I made a terrible mistake; I let someone else prepare my bike for the trip Im now on and the bastard stripped my sump plug which I only discovered during my first oil change on the SA Moz borber. I then had it "repaired" by a guy in Nelspruit who fitted an insert that i was not happy about. Well Ive just tried to screw out the sump plug to drain the oil only to find, though not to my surprise, that the whole insert came out and that the thread which was holding it in place is virtually non existant. So, now Im in Blantyre, Malawi with what i think is an M16 stripped thread in my casing.

The way i see it I have a few options (other than double homicide); I can have a helicoil fitted, but only I guess if there is enough meat left around the hole to take one? I could try a thread repair epoxy product which i have with me that claims to repair threads of all kinds, problem is that it seems to be designed for repairs to a hole where one can access the back of the hole to tape it up while the curing process happens. Of course i cant get to the back of the hole... Thirdly as a desperate fix i could have the hole welded closed and then only be able to change the oil in the oil tank, but it shold get me back to CT..

Any pearls of wisdom would be much appreciated... Condolences and moral support also accepted.

JIm

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"If we don't find something good at least we will find something new." Voltaire

Another helicoil
One size up tap to SAE, not metric
Expandable rubber plug
Correct silicon with drain hole very clean, glue-in old plug/bolt

Which Xt ?? Which hole ??

Your best drilling the old thread out and then tapping out the hole to fit a bigger bolt.

Just make sure you drill the hole to the correct size before tapping it.

Buy a copper washer for the new bolt too.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I've put my bodging head on and thought that you may be able to make an oil tight seal with a bolt and washers if you could force a spring washer ( by squeezing it ) and the bolt head inside through the hole leaving the threaded part protruding and then tighten up with a copper washer ( or make one from some alu ) and a plain washer you may be able to seal it. Good luck. These things are sent to try us !

I don't know about XTs but I assume that the sump is aluminium .
To get any kind of a good weld it will have to be super clean .
Welding the hole closed and then retapping would be a viable option IF you have good workshop facilities to hand . Welding a patch over the area might be a good idea if oil contamination is a problem .[ you can clean the outside much easier ] Then you could leave the patch in place and retap at leisure .

Cleaning the area with a good solvent and then an epoxy repair might be a good short term solution .But even don't think about getting the bolt out again until you get home .
I've done temporary repairs by mixing aluminium filings with two part epoxy and filling holes that way .

I wouldn't worry too much about draining the sump even if you are a long way from home , oil changes at the oil tank will be fine .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Clean clean clean then two part epoxy and do it in several layers. May seep slightly but I have had them hold for years. One thing that is available in the states is a 1/2 size larger metric drain plug that will self tap into a stripped hole.