Oil Plug is stripped, and will not back out...advice please.

Well I went to change my gear oil, and found that my oil plug is stripped, and just turns and turns, and will not back out. Funny thing is that it's not leaking a drop of oil, but I know that there is probably a bunch of thread shavings in there by now, so I dare not ride it until this is fixed. I went down and bought a Helicoil for My 200 KX 250 ( 10mm x 1.25), but ran into a dead end trying to get that darn plug off. I took vice grips to it and still just spins. I am seriously considering just taking it down to the dealer and having them handle it. Anyone have any suggestions as to which to have them do? Helicoil vs tap to a slightly larger size? Which is the better option and which is more expensive to have done? How will they get the old bolt off? Is there a special tool that they use or do they drill it out? This problem just bugs me to death!! help. :|

I tried the screwdriver deal, adn it was a no go. I haven't tried the easy out bit trick, but if that's what it takes then I'll just let my local cycle shop handle that. I'm not much of a machinist or a mechanic for that matter, so I'm one of the unfortunate ones that has to fork out the cash. I wish I had those skills, but what can you do. Some guys are just blessed with the skills I guess. I was just wondering what something like that would run me more or less, with the worst case scenario being that they have to drill the bolt out. best case being that can just easy out the bolt and tap to a slightly bigger size. I'd like to keep the bolt size OEM if I can, but if that's not the preferable option then I can live with the bigger plug.

Yeah, as soon as I saw the washer and case start to scar a bit, I stopped that. The metal is just too soft to get any real leverage without damaging it. I am just going to have to get it to the service shop. The good thing is that my Bro in law bought two Quads from this Yamaha dealership and he owns a truck lift shop, so they all know him and they just changed a tube for me and they gave me a great deal. They said, we should charge you more for bringing a green machine in here, but since you're jerry's bro in law.......they said in a joking manner. I told them my bro in law said they were the bomb for service so that's good enough for me. They liked that. A little ass kissing sometimes goes a ways when it comes to proud machanics. :nod: So I don't think I'll get screwed, as I am lucky enough to have a connection, thank goodness.
I did a search and it seems this is all too common of a problem, judging from the amount of posts that I found on this and it seems the main culprit is that people don't realize that although "righty-tighty" and "lefty lucy" are correct ,you have to realize that you are doing it upside down, so it seems like you are loosening the plug, when in reality, you are tightening it because you are facing the plug from the bottom. It can be quite a costly mistake and lesson for those who don't realize this, and are limited in their mechanical knowledge, like me. I hope somebody reads this and learns from it, then it will at least something good will come of this. Thank you to those who took the time to respond. I am new here, but not for long. I love this place for educating myself on the do's and don'ts of the MX world. :cool:

Well I think I'll just go with a brand new magnetic tip plug and new washer. Interestingly enough, after making few calls today just to see what I was looking at more or less, the local cycle shop (mom and pop type) said "well at 70 dollars and hour with a one hour minimum, it sounds like you might be looking at 2 hours plus parts." :yikes: Parts? What parts? A plug and washer and a helicoil? It might not even need a new plug. 2 hours to get a plug out and retap and insert a helicoil? Are they charging for the drying time of the loc-tight? :whoa: The second call was to the Kawaski dealer, who said I was looking at about 70 to 100 bucks, and that he would retap to one size larger, and that he's not a big fan of helicoil, for reasons that have been beaten like a dead horse here,and that it would be a week before he could look at it. Finally the third call I made to the Yamaha shop where I have my connection through a bro in law. He said "sure, bring it on down and we'll take care of it for ya in a jiff." I asked him what he prefers, and he said he was going to helicoil it and that he has done this to alot of bike plugs and not a one of them have ever been back with problems. He said if it's done right, there's no reason to have to tap to larger size and reduce the material on your case. So you see, three different "pros" and 2 different opinions. Man am I glad I have a connection at a dealer shop, or else I have a feeling I would be paying way more than I should! Sounds like this is pretty common in the mechanic industry, but what can you do if you are over a barrel? :think:

Well, just dropped my bike off this afternoon, and the head mechanic told me he has had good success with helicoils, and that if it leaks he will do it over free of charge until he gets it right, or if necessary tap it up to the next size but that he's never had to do that yet. Guess he was giving me his guarantee that it would work. :cool: It's hard to argue with that kind of service. I think I've found my new permanent bike service guys. I feel pretty lucky right about now. :nod: