Oil filter bolt

Hello all you KZ riders
I've got a simple question. I just got my first '76 900 and I'm trying to get all the maintenance done. So how the hell do you brake the oil filter bolt loose, it was already kinda striped so I've tried vise grips, but no luck. Can you drop the pan with the oil filter in place? Or do I need to get more aggressive. Any advise will be appreciated.

Need to provide good grip onto bolt head, Could file new flats or pound on the smallest socket possible or whatever. Might be dreaming, but also seem to recall a cinching type reverse socket (maybe Sears Craftsman??) for these situations.

Would whack the bolt head several times before attempting to twist it loose. And also heat it with a propane torch just before attempting to twist it loose. Leave heat applied long enough to transfer through the steel bolt into the aluminum female threads. Sometimes an impact driver might help if can get it into position. Or could use an air impact wrench. Otherwise, just go with a ratchet wrench.

Is it possible to grasp the bolt head shoulder with a small pipe wrench?

Good Luck!

Here'a link to the "Grip-Tite" at Sears. Be sure to scroll down to see the several similar sets.

Grip-Tite

Even with this tool, would still whack and heat just before twisting.

Good Luck!

Click this link to Z1E's > Oil Filter Bolt

Good Luck!

you will have to get the oil filter bolt out as it actually holds the oil pan in place anyway take your tank off and lay the bike on it's side you might be able to get better leverage on the bolt from the side then laying on the ground.

timebomb33 wrote:

you will have to get the oil filter bolt out as it actually holds the oil pan in place anyway take your tank off and lay the bike on it's side you might be able to get better leverage on the bolt from the side then laying on the ground.

Yes. Far more accessible with bike laid over.

Would also remove battery and drain oil (if oil drain plug can be removed), and use a couple of old car tires underneath bike when laying it over.

Might also try using a hammer and metal chisel to tap counter-clockwise against the bolt shoulder in hopes of loosening its grip.

Good Luck!

Check out this thread: tinyurl.com/dxwlto it has some ideas for getting a stripped oil filter bolt out. The Craftsman Tool and a breaker bar worked first try for me. Personally I'm to big a klutz to be whacking at anything made of cast aluminum or at anything connected to it.

Before you try putting heat to the bolt itself, I recomend actually running the bike to let it heat its self up. Heat will help to loosen the bolt but you can run the risk of warping or cracking the pan or oil filter housing if you put heat right to the bolt. Reason being is that alumimum heats up faster then steel and the bolt is steel. By the time you can get the heat you need to the threads of the bolt, you easily could overheat the alumimum around the bolt while the alumimum that is farther away from the bolt stays cold which is what will cause warping or cracking. I am an ASE cerified auto tech and this is a trick I always use. Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions, I dont always check the forums when I log in.

i had the same problem with my drain plug when i got my bike...apparently wrenches were a rarity at po s house.....i got the biggest pair of vice grips i had and adj them so i had to use two hands with everything i had to clamp them and then smoked it with a hammer....worked for me....good luck...and heating up motor will help

the hammer and chisel deal works well it sometimes can shock the part loose.

I bet a pipe wrench would work. Put it on add a pipe to it and apply slow steady force. I would do it with the bike warm...Russ

The good news is that no matter what you have to do to get the old bolt out, you'll never need to fight it again. New bolts are easy to find. Be sure to replace the large o-ring on the oil filter cover, because if these become old and flattened the cover will bind against the oil pan making if hard to loosen the bolt. In fact, you may be experiencing that now. There was a time with mine when I had to drive the cover counterclockwise using a block of wood and hammer to loosen my bolt. New o-ring fixed the problem. Ed