Oil filter cover stud broke

[addison]

I was being good today and decided to change my oil on my '04 2000 miles ahead of schedule. As I was putting the oil filter cover back on I tightened one of the nuts to tight and broke the bolt right off. There is no oil leaking but....Any suggestions? I think this is a job for dealership but they charge $75 hr for labor. Any ideas on how I could fix it, or how the dealership will fix it and how long it would take them?

[starwalt]

I suspect the stud is pressed or screwed into the block/case. If pressed, this will be a bugger to correct. If screwed in with a bonding agent, drilling out and tapping may do it.

Perhaps Srinath has some experience with this?

[Nomak]

dood, I did that too, there was enuf std left out that I didnt had to drill the stud and use an extraction I just used a monkey wrench to remove the stud and used a bolt for the time being, one of my friends will put in a stud for me during the next oil change ... dont worry bout leakage there will only be a lil oil seepage but fix the issue asap ...

[addison]

Thanks for for the info, it doesn't sound as bad as I thought. I haven't attempted to do anything with it yet, after it broke off I figured I had done enough damage for one day, lol.

[Blueknyt]

yeay pull the cover and see if you can grab it will pipe wrench or vicegrips/locking pliers, otherwise, your better off useing  LEFT HANDED drill bits and Easy outs/extractors.   I strongly recomend EVERYONE who works on thier own stuff, even if only simple stuff, invest 20$ in a INCH POUND torque wrench. this will allow you to tighten the tiny bolts to 4lb-ft (48lb-in) or what ever the correct metric equivilant is with far less chance of breaking.  If it saves you that 70$ for that 15 mins of dealership repair even once, its paid for itself.

[amarkert]

I just wanted to say I went through replacing my stud-bolt this last week.  It was a royal pain.  I tried an ez-out kit and had no luck.  I ended up buying an $11 pair of vice grips and pulled it out very slowly.  Put the bike on its center stand turned the front wheel a bit so I could get the grips on the bolt.  It took me about a half hour to get it out, lots of stress and trying other things.  In the end the vice grips did there job.  I mangled the hell out of the stud-bolt but it all worked out.  Just a FYI, I went to a Kawasaki shop because they said they had some 6mm x 20mm stud bolts and said they should be the same pitch.  I bought two and tried getting them in my GS500F - no go.  They are not the same pitch.  I had to order the part from a shop in Tacoma, WA that actually had the $0.63 part.  It just bothers me that in the manual that you get with your bike it doesn't say "BE VERY CAREFUL THESE STUD-BOLTS ARE VERY PRONE TO BREAKING" which I think they should have.  Especially since I found several places that say that statement regarding a GS500 and changing the oil filter.  So I recommend getting a torque wrench if possible.  I was a bit disappointed also that most of the local Suzuki shops didn't carry this stud bolt.  They would of had to order it from Suzuki and make me wait 7-10 business days.  I just wanted my bike to run again.  Bad experience for me, but a good learning one.  Anyways, good luck if you do the same thing I did.  You'll get it out and don't pay a shop to do it.  Its a waste of $$$.

- Andy
2004 GS500F Blue =p

[sledge]

I think you were very lucky, generaly when studs and bolts snap they go at the weakest point and thats where the threaded section ends and the plain shank begins. More often than not thats flush with the casing and you cannot get a purchase with Mole Grips.  You then have no option but to drill and use an eezi-out.

[amarkert]

yeah.. i guess I was lucky.  I just wish they would add that into the manual that came with the bike.. something like 'WARNING: do not over tighten bolts.  they may break!'

-Andy