My first questions.

[Alexandre Neves]

Dear all. After a couple of months of getting to now my FJ and having done the initial general maintenance, i came upon a couple of problems that I hope someone can shed a light or at least point me in the right direction, from experience.

1)One of the basic maintenance tasks I had to do was to change all the oils and filters. All when whell upto the point where I had to screw in the oil drain plug. I was so surprised at how easy it was to strip the treads (arghhh). This made me remove the oil pan to get it repaired properly in a local engineering shop.
When I put everything back together, even though I was fearsome about tightening screws on this pan, I managed to lightly strip one of the threads that hold the oil level switch to the oil pan. I really did not what to remove the pan again, and so have been living with it all this time. But honestly I am getting fed up of the very slight oil leak that comes from this less than perfect seal of the oil level switch, and the smoke & smell that arises from the burning oil hitting the exhaust.
Therefore I would like to ask what would you sugest i do regarding the repair of this lightly striped thread ?


2) Once in a while I notice that my fuel pump does not "prime" during the 5 seconds after switching the bike on (not to be confused with turning the motor on). I have come to the conclusion that if I remove the electrical connections and re-insert them (the electrical connector nesxt to the battery) and once again switch on the bike, the pump will "prime" for the 5 seconds. Has anyone experienced this before? What doid you do to resolve it? 

Thank you for all you help.

Alex

[aviationfred]

The majority of the threaded holes in the oil pan are designed for very low torque values. Using steel bolts and screws can easily pull the soft aluminum threads out. If my memory is correct the torque for most of the screws is 6 ft lbs. My suggestion for the buggered up oil pan is to find another that is in good shape or a new one. They often are listed on eBay Germany and you can get a new one from here.

http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Engine%3AOilPan&cat=39

The fuel pump only pumps until there is a pressure build up. I would say that your 'once in awhile' no noise from the pump when you turn the ignition key on is just an indication that the fuel system still has pressure built up. Many FJ owners carry a spare fuel pump, because they are known to fail at very inoptune times.

Fred

[novaraptor]

 Once you get things fixed, you might consider doing oil changes from the oil cooler lines, instead of from the fragile drain plug.
I'm quoting Pat Conlon from Sept, 2012:
"Sure, put the bike on the side stand and remove the left side oil cooler line fitting at the oil pan.
A bit messy with the oil draining over the merge collector but some S100 soap and a cold water rinse and you are good to go. Add a RPM spin on filter adaptor and you're golden.
Buy a half dozen or so of the o rings for the pan fitting and replace one every fourth oil change...
Cheers"
It's my understanding that this technique works with the stock exhaust system as well.. And believe me, you are not the first to strip the oil pan hole.

[red]

Dear all. After a couple of months of getting to now my FJ, i came upon a couple of problems that I hope someone can shed a light or at least point me in the right direction, from experience.
1)I managed to lightly strip one of the threads that hold the oil level switch to the oil pan.  Therefore I would like to ask what would you sugest i do regarding the repair of this lightly striped thread ?
2) Once in a while I notice that my fuel pump does not "prime" during the 5 seconds after switching the bike on (not to be confused with turning the motor on). I have come to the conclusion that if I remove the electrical connections and re-insert them (the electrical connector nesxt to the battery) and once again switch on the bike, the pump will "prime" for the 5 seconds. Has anyone experienced this before? What doid you do to resolve it?  Thank you for all you help.
Alex

Alex,

1. You MAY be able to find a coarse-threaded bolt, in the same size, to make the repair.  Get an old chunk of cast aluminum for practice.  Drill and tap it for the existing machine screw, which would hold the oil level switch.  Then, intentionally strip out the threads.  Use a tap for the coarse-threaded (new) bolt, and re-tap the hole.  Try installing the new coarse-threaded bolt, and if you like the results, then drain the oil pan and do the same re-tapping job on the oil pan hole.  There are gasket-forming rubbery compounds (RTV and similar) available in squeeze-tubes.  Coat the threads of the new bolt with that sealant, and install the new bolt in the oil pan, JUST SNUG.  You do not want any play in the switch mount, but you are depending on the sealant, not torque on the bolt, to keep the bolt in place and to seal the hole.  If you have the choice, use the harder (professional) grades of gasket sealant rather than common RTV.

If the first option fails in your preliminary test, repeat the test with a very slightly larger diameter of bolt, drilling the hole slightly undersized, and tapping the hole to match.  Each tap has a recommended drill size, which is ALWAYS too large.  Use a smaller bit than recommended, and lubricate the tap with cutting oil.  You can get numbered drill sets, with many sizes of drill bits, where a common drill bit set has only twenty.  Note: there may be English sizes of bolts available that are somewhat larger, but not as large as the next Metric size.  These English sizes will have their own drills and tap sizes.  Once you are happy with the test results in your old casting, then you can repair the oil pan hole.  Again, use sealant on the new threads.

2. Your battery terminal bolts may be loose, or the terminals may be dirty.  Clean and tighten them, first.  If the problem continues, use "contact cleaner" on the connector near the battery (male and female), with a stiff brush.  If necessary, twist the contact blades very slightly to make the connector more reliable, but only as a last resort.  You can buy most connectors for old bikes from several specialty shops on the Internet, so don't despair if the connector has failed entirely.

Cheers,
Red

[aviationfred]

A used oil pan for $78.00 U.S.

Does ship to Australia


http://www.ebay.com/itm/FJ1200-OIL-PAN-LEGENDS-CAR-DWARF-600-RACING-DRAG-TRACK-OVAL-/251698909442?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a9a6c9102&vxp=mtr#shpCntId

Fred

[Earl Svorks]

Hey Alex, I hate when that happens!  Stripped threads are always a pain, however, all is not lost. The bolt holes for the oil level sensor are "blind" as I recall. Too shallow to take a Heli Coil tap.If you can lay hands on a cap screw or an Allen bolt a half inch long, of ,250
(quarter inch) diameter in 20 TPI, (known here as 1/4 UNC, not sure as to availability in your neck of the woods.) It will be just a little bigger than the M6 bolt . Be carefull but it can be coaxed in. Another way, in a light application such as this. You can take a short bit of "Mechanic's wire", same length as bolt hole depth. Stuff it up the hole with just enough grease to hold it in, then run the M6 bolt in to about 70 inch pounds and yer happnin!
Crude but effective.
Good luck ,, Simon