Just a quick one on trying to do a oil change the sump plug has rounded the allen key whats the best way to remove it as its been put on by billy big hands
So the key has rounded? Is the hex in the sump plug okay or damaged? If it is okay then get an allen bit for your ratchet and have another go, get the bit all the way in and hold a bit of tension on the ratchet (to eliminate any free play) then smack it round with the ball of your other hand, 9/10 times this will shock it loose, make sure the bike is secure too as both your hands will be on the ratchet. A swift google says that it is a M12 x 1.5 thread so should be easily replaced if it comes to it.
Find a slightly larger imperial Allen key and tap it in or a good chisel on the edge, give it a couple of good hits to get it started, sounds like you need a new one anyway!
I have not seen specialist tools for extracting plugs with damaged allen heads, but I know that one technique sometimes used is to choose a Torx (star) bit that is a tight fit into the mangled hex socket, hammering it in if necessary, then, unless it is totally rounded, there is another chance to get enough grip and torque to undo it.
Tap a torque drive into it - one that's a little tight into the hexagon - it will come out fine and dandy
I would like to point out our posts were within a second of each other and it so nearly looked like you copied me It always, always works
:smile: I guess it's well known, but I only learned this when an independent VW mechanic told me that's what he'd done to get a bolt out of a crankshaft pulley, after I'd given up with a rounded allen socket head... and paid him to finish the job.
cheers boys only had a 30 and 40 torx bits not a 35 so butchered plug with mould grips ordered new one from ducati as every single thing ive bought has to be ordered they don't carry anything in stock?
Perhaps you should have used Metric mole (mould?) grips? I think the "order every single thing" is becoming increasingly common in the motor trade,for anything other than routine service items, because it saves on having to devote space to storage, and avoids keeping obsolete inventory. The key question is, "How long does it take to arrive?" and then the next one is usually "How much?!".
To add to the above idea of using a Torx fitting to undo damaged or rounded bolts you can also add in a screw gripping gel which helps to add more friction. An example is shown in the link below but the one I use comes in a small tube and has beads suspended in a gel. You squirt a little into the screw head and then push the bit in after it. It works very well on rounded Phillips head screws and button Allen head fixings where the Torx bit tends to not be able to enter into the head so deeply. SCREW GRAB
Had the same problem last summer idiot done it up to tight Chisel a nice groove in it mine was locked solid but it went in the end bought a new bolt of eBay not Allen key spanner for me in future
