Securing the Oil Drain Plug

[Dave 02 1200]

I read about a rider who had his drain plug come out while on the highway.  Although I do use a torque wrench to tighten the plug to the specified 16.5 ft. lb., I decided to safety wire the drain plug like I used to do on my race bikes for extra security.  

I was about to start drilling when I noticed that the oil pan casting has a conveniently-located rib that is close to the hex head of the drain plug.   I had an appropriately-sized screw type hose clamp so I put it on the drain plug hex head, rotated it into the best position, and tightened it.  The hose clamp is very securely attached to the hex head of the drain plug. It will not allow the plug to rotate out because, if the drain plug did start to loosen, the screw housing on the clamp would come into contact with the rib on the oil pan casting, thereby preventing further counter clockwise rotation and holding the drain plug in place.

This probably would not satify tech inspectors for track days but I think it provides a nice back up and a little extra security.  Also, it is easy and the price is right.

[DaveG]

i just put a big blob of silicone sealant part on bolt part on case

gives some piece of mind.

is the clamp more secure than the bolt?????

[Dave 02 1200]

First the oil drain plug is torqued into oil pan per standard practice. Then the hose clamp is placed around the hex head of the "bolt" (drain plug) and then tightened to keep it in place.  The hose clamp prevents the drain plug from turning counter-clockwise because the screw housing of the hose clamp would run into the casting on the oil pan if the drain plug (and the hose clamp on it) rotated 2 or 3 degrees.  It is very secure.  I doubt that the hose clamp will ever come off by itself.  However, when it is time to change the oil it is easy to remove the hose clamp if I first loosen the tightening screw on the hose clamp and then slip it off.  Then I can put a socket on the hex head of the drain plug and remove it per standard practice.  Stated another way, this set up is probably much more secure than even my old standby, safety wire.