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RL's Oil Sump Drain Plug Tool ordering thread

360K views 2K replies 777 participants last post by  Alaska GT 
#1 · (Edited)
Note: The days of getting the Super Plug are drawing to a close. I’ll be out of town for weeks at a time and unresponsive. My relocation will be toward the end of the year. Then, it is a wrap.

Current prices May 2023:

$39 each. (Current Price) Delivered in the US. Actual cost for postage increase for everywhere else. The pay pal address is RL at Lemke dot com

A little more for the rest of the world, but I must check postage cost with each order.

Add in a 3" 1/4" drive socket extension for $11.00 more. (Sorry as I just ordered more and they went up in price again. I have to add some more to cover PayPal fees, shipping to me and sales taxes I have to pay. This is intended to be a pass thru deal.)

International delivery is easy as I do it all the time.

Send a PM to me with your mailing address and I'll let the USPS software determine the postage cost.

For fast delivery, 3 to 5 business days, it gets a lot more expensive, but I can send that way too.


Above, painted crankcase oil pan, upside down.


Above is sump with plug removed.




Above is painted crankcase oil pan with Super Plug installed.
 
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#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
They are finished!!!

$17 each for welding because they were put on the lathe multiple times to adjust how the welds affected being perpendicular.

The guys that did the welding were selected by Honda to repair the frame issue for the Gold Wing. Great welders. Expensive, but having it done right is worth it.

I added a spot weld to allow a deep socket to push the plug back into the hole, and the threads to be started. If you don't want it, you can file it off.

I'll send out the 1st 5 tomorrow by Priority Mail.

Call it $24 each.

I can get the next 20 welded next week. (PayPal charges something, but I don't recall how much.)



I would like one as well. Paypal sent.
 
#15 ·
Certainly my pleasure. It seems to be a guy thing to solve problems.

If there are ANY modifications you guys think would enhance the design, please let me know.

I would have ordinarily have painted this plug, but that would be dumb inside the sump. Naked steel is best. Shouldn't rust soaked in oil.
 
#13 ·
OK, the 1st 5 are in the postal system. There are supposed to be picked-up by 1 PM.

I included the end of the hex key in case you want to cut a piece to drop into the deep 5mm socket.

The design was built around the 55mm depth from the bottom of the sump drain opening and the bottom of the tight crankcase drain plug.

The extension allows the Snap-On deep extension, which is 42mm long, to easily reach the plug extension.

This should prove to be the foolproof way to remove and reinstall the crankcase drain plug.

With hot oil draining down upon removing the crankcase drain plug, I certainly want a BIG safety margin.

I will be adding a thin length of industrial Velcro around the bottom of the Snap-On socket to give me traction on an oil covered socket. The hook side.
 
#19 ·
RL,
Hello I am new to the BMW bikes, of course I have wanted one for ever!! I am on the Pre-Sale plan. '12 1600GTL Silver arriving next week or week after. I have been reading (studding) the Ash/Castrol break-in method, I wonder to change the oil, can you just remove the oil filter and with the engine run/don't run switch turned to the "don't run"-
hit the starter for a few cycles to pump the remaining oil out? I am worried about losing the second small oil plug in the dry sump. I am familiar with american cars, some japanese bikes to a limited extent, and the german engineering (The Best In The World)
I am least familiar with.

I just thought I would ask you, and anyone with experience working on these great bikes.

Thank you for your time. Stan803
 
#28 ·
1st....Great Job!
2nd...How long is your new & improved sump plug from end of extention to last thread on the plug. In other words, Total length of new sump plug.

Thanks.:clap:
Believe it or not, I didn't measure it. The extension ended up being cut to 40mm, and slid about 5mm into the plug. Say, 45mm total length?

I measured 55mm from the bottom of the sump drain opening to the bottom of the seated crankcase plug. That would be 35mm of the extension below the bottom of the seated plug. That's should leave 20mm between the bottom of the extension and the bottom of the sump drain.

Hope it all fits.

Below is the magnetic drain plug for the sump drain.
 

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#30 ·
OK, here's the deal. The 1st 5 sent out really were rushed to production. I want to get a bit of feedback before I make the rest of them.

If there is interference between the bottom of the extension and the top of the magnet on the sump drain, it will only be a mm or two.

I may drain the new Amsoil from my bike to confirm the measurements myself.

Let me talk to GT1 to see if he can get his oil changed tomorrow before I decide on the next production. I'll prepare to drain mine tonight.

One of the key issues is the choice of deep 5mm sockets. The Snap-On has a 42mm reach. That gives a lot of flexibility. I made the extension as long as possible to accommodate shorter socket extensions.
 
#31 ·
RL, since my new bike is not in yet, (I'm told "any day") it might be a few days before I can try the new plug out. Looks to me like the only possible mod would be to possible cut the bottom of the hex going into the plug a few mm. Easy enough to do in the field. I do plan to take the modified plug with me to my local dealer for the first fluid change. It will be interesting to get their reaction. They are pretty open minded.
 
#32 ·
A bit of grinding or filing at most. This one started with a 40mm hex key, inserted 5.5mm into the new plug. (I just measured the new ones.) That left 34.5mm.

I will have them make one today with a 35mm hex key. I know the extra long Snap-On socket will reach it. I worry about any other socket though.

If the new Snap-On socket arrives today, I'll drain my oil. If tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow.

Here is the program for today's welding.
 
#37 ·
RL:

I received the Drain Plug Tool, Thank you very much. I am going to recommend you for the "BMW 1600 Delivery Manager" position. Anyone that can invent, design, produce and ship in about a week deserves a promotion. No one at BMW seems to know how to manage delivery schedules so I thought they could use someone who knows how to "git her done":k16: PS: If I only had a bike, I could try your drain plug tool.
 
#38 ·
I'm going to remake the 1st 5 and send them out. The shaft length needs to be 20mm.

All the modified crankcase plugs will now be made and sent out.

I'm getting some nuts to protect the threads during the welding process.
 
#39 ·
RL, may I order one and pick it up locally? Could pay you in cash and avoid the PayPal fees on your end.

Since I want the generation II K16GT I haven't even ordered my bike yet! I'm just a tool junkie and would like to have one in my possession.

No hurry at all. Would prefer to wait until you've made all the various tweaks.

As the other guys have said, really appreciate you PMing this from design to shipping. Most impressive. :clap:
 
#41 ·
OK, 25 plugs are at the welder. They say they will have them completed by tomorrow AM.

I included some nuts to protect the threads while they weld and turn in the lathe.

The 1st 5 will be replaced when they all go out tomorrow.

I drained the Amsoil from my bike this morning at 4. Still 95 in the garage.:mad:

Even though it is much easier to drain cold oil, there was great concern about losing the crankcase drain plug from the top of the 5mm hex key.

I'm anxious to be able to use this modified plug myself.

Bottom line is that everyone should have the latest model of plug by Friday or Saturday. Priority Mail to your door.
 
#43 ·
The idea started when I watched the dealership change my oil. Then when I changed my oil myself, 3 times now, the fear of losing the crankcase drain plug off the tip of the 5mm hex key, with hot oil covering my hand, in the tight confines of this low-to-the-ground bike, caused me to think of numerous ideas to solve the perceived problem.

As you can see from the oil change thread, I have struggled with lots of ideas. Most just wouldn't work because of the configuration of the base of the crankcase, and sub-15mm opening in the sump.

The extension seemed to be the only solution to provide a more secure way to grab the crankcase drain plug. A deep socket provides much more of a secure attachment than balancing the plug on the top of a hex key.

The biggest issue was the right length of the extension. Second was finding a qualified welder, as the extension must be perfectly perpendicular to be centered in the sump opening. Next was finding the right parts.

It was a real pleasure to find that the local office of Metric & Multi-Standard carried the plugs and had a great deal on hex keys. My price, I learned today, was below their already low retail.

Sadly, the single biggest cost turned-out to be the TIG welding, at $17 each. The multiple trips to verify the extension takes time. They only charge $60/hour, so that is very fair. It just takes time to do it right.

My mistake was in rushing the first 5 to market before I had everything in hand. The length at 40mm is too long, as the sump magnetic plug is so darn tall.

Cutting the hex keys 1" long (25mm) should give about 4mm clearance between the two plugs.

Because of this mistake with the 5, and all the extra expensive hex keys I purchased before I learned Metric carried them, this has been a loser project. My hope was to break even. Although, this learning experience has been worth much more than it has cost me. The enjoyment in solving a problem has been good too.

If I make more of these plugs, the price will be $10 more.

Some forum members here were kind enough to send a bit more that what I asked for. That helped.
 
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