Oil drainplugs shouldn't fall out right?

[Val]

My bike is just over a year old (2007 Model, new out of the box in 2008). I took it in for its 1000 km service last year then 2 weeks ago at 6000 km. I've never had a problem with it.

After riding about 300 km after the oil change, the oil drain plug fell out and the bike started dripping oil. I was about 1/2 km before a nearly 90 degree curve. Not knowing I was driving on an oily tire, I slowed and started through the curve and needless to say the bike did a nice 3 point slide on the left handlebar, footpeg and rear turn indicator. I continued onto the gravel shoulder. I stood up right away, hubby came back, neighbourhood residents came out. No more damage on me than on the bike. Hubby followed the oil drippings back to where they started and retrieved the oil plug from the side of the road, replaced it, tightened it, filled it up again thanks to a resident and cleaned off the back tire with cleaner, and we continued on to lunch.

Next day I talked to the shop owner, who said that his mechanic couldn't have left it untightened because all of the oil would have been pushed out right away due to the extreme pressure. ?So I rode it for that long and it spontaneously loosenned and popped out?

Any ideas? :??: Can something else have caused this, other than the plug not having been tightened properly after the oil change. (I don't have enemies, and my kids and hubby are NOT after the insurance money, so I don't think it was sabbotaged.)

Thanks

[Easy Rider]

Next day I talked to the shop owner, who said that his mechanic couldn't have left it untightened because all of the oil would have been pushed out right away due to the extreme pressure. ?

Bald face lie. There is NO pressure in the bottom of the oil sump.......and properly tightened, they do NOT just come loose on their own.

At the very least, find another shop. I'd be tempted to inform the incompetent asses that I was doing it too.

What kind of oil did you put back in it? The wrong kind can be bad for the clutch.

[Val]

Hubby did it, but I think 10W30 which is going to be changed out tomorrow when he picks it up after work. I had a good read on this forum about oil and oil changes.

[Water Warrior 2]

Glad to hear you and the bike did not suffer much damage/injuries. Sounds like some one was in a hurry to finish the oil change. I did the same hurry up procedure on my Vstrom a while ago. Plug was finger tight only and I just had a brain fart and neglected to check after all was said and done. 2 weeks later I noticed a small puddle under the bike where it was parked. I was very lucky to catch it before disaster struck. Chalk up another point for my Guardian Angel.

[patrick_777]

I totally agree with Easy here. That mechanic was trying to cover his ass and keep you from suing for damages. The plug worked out because it wasn't tightened properly and that's what caused your accident.

I might be unprovable, but I'd DEFINITELY take my business elsewhere, and DEFINITELY let them know about it.

[mrlmd1]

If there was any damage at all to the bike, to your clothes, or to you, I would ask them to pay for it, and the cost of the oil replacement(s).
Ask them nicely and tell them your lawyer will be getting it from them if it's not volunteered.
There's no reason you should bear the brunt of that and you could have been seriously injured because of someone's negligence.
You can remind the shop it will cost them less in money and time and aggravation to compensate you than it will to pay their lawyer, your lawyer's fees, and the court costs when they lose the suit and have to pay you anyway.. Or you could just take them to small claims court if you have those up there.

[Val]

Windsor is not that big, and there just aren't that many Bike sales and service businesses here. Word of mouth can go a long way here. My husband and I ride with Southern Cruisers, and on the forum, I haven't yet named the business, waiting to see if integrity and fairplay will balance the mechanic error. I would love to report that I was fairly and respectfully treated, and am giving the guy a chance to think about this, so we'll see today if he's thought about things any differently.

I still won't go back there again, though.

[bonehead]

Being a mechanic, I know "things" happen, but a loose drain plug is a ROOKIE mistake. It should have been caught!!!

[music man]

Being a mechanic, I know "things" happen, but a loose drain plug is a ROOKIE mistake. It should have been caught!!!


I agree, I have done all kinds of "Oops" kind of things working on small engines, but something that could cause catastrophic damage like that, NEVER. And If I did do something like not put oil back in a mower or leave the drain plug loose and all the oil drained out, and say it burned up the engine, I guarantee you the people that owned it wouldn't have to ask for a new engine, they would just automatically be told to bring it back in so we could put a new one on...... and then I wouldn't get a paycheck for a couple of weeks, if at all.

[mrlmd1]

I had that happen to me with a year or two old BMW 535i that I brought into a very respected dealership for routine service. Part of it included "changing all fluids", like that in the rear differential. The only problem was that after I picked up the car and drove less than 5 miles towards home, there was a lot of smoke coming out of the rear, then an awful grinding noise coming from the rear, then the car just suddenly and literally ground to a stop. When I got out to look at the rear end, the smoke was coming from a small amount or oil dripping on the muffler and pipes. When the car was flatbedded back to the dealer and they put it up on the lift they found out that the drain plug of the differential was not there, there was no oil in it, and it had burned up and seized. They found the plug actually sitting on the lift where the mechanic placed it after he took it out. Needless to say, they fixed this real quick, gave me a loaner car, profusely apologized, and promptly billed BMW of North America for a new differential, labor, etc, (maybe $25-2600 back then) saying to them it was faulty and under warranty. So sometimes even reputable people screw up but that justifies nothing.

[Val]

That's the kind of service I'm looking for. There really is no major damage to compensate for - nothing that would break a thriving business, anyway!

Bike: There's a scratched handlebar end and tail light, and a bent foot peg. Money out is for oil from a neighbour at the drop scene which we changed up for appropriate oil (thanks to advice from this site) when we got home.

Gear: I need a new visor (face cruise along the crushed stone shoulder), and am a bit concerned about the helmet (there's a divet where it hit but no other apparent damage). One glove got a bit shredded along the knuckles. Armoured mesh jacket is OK, jeans OK, boots OK.

Personally: a few bruises and a small patch of road rash where my jeans crept up. It could have been much worse.

All I want to see is some business integrity. All I got was a line of bull. My husband called today and got the OTHER owner, who fell all over himself asking how they can fix this. So maybe it's just the one guy, who is the brother of the original (helpful) owner. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome.

[bonehead]

Good luck with getting the bike fixed. As for the helmet, I have always heard that if it is involved in a wreck and has ANY damage to it , it needs to be replaced. But on the other hand if it is only a superficial scratch, I'not too sure "that I" would worry about it. That is going to have to be your call.

[dhgeyer]

Glad to hear your weren't hurt, and that the damage to the bike wasn't too bad.

After I started doing my own maintenance, I found all sorts of sloppiness and poor workmanship that had been done to my bikes by professional shops. I do as much of it as I can now, just because I know I'm much more motivated to do the best possible job. On the GZ250, an oil and filter change is pretty easy to do, easier than on most bikes. The oil filter is right on the right side: you don't even have to get under the bike to get at it! Doing at least some of your own work adds a dimension to owning and riding the machine as well. It gets to be a pleasure - addictive even! You may think "Oh I have no mechanical skill and I could never do that.". I say, don't sell yourself short. I was buying a windshield and a couple of spark plugs for the GZ just today, and a lady was there getting supplies to do a complete tune up on a 4 cylinder 650 sport bike. And you could tell she knew her stuff, too! Better than the guy at the counter.

I think you could probably buy all the tools you really need to do an oil and filter change for what they would charge for labor for one, or at most two changes. A couple of wrenches (you'll want a socket with extender and drive to get at the drain plug), a drain pan, a funnel. You could splurge and get a torque wrench, and then you would know for certain that the drain plug was tightened just right.

The shop manual is available for download for free right on this website. If you can read and follow directions, it's not that hard. And, if you have any questions, there are lots of folks right here to help you!

Just a suggestion.

Dave Geyer

[alanmcorcoran]

dh,

The guys talked me into doing my own oil, and I did do one change on the GZ. I think, however, I managed to overfill it (that glass thing is sketchy, compared to, say, a dipstick, if you ask me.) I don't know if it is related, but about 50-100 miles after I changed the oil the thing started running real crappy when it wasn't warmed up. I took it into a dealer at the next service interval (which included an oil change), gave them the whole story, and it took three trips back before they got it back to running "like new." It's possible they didn't do anything the first two times, but, needless to say, I am not addicted to doing my own maintenance. Frankly, the time wasted having to buy the oil, then bring the used oil in for recycling pretty much kills it for me. I think if you have a lot of time and no money, it makes sense. If you have money and the dealer can turn your bike around quick (and isn't crooked!), I recommend the dealer.

Recently dropped the Strat off for the 4K service on Thursday at noon. They called to tell me it was done at 7am the next morning. I only wish my new dealer wasn't 30 plus miles away. (Still, it's a nice ride on a beautiful toll road.)

[dhgeyer]

Alan,

Sorry to hear about your misadventure. I've been doing oil changes on vehicles of one sort or another since I was in college. That was a long time and a lot of vehicles ago. The GZ takes a quart and a half, and most plastic bottles of oil are graduated these days. I have to admit that getting the Beemer right is a real pain. Too much oil and it starts shaking like a Sportster, and you have to do this dance with it to get an accurate reading. I guess it's an acquired taste. I don't want anyone touching my bike unless it's absolutely necessary. When I did my first valve adjustments on both the Beemer and the Concours, I was totally appalled at how far out of whack they were. There's no way they had gotten that far out in the distance they had been ridden since the dealers had last checked them. Dealers will check valves, and if they are anywhere within spec, they will leave them alone. They do not even try to get pairs of valves consistent.

The other thing is, once you get used to doing it, and tooled up, it's actually less bother, at least for me, to do it myself. I stock up on oil, filters, seals, and crush washers so that I don't have to go to the dealership every time. We have to go to the dump where I live anyway, and I can dispose of the waste oil there. I save used milk containers to put it in. So it's just the time, and I'd rather spend it doing something I enjoy, rather than in a waiting room.

Valve adjustments give me an even greater incentive to do them myself. They have to be done dead cold. If I have a dealer do it, I have to have my wife or daughter pick me up when I drop it off one afternoon, and drop me off when I pick it up the next day. By the time we get done with all that driving, I could have done it myself in a fraction of the time, and I'll do a better job.

Your situation may be entirely different, but for me, it's a no brainer.

[Water Warrior 2]

I change oil on both bikes but the truck goes to a local shop. With the bike oil that is drained out I put it in an old bleach bottle or washer fluid bottle and drop it off at a recycler. Most other bike related stuff goes to a local dealer or a Suzuki dealer if the maintenance is specifically Suzuki related and they have the most expertise and specific equipment.