Oil sump drain torque setting - a warning!

[ds99]

This is what happened when I torqued my 2005 Tiger 955i sump drain plug to the recommended 25NM

I would use a lower torque setting if I were you...

[motoOzarks]

Dear Hercules,

If you can't find a replacement

That can be welded in and then drilled and tapped

Have you calibrated your wrench? 

[JoeDirt]

This is what happened when I torqued my 2005 Tiger 955i sump drain plug to the recommended 25NM

I would use a lower torque setting if I were you...

Wow! good to know... I am sorry that happened.

There is one for £13.20 + £24.81 postage from California.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-06-TRIUMPH-TIGER-955I-955-ENGINE-OIL-PAN-/331596017354?

[ds99]

that oil pan is the wrong model for a 2005 tiger 955i

see here

http://www.tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,14846.0.html

[Chris Canning]

Torque wrenches are what you use for building engines and putting wheels on single sided swing arm beemers and apart from that never use one.

[JoeDirt]

that oil pan is the wrong model for a 2005 tiger 955i

see here

http://www.tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,14846.0.html

I thought it looked funny... I guess you would know. Now... very unfortunate.

[Dyn Blin]

Sorry to see that.  It brings back some bad memories.  If misery loves company- it took me twice to learn that lesson, the first time with the valve cover bolts on and 80's Suzuki, and the second on a oil drain bolt on Ducati.  Both times with a calibrated torque wrench to manual specs.

Since then, when I'm wrenching on engine bolts for car or bike & jobs where I don't want to trust my experience/intuition for "wrist judgement", I may use a torque wrench to tighten to a few pounds/newtons *under* spec, then finish with a quick hand torque.  That technique has kept me out of trouble and also been enough to keep bolts where they should stay.

[Sin_Tiger]

I wouldn't chuck it too far away, you might need to do a cylinder head or big ends some day.

[John Stenhouse]

Oiled bolts need the torque reduced, alloy heads on 2cvs strip real easy so much so we try not to do plug changes on warm engines. As a rule of thumb we reduce the torque by 50% then see how it feels by hand.

[John Stenhouse]

A friend just pointed out that if the sump plug was threaded square it should just strip the thread, a crack like you've got would be the result of a tapered plug. Anyone know if that's what Triumph fit?

[Bixxer Bob]

Oiled bolts need the torque reduced....

Learned that the hard way on an air defence radar.  One of my well-meaning techie  torqued up the rotating head (5m x 4m, 12 tons) to pedestal bolts after fitting them with coppergrease instead of dry.  Next thing we know the head is wobbling like its about to fall off.  At least half of the bolts had sheared.

[Sin_Tiger]

A friend just pointed out that if the sump plug was threaded square it should just strip the thread, a crack like you've got would be the result of a tapered plug

I'd go along with that, without actually seeing the unit. I suspect that there is a different root cause of the crack. Perhaps it has been jacked up at some time without the load being adequately distributed. I can't remember ever seeing a tapered thread plug in an alloy casing, though I wouldn't be surprised.

[rex007can]

I have never heard of engine failure cause by a manually tightened oil sump plug falling out.

[Bixxer Bob]

I had the sump plug on my car fall out and dump the oil all over the road one time when I was a young lad.  Warning light came on before any damage was done and I still think, all these years on, that it was mischief by someone I worked with because I've never had it happen before or since.