Guest emilyvfr Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I purchased my 2006 Interceptor second hand from a dealer last year in June. After putting about 100 kilometres on it, I brought it in to Kahuna Powersports, a Honda dealer in Vaughan, Ontario, for an oil change. As spring is finally kinda here in Toronto, I decided to tackle some basic maintenance including the oil change on my own. Armed with my Haynes manual, the detailed visual step-by-step instructions found at http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/blog/67/entry-149-1st-home-oil-change-2006-vfr800/, a jug of Motul synthetic, K&N oil filter and other items, I kicked the bike up on the centre stand after a short ride and went to work. The left fairing bolts and bits came off. Then came what I thought was the easy part. I used a 17mm nut and pulled counterclockwise at the oil drain plug nut. Nothing. I attached my 17mm ratchet wrench and pulled. Nothing. I used two hands and pulled. Nothing. I used two hands and dug my feet into the ground and pulled. The nut moved maybe 1/8" and stopped. I tried for about 20-30 minutes, resting in between. Once the motorcycle started to turn from the pulling, I stopped and gave up. Is some 22-lb ft torque used to tighten that nut really that tight? Or did the Kahuna Powersports mechanic go a little or way overboard that day? Was the nut threaded on wrong? Should my bike have been hotter? Heck, was I supposed to turn it clockwise?? What was wrong?? I will try again tomorrow and use some lubricant and a hammer to hit the wrench. Any tips and tricks would be appreciated. From a Toronto based member whose spirit is crushed and hands callused from pulling the wrench so hard to no avail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Yokel Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 Very sorry to hear about the struggle. Speaking from experience here... (and I know you mentioned anti-clockwise in the post), make SURE you're turning the fastener the correct way. I work in a machine shop and occasionally screw up the direction. Odds are, the twit working to change the oil last time around at your service spot over torqued it. That in conjunction with the heating/cooling cycles that bolt is exposed to can cause them to get very tight. A light setting on a pneumatic impact can break them free quite easily, but I'd be cautious about force. Tap it a few times with a lightweight metal object to "shock" it, not actually with much force... you just want to shock the fastener a bit to help loosen anything on the threads. Try the wrench again. Also, (and it sounds crazy) see if there's a way you can apply some Tabasco sauce around the periphery of the flange on the bolt. It should wick in and the acid should dissolve anything causing it to stick. Good luck! -Yokel Remember... you'll be pressing the handle of the wrench towards the front of the bike if I'm looking at the photos correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Yokel, thanks for the response. I will try what you said. If you checked the link I provided, the left panel is removed. Anti-clockwise/counter-clockwise would actually be pulling the wrench to swing towards the back, then right, then to the front, etc. in that direction. If I was working on the left side and pushed on the wrench, it would be going clockwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ecn Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 +1 on the wrong direction theory. Having turned bolts inserted from the bottom in the wrong direction too many times...I no longer trust myself without examining a bolt pointed up before making the call to push or pull...pulling from the left clutch side sounds wrong assuming the wrench handle is pointed towards front wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 lefty loosey righty tighty !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 1.) +1 on the direction advice: lefty loosey, righty tighty ... 2.) If you're right-handed, use the left to hold the socket firmly in place on the drain plug, and try a few sharp hits with the 'heel' of your right hand on the handle of the socket wrench. I have found many times that sharp hits will break a bolt free when a constant pull will not. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 mite help .. Standard thread !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 If laying on the left side of the bike, the wrench should be swinging towards the front of the bike to loosen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HumalogAddict Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 good ol' lefty loosy righty tighty :) I then simply set it to L or R on my ratchet. Those upside down bolts just screw with my brain hahaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MisterBill Posted April 5, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 5, 2014 I'm betting that the mechanic who worked on it last cross-threaded the drain plug when it was reinstalled. Good luck if that is the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MarkDetroit Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Don't break the bolt head off! Take the bike back to the dealer who serviced it last. They screwed up. Make them fix it! Heat should break it loose but you shouldn't do it yourself. The downside of making a mistake is too much to risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Oh, darn. +1 on the wrong direction. I am mortified! At least, I wasn't the only one to have made the mistake. I did try to turn it in the opposite direction a couple of times but that will require some force because it didn't budge. Then again I didn't use a lot of force. I shall try again tomorrow. Thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrAustin Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 After assuring yourself that you are indeed rotating the correct direction I would extend the lever with a pipe over the socket wrench handle. Warm the engine first. Then gently increase pressure on the lengthened lever. This will avoid the striking or jerking of a shorter lever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Did exactly the same on the first ever oil change I did on my 4th gen..... Good I caught myself before I stripped the threads on the oil pan....... Just got too excited to wrench on the brand new then bike, I guess.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ecn Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 No worries..just give your ratchet handle a few taps with a hammer in the correct direction and that 20 minutes of tightening should be reversed. I once spent 2 hours changing a flat on a borrowed truck and ended up having to chisel the stripped mag lock bolt off before finding out it was reverse threaded. Don't forget to pick up a new crush washer for that plug (available in the auto supply drain plug section) and Kudos for digging in. Had the same problem on my first oil change as well...come to thing of it, .. you do have an oil filter socket ... right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Thanks all! Plug washer, check. Oil filter socket, no. The K&N filter that is on currently and the one I have both are the 17mm nut version. My neighbourhood motorcycle parts store lent me an oil filter wrench just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Anytime I'm working nuts/bolts from underneath or at odd angles, I always take the socket in one hand and turn the wrench (typically a ratchet) in the direction I need it to go and if I hear clicking, I know it's set in the wrong direction. Flip the "switch" and check it again, I no longer make the mistake of over tightening or loosen a hand tightened nut/bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ron_al Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Thanks all! Plug washer, check. Oil filter socket, no. The K&N filter that is on currently and the one I have both are the 17mm nut version. My neighbourhood motorcycle parts store lent me an oil filter wrench just in case. FYI, It was explained to me once that the 17mm nut on the K&N oil filter serves two purposes: It's there to give you a point to safety-wire on the filter (for people who ride on tracks requiring that such things be safety-wired), And it gives you a point to use to loosen the filter when you are removing it. Notice the lack of a third purpose - that the 17mm nut has nothing to do with installation. The same person who explained that to me said that it is important that the 17mm nut on the oil filter NOT be used to tighten/install the oil filter. (You should be able to do that by hand, after lightly-lubricating the rubber seal on the filter, with a dab of the fresh engine oil.) Just an FYI, before you accidentally end up with an oil slick emanating from your bike. Have fun! Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Glad you did not strip it !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rush2112 Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Thanks The same person who explained that to me said that it is important that the 17mm nut on the oil filter NOT be used to tighten/install the oil filter Ron Sorry Ron, but I will have to disagree with you... the person who explained it to you was misinformed. Honda actually has a torque spec for the oil filter and it is perfectly fine to use the nut on a K&N filter to torque your filter. .. as long as you use a torque wrench and torque to spec... wrenching it by feel is not reccomended and can lead to over tightening and leaks.Sent from my SCH-I200 using Tapatalk NOTE: Oil filter torque is 7 lbf/ft or 10 N/m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Yokel Posted April 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2014 Glad you got it sorted! Anyone who tells you that they haven't done the same thing is lying. -Yokel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 When I had my VTR1000, I had a similar problem the first oil change I did. The previous owner had rounded the head of the drain bolt, and I had some anxious moments before I managed to get it out, including heating it, vice-grips, panicking, asking on forums. Can't remember what I did in the end, but I think I had to drill it and use an EzyOut, and thankfully didn't need to helicoil it. The VTR drain bolts are quite small and therefore not too robust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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