Seized Drain Plug

So I'm going to flush and swap my coolant but the drain plug on the side of my radiator is seized. It was too tight for the 4mm Allen Key, so it rounded off the inside of the bolt head, and then using a left hand threading easy-out it snapped off the tip inside the 4mm hole. Now there is a hardened steel easy-out stuck inside the bolt head. Any ideas? Heat?

if the screw's head is still there I would take a Dremmel and grind a very thin slot into it. Then trying to extract it with a flat screw driver. Heating before might help. Afterwards spray WD40 onto it and let it soak in.

It looks like that drain is over half way up on the radiator anyway. so If it were me I'd try to get the radiator fixed myself or take it off take it to a radiator shop have them replace the bolt or permanently seal it and buy a liquid suction machine . and plan on sucking it out from the top and lower - flush and repeat. It appears there is no drain on the water pump housing like my R6 - so this is all I can come up with .




I have one of these and use it for oil changes on several of my toys , I'd be using it for track prep if my Pani was my track bike.


otherwise you'll have to pull a radiator Hose somewhere low

if there's enough grip on the bolt, usually a good pair of vice grips will usually get it , otherwise just unplug the lower coolant hose to drain all the coolant out.

I used a dremel and knocked out the easy-out and then made a groove for a chisel and a few taps with the hammer and a crescent and it came right out. I had that idea before but was worried about breaking the head off. I'm replacing this screw with a stainless bolt, 5-6mm head and maybe a copper washer.

Glad you got it out. Another good one that I have used many a time in the aviation industry on small rounded off nuts and bolts, providing you have access (before getting out the ezyouts as they normally snap) are locking wire pliers (safety wire pliers in other languages). Using the hole that you normally crush the pig tail down with, put this around the offending item and squeeze whilst turning. Never failed me yet!

as a rule of thumb, bolts that going to into heated parts, i use anti-seize. and any bolts that goings into the frame, i use grease.

I have some anti-seize left over from my Akrapovic exhaust but it says on the tube that it is for use on the titanium components, not sure if it will be ok on stainless/aluminum. Side note; my distilled + hy-per lube super coolant mixture of coolant that once was a light green (due to the additive being green) was pretty orange when I drained it, almost scummy.... This mixture has been in the bike for 2 years. So I flushed the system thrice with 50/50 distilled water + 5% by volume white vinegar, warming the bike to 80C each time and circulating then letting it cool to ~40C before draining and it was coming out less orange than before but still not clear. I flushed it a couple times with pure distilled water and put a little additive in it, circulated it and shut down for the night as it is almost 1am and I am out of distilled water. Any ideas why my coolant was so deteriorated? My bike only has 4015km on it, and about 2500km with that coolant mixture.