my 450 has 30 hrs on it and i was doing the scheduled maintenance. i unscrewed the smaller drain bolt (m6) to release the oil. when i went to screwed it back in it appeared to be stripped. the threads on the bolt are fine so i think it must be the casing on the engine block. f*ck. i took it to the dealer this morning and he is already talking about replacing the casing which will obviously require tearing down the engine, then replace, and rebuild- $$$$$.

a couple of observations/questions...

first, i'll be the first to admit that i have stripped my share of screws, nuts, bolts, etc. but i truly dont believe that i did this. it came out just fine but i noticed that the washer was bent and sheared so that filings were in the bolt threads. is it possible that this happened when they assembled it? when i put it back i did not force it and i stopped when i notice the symptoms.

second- cant they tap it? foreman said depends on how much metal is left inside. but cant they just use a larger bolt - there is a couple of inches of metal surrounding the hole- isnt that enough?

do i have any options? my buddy suggested getting a lawn mower oil plug to put in there. i dont know about that.

 

Can it be helicoiled??

 

thats a load of BS those bolts do strip the threads in the case very easy but it's as simple as helicoling it. done it to my 700 before