Drilled into an oil way doing exhaust studs

topcat2006 · Mar 29, 2020

Well, it was all going so well.

You see, I'd had some of the exhaust studs fall off due to rusting off on my 1100GS.

I started spraying the remainder with plus gas for a couple of months, used a whole tin of it on them.

Last weekend I managed to get two of them to undo and bring the whole stud out. Great I thought. The remaining two sheared off. So four studs left sheared off.

Next step was to weld some M8 nuts on. This managed to extract two more studs. Then the fifth stud drilled out but I went skew so I re-centred the hole and put a helicoil in it.

The final one drilled perfectly down the stud. First with a small pilot and then onto the next size up. Then the drill caught and went in further than it should. A kind of oh shit further in as it suddenly went with no resistance.

Now, I've read Steptoe say that one of the studs have an oil way behind it and if you're drilling studs out not to go too deep..... I've gone too deep and into the oil way. The constant drip coming out whilst running proved this.

So, to anyone that has done this can I retrieve the situation? I've got plenty of time on my hands. I'm trying a high temperature thread sealant at the moment. I've got to wait 72 hours for it to cure. Anything else I can try? Or is it new head time?

Thanks

Tom

PS. Sparkplug it's all your fault....

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Micky · Mar 29, 2020

topcat2006 said:
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The day has not been wasted then

topcat2006 · Mar 29, 2020

Micky said:
The day has not been wasted then

No Micky, no day is ever wasted here.

Hope all is well with you. I might have to come and see you for earplugs when this is all over and done as I've had them a fair few years now and I seem to recall someone said the ears change with age and they might not fit properly?

Tom

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Micky · Mar 29, 2020

topcat2006 said:
No Micky, no day is ever wasted here.

Hope all is well with you. I might have to come and see you for earplugs when this is all over and done as I've had them a fair few years now and I seem to recall someone said the ears change with age and they might not fit properly?

Tom

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Some do ... some don't. If they're still comfortable and work then great, nothing has changed 'in there'

I can re-coat them no problem :thumb2

topcat2006 · Mar 29, 2020

Micky said:
Some do ... some don't. If they're still comfortable and work then great, nothing has changed 'in there'

I can re-coat them no problem

Thanks Micky, I'll be in touch.

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flatdog · Mar 29, 2020

Some engines have through holes into oil wells, due to manufacturing process.
The way they overcome oil leaking down the threads is using bolts already treated with a type of thread tape - usually blue or pink in colour.
So...I wouldn't be too concerned so long as you stop the leak.

GedJack · Mar 29, 2020

I bought my 1150 off someone who failed to tell me that they’d done the same.
Took it to an engine rebuilder guru and he used the high temperature thread sealant that you mentioned.

It worked absolutely fine for 3 years, no leaking whatsoever. Went on a biking holiday in northern Spain last year in the heatwave, 46 degrees one day and towards the end of the holiday started to leak again.

Went back to same guru who said the stud had vibrated lose again possibly down to vibration and riding everyday in such extreme conditions. Re sealed and has been perfect since.

Hope this helps.

topcat2006 · Mar 29, 2020

flatdog said:
Some engines have through holes into oil wells, due to manufacturing process.
The way they overcome oil leaking down the threads is using bolts already treated with a type of thread tape - usually blue or pink in colour.
So...I wouldn't be too concerned so long as you stop the leak.

GedJack said:
I bought my 1150 off someone who failed to tell me that they’d done the same.
Took it to an engine rebuilder guru and he used the high temperature thread sealant that you mentioned.

It worked absolutely fine for 3 years, no leaking whatsoever. Went on a biking holiday in northern Spain last year in the heatwave, 46 degrees one day and towards the end of the holiday started to leak again.

Went back to same guru who said the stud had vibrated lose again possibly down to vibration and riding everyday in such extreme conditions. Re sealed and has been perfect since.

Hope this helps.

Thanks both, this is confidence inspiring. I have to wait for 72 hours for the sealant to go off before I can try it.

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Steptoe · Mar 30, 2020

flatdog said:
.I wouldn't be too concerned so long as you stop the leak.

His sole concern is the leak .... :blast

....

flatdog · Mar 30, 2020

Steptoe said:
His sole concern is the leak .... ....

...in my defence I had been awake since 3am!!!

topcat2006 · Apr 2, 2020

Well, that didn't work. Hasn't even slowed it down. Can anyone recommend a product to use?

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Posh Pete · Apr 2, 2020

Whip the head off, it's not that big a job. Take it to a proper engineering firm. (If you can find one that's open.) Let them work on it.

flatdog · Apr 2, 2020

topcat2006 said:
Well, that didn't work. Hasn't even slowed it down. Can anyone recommend a product to use?

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Google search - self locking self sealing bolts, precoated bolts etc.?

topcat2006 · Apr 2, 2020

Posh Pete said:
Whip the head off, it's not that big a job. Take it to a proper engineering firm. (If you can find one that's open.) Let them work on it.

I'm not afraid of whipping the head off, that part is the easy bit.

The difficult part is finding a competent engineering company to work on it as we seem to be running out of those. A local company that is quite well known has now turned out 3 pieces of shoddy work. Once to me and the other two to independent people from me. Last time I used them they charged near enough £500 to remove 3 exhaust studs.

I think I'll get a s/h head from Motorworks. In the long run I'm sure it will work out a similar price.

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Posh Pete · Apr 2, 2020

topcat2006 said:
I think I'll get a s/h head from Motorworks. In the long run I'm sure it will work out a similar price.

Good plan and shouldn't be too expensive. Try posting a wanted ad here first. You never know ...

topcat2006 · Apr 2, 2020

Posh Pete said:
Good plan and shouldn't be too expensive. Try posting a wanted ad here first. You never know ...

I did think that but then saw one on eBay for £99 with a 30 day guarantee so just bought it along with a new head gasket. That's an hour taken care of for Saturday

.

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DrFarkoff · Apr 2, 2020

topcat2006 said:
I did think that but then saw one on eBay for £99 with a 30 day guarantee so just bought it along with a new head gasket. That's an hour taken care of for Saturday .

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Did you try wrapping the stud with PTFE tape?

ALSO Are you keeping it far enough out, that you are not blocking the oilway and forcing the oil up the stud?

topcat2006 · Apr 2, 2020

DrFarkoff said:
Did you try wrapping the stud with PTFE tape?

ALSO Are you keeping it far enough out, that you are not blocking the oilway and forcing the oil up the stud?

I have to say I didn't try PTFE due to the temperatures involved and the fact it's not a taper thread.

I think I have it far enough out.......

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DrFarkoff · Apr 2, 2020

topcat2006 said:
I have to say I didn't try PTFE due to the temperatures involved and the fact it's not a taper thread.

I think I have it far enough out.......

Another option is you have access to buy some before you change the Head

Dev-Con F its an aluminium 2 pack putty (DevconA is Steel putty and they made the Aluminium one Devcon F ) FFS Maybe even JB weld would do ??

BUT you would need to lie the bike over to drain the oilway and clean the opening well with brake cleaner and let it dry

I think I would apply a few good winds of PTFE to say the bottom 3 threads then liberally smear the threads upwards to the exit point from the head with the devcon A and then screw the stud in Hopefully if there is some flow the oil will push the PTFe up as a seal?

topcat2006 · Apr 2, 2020

DrFarkoff said:
Another option is you have access to buy some before you change the Head

Dev-Con F its an aluminium 2 pack putty (DevconA is Steel putty and they made the Aluminium one Devcon F ) FFS Maybe even JB weld would do ??

BUT you would need to lie the bike over to drain the oilway and clean the opening well with brake cleaner and let it dry

I think I would apply a few good winds of PTFE to say the bottom 3 threads then liberally smear the threads upwards to the exit point from the head with the devcon A and then screw the stud in Hopefully if there is some flow the oil will push the PTFe up as a seal?

Thanks for this. I'm going to give it a go as well as having the s/h head on its way. I'll report back.

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Drilled into an oil way doing exhaust studs

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