I have an 86 Lt230s that I was riding a while back, and while I was riding the oil plug rattled loose; I finally got around to ordering a new one a couple weeks ago, and when I went to install it, it would not fully tighten. Could this be due to the fact that I didnt have the rubber washer on the oil plug or is it just stripped? If it is stripped can I fix it with a helicoil? I am a little concerned about using a helicoil because I cant bottom it out on anything and the little tab at the end would break off inside the engine. any help woul be appreciated

 

you should be able to heli coil it. take the 3 bolts around the big plug off, and it will come off as a little "bowl". then you can break off the tab while its off the engine.

while your in there, you may want to take off the little metal screen thats held on with the two srcrews and see whats inside (usually gasket goo, hopefully no metal chunks).

and, make sure you get a nice sealing washer for it, too.

hth