Middle and Final Drive Fill Bolts

[Smash]

Making some serious progress on the XJ....

Carbs are rebuilt (rehoned, new jets for altitude, etc) and back in. Need to get some inline fuel filters, cause holy cow that gas in the tank was foul. We'll be cleaning and resealing the tank this winter. I'm looking at re-routing the fuel lines, but I don't think I'll mess with it til winter.

Anyways, point of thread:

The fill bolts for the middle and final drive are in terrible shape. I swear, someone took a standard allen and stripped almost every bolt on this dang bike that takes an allen. Which, I'm discovering, is a LOT of bolts!

Anybody been able to successfully find a replacement for these bolts? I was thinking of taking one over to ACE and seeing what they have.

[DGXSER]

You can get new ones from your local yammarobbers. I think I paid $8 for one.

[CatatonicBug]

They are regular 14mm metric oil pan bolts (same as a spark plug). Autozone has them, as does just about any auto parts store. The one for the final drive is a little picky, since you can't use one with a large flange, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. This is what the fill bolt looks like in my final drive:

[fredintoon]

Hi Smash,
almost everybody's fill plugs have cratered out hexagonal sockets because the effin' stylists put them in where you can't push straight down on them to get them loose.
Once you get yours out you can braze nuts on top or buy the 'Bug's oil pan plugs or I did see on this list that the units' hexagon headed drain plugs would fit there too.

[Smash]

They are regular 14mm metric oil pan bolts (same as a spark plug). Autozone has them, as does just about any auto parts store. The one for the final drive is a little picky, since you can't use one with a large flange, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. This is what the fill bolt looks like in my final drive:

Oh hey ok thanks! Autozone is next door, I'll pop over there this afternoon and take a look.

Man, getting that rear one out was one heck of a butt pucker. Need to pick up a different allen to get the middle one out, but I'm expecting the same level on anxiety!

[fredintoon]

- - - Man, getting that rear one out was one heck of a butt pucker. Need to pick up a different allen to get the middle one out, but I'm expecting the same level on anxiety!

Hi Smash,
what I finally did to get those plugs out was to carefully file two flats on the plugs' edges to fit an open ended wrench.
BTW, they'll come out easier next time if you put red fiber washers under them.

[CatatonicBug]

If you take a chisel and hammer, you can sink the chisel into the top of the middle drive fill bolt, and whack it with the hammer. One good whack is usually enough to break it loose. Of course, it puts a notch in the bold head, but you probably want to replace it with a hex head bolt anyway.

[MrOzz]

You can get the bolts at bikebandit.com I did awhile back. sorry I dont remember how much they were.

[Smash]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Definitely hoping to find a local source for these, as shipping usually kills the deal on anything this small.

[CaptonZap]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Definitely hoping to find a local source for these, as shipping usually kills the deal on anything this small.

Triple A Metric, (AAA Metric) has most metric bolts. The owner is sympathetic to bikes owners, so no hassle telling them what it is for.
They are between 1st and Ellsworth on Lipan.
Check the yellow pages.
CZ

[skids]

Nylon washers work well with the fill plugs. Thy never get stuck.