try to drain it out of a case cover bolt or flip the bike ~ you may not get 100% of it out but if you change it frequent and keep a good filter on it you should still get good service.

You might search for info on each sealer before you make your choice. 3-bond is used by most OEM mfgs ~ Toyota Nissan Yamaha Honda. Indian Head is an old standard. If you use 3-bond try to avoid excess sealer as any extra could bead up end up loose in the engine. Sloppy, loose blobs of sealer have killed many an engine.

3 BOND 1211 SILICONE SEALER...




Or


Indian head...

 

Where exactly is it leaking? How about trying an o-ring instead of, or along with the washer? If that doesn't work, then maybe carefully put JB weld on the case around the hole, then file it flat. You may have to retap the helicoil to clean out any JB weld you get in the threads.