Saved An Oil Pan

I was cleaning up in my garage during a recent construction project, and found an oil pan that Veefermadness sent me a while ago. The oil drain had been stripped, and "repaired" by someone local to him. Unfortunately, the repair didn't go as planned. The pan was drilled and tapped for a larger bolt, but it was not done properly and the bolt seated at an angle to the pan, causing it to leak.

So we have this as our starting point:

[image: 20141220_115845-1_zps3pfsdaa3.jpg]

From there, I drilled out the (already oversize) hole, and counterbored it.

[image: 20141220_120515-1_zpswdie8m8s.jpg]

[image: 20141220_121334-1_zpspfusrak8.jpg]

Then I turned up a plug on the lathe, which I drilled and tapped to fit a Fumoto F109 valve.

[image: 20141220_124551-1_zpsfxhs8ryh.jpg]

Here are the 3 parts which will become my quick-drain oil pan assembly...

[image: 20141220_131522-1_zps6scyopan.jpg]

Test fit shows a bit of porting will be needed:

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But first we have to weld the plug in, to seal it.

I burned down the little flange next to the drain a bit, to allow the valve to clear it during installation.

[image: 20141220_142035_zps3hjspxzs.jpg]

Then I milled it to create a nice flat area for the Fumoto valve to seal against:

[image: 20141220_142538-1_zpsgzsqkvw3.jpg]

Now I can recreate the factory drain channel...

[image: 20141220_143634_zpsgbgc2trc.jpg]

And, done.

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Hope you find this entertaining. It's entertained me for about an hour and a half so far.

Now I just have to find time to install it... :comp13:

Just put in a 1" NPT hex plug for lightning quick oilchanges! haha

Just put in a 1" NPT hex plug for lightning quick oilchanges! haha

But now I can change my oil using just a 5mm Allen key and filter pliers :smile:

You mean you're not supposed to use a 3/4" impact on the drain plug and a 36" pipe wrench on the filter?

Dammit, I've been doin it wrong.....

You mean you're not supposed to use a 3/4" impact on the drain plug and a 36" pipe wrench on the filter?

Dammit, I've been doin it wrong.....

:goofy:

Wouldn't have been nearly as fun, but maybe using a spherical washer would have been easier. 😳[image: image.jpg]

Hell  yeah .

Wouldn't have been nearly as fun, but maybe using a spherical washer would have been easier. [image: attachicon.gif]image.jpg

 And  little Lock-Tite   and  Bam !!  Great idea .

The pan material would have been pretty thin after cutting the seat for one of those, not sure if there would have been enough left for threads.

"Hope you find this entertaining. It's entertained me for about an hour and a half so far."

I enjoyed it (maybe not for an hour and a half though).   It's always interesting to see how people fabricate things.   It would be great to have some machine tools to do this kind of work. 

Or  and  couple   hours  of  labor .

PAN, OIL   11210-MBG-010    $104.80

Let's see... free part or $100+... hmm... wtf?

Not  all  of  us  can TIG  weld. 

Or  are  you  offering  free welding ?

:wacko:

Oh yeah  it's  at  least  $50  here  for  a average TIG welder to  do  a small  jobs. Don't  ask  how  i  know . 

Ah oh  found  it  cheaper:PAN, OIL

  11210-MBG-010 $89.83

It's  a  great  idea Seb  but  we  all  can't  weld .

Someone doesn't get the point!!

I like the repair, it was done correctly and is as strong, if not stronger, than OEM.

I'm interested in why you chose the Fumoto valve as opposed to a hex bolt? I don't like how low the valve hangs (I do realize the exhaust is lower), and I'm not sure about the lever actuation. I've never had one in my hand, though.

I like the repair, it was done correctly and is as strong, if not stronger, than OEM.

I'm interested in why you chose the Fumoto valve as opposed to a hex bolt? I don't like how low the valve hangs (I do realize the exhaust is lower), and I'm not sure about the lever actuation. I've never had one in my hand, though.

I probably could have recessed the valve a bit more, since I was chopping and welding anyway. I didn't think of that at the time, I just kind of threw this together once I found the pan.

I saw others here use the valve, and have heard how much some coworkers like using them on their cars. It made me want to try one.

I like the idea that it might save me some time, and if you've ever dropped a drain bolt in your oil pan (my screen flipped over), you'll want to avoid having that happen again.

The drain hole is now smaller though, so it may take longer to drain and not save any time at all...
The valve is really pretty small, I can take some measurements if you like.

Not  all  of  us  can TIG  weld. 

Or  are  you  offering  free welding ?

:wacko:

Oh yeah  it's  at  least  $50  here  for  a average TIG welder to  do  a small  jobs. Don't  ask  how  i  know . 

Would you prefer that I not post this type of stuff?

I'm not offering a service here, free or otherwise, I'm just sharing what I did with 1.5 hours of my Saturday afternoon.

Hmmmm. So we have a Clutch Window mod perfected by Seb, now perhaps a quick drain drain oil pan mod.................

Geez Seb, if you keep this up you may never need to look for work again, It just might show up at the door. LOL. I took a look at your webpage a few days ago, and wow, some pretty impressive looking work.

Is there anything in Harbor Freight you don't have but still could use in your shop, Seb? :goofy:

You are the man with the good tolls, and know how to use them.

It's not something I ever plan to do, but interesting to read. :beer:

The drain hole is now smaller though, so it may take longer to drain and not save any time at all...

I am one of the Fumoto users. I have them on my truck, GF's car, and both VFR's in the garage. While they may drain a little slower, I normally just make sure the bike is warm and open the valve into a drain pan, THEN pull the fairing, oil filter, etc. while it drains. By the time I am done, the oil is just about done too.

Hmmmm. So we have a Clutch Window mod perfected by Seb, now perhaps a quick drain drain oil pan mod.................

Geez Seb, if you keep this up you may never need to look for work again, It just might show up at the door. LOL. I took a look at your webpage a few days ago, and wow, some pretty impressive looking work.

Thank you, but you don't need me for the quick drain. You can just buy the valve and replace your drain plug. I went through the extra steps here because the threads had been messed up.

Thank you, but you don't need me for the........

Not the salesman type, eh? Me neither. :happy:

In hindsight, I could have bought a bigger valve and fitted that one instead of the normal size one for normal drain speed. Oh well, maybe next time!

Thank you, but you don't need me for the........

Not the salesman type, eh? Me neither. :happy:

Not for something simple like the drain... clutch covers though... I need to move some more of those! Your 'priller have a hydraulic clutch? :wink:

Both Apes have hydraulic clutches. Have only had 1 time the clutch went soft on the older one.

Time for bleeding. The rear brakes oto on the thing are notorious for going soft.

Minimal stopping power when they work. Who needs rear brakes anyway?

The fronts have never been a problem. They are great.

It's that Italian character. :beer:

Both Apes have hydraulic clutches. Have only had 1 time the clutch went soft on the older one.
Time for bleeding. The rear brakes oto on the thing are notorious for going soft.
Minimal stopping power when they work. Who needs rear brakes anyway?
The fronts have never been a problem. They are great.
It's that Italian character. :beer:

Well, if you have a hydraulic clutch, I can probably fit a window to your clutch cover :wink:

OK, salesman gene kicking in maybe. :cool:

I like the look of those.

Don't want the expense or install job. I just wanna ride. :tour:

:goofy:

if you've ever dropped a drain bolt in your oil pan

That's my normal mode of operation 30% of the time.


I don't think I would ever feel comfortable knowing a flick of a lever could dump all my oil... but I also treat my VFR like a dual-sport machine. I could imagine gravel knocking the lever back out of its safety catch, etc., etc., etc. Not likely, for sure.... but I'd never have the confidence I have with a safety-wired hex plug. Just not for me, I guess.

Note to Seb: Not trying to hijack this thread but with your fabrication skills, you ought to consider coming up with a new headlight for the VFR1200F. It's the one part of the bike a lot of people just can't get past. Maybe you can have somebody send you their headlight so you can make a mold out of it. Once you've got something to work with, you can come up with a custom headlight design. You can even get ideas/input from members on various worldwide (e.g. British, German, etc.) VFR forums.

Ah oh  found  it  cheaper:PAN, OIL

  11210-MBG-010 $89.83

It's  a  great  idea Seb  but  we  all  can't  weld .

Repeat .

Ah oh  found  it  cheaper:PAN, OIL

  11210-MBG-010 $89.83

It's  a  great  idea Seb  but  we  all  can't  weld .

Repeat .

I'm not trying to get into the oil pan repair business!! I had a spare pan, I fixed it, I'm sharing the process. This post has NOTHING to do with finding the cheapest way to replace an oil pan!

So what's your point David?!?

if you've ever dropped a drain bolt in your oil pan

That's my normal mode of operation 30% of the time.


I don't think I would ever feel comfortable knowing a flick of a lever could dump all my oil... but I also treat my VFR like a dual-sport machine. I could imagine gravel knocking the lever back out of its safety catch, etc., etc., etc. Not likely, for sure.... but I'd never have the confidence I have with a safety-wired hex plug. Just not for me, I guess.

The way I have the plug positioned, you would have to move the bike backwards, and simultaneously tip it to the right while the lever was caught on something. It would be pretty easy to safety wire the lever too. Also, it doesn't just flick out of the way, you have to apply decent pressure to the lever. It's really just a brass ball valve. The spring you see holds the lever, it does not assist in opening the valve. I think if you got your hands on one, you might like it.

Like  I wrote  before  it's  great  idea .

:cool:

I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for sharing.


Sent when I should be working.

I don't think I would ever feel comfortable knowing a flick of a lever could dump all my oil... but I also treat my VFR like a dual-sport machine. I could imagine gravel knocking the lever back out of its safety catch, etc., etc., etc. Not likely, for sure.... but I'd never have the confidence I have with a safety-wired hex plug. Just not for me, I guess.

If you really have to have a secondary lock on it, a worm clamp works perfect. I've never had one on my truck in 12 years, but did put one on the bike. Not really sure why since I've never had an issue.