XS400 oil change problem

Hi,
I'm learning tons just reading the forums here; you guys are great. I feel kinda silly asking this fairly basic question but please bear with me.

I know my (new to me) '82 XS400 Maxim needs an oil change, and today I intended to do it.

Up till now I thought I was confused or stupid because I couldn't locate the oil drain bolt, but it was daylight today and I realized the problem -- it's lost under a mound of epoxy! I knew the bike had taken some spills but no one noticed this... and I already bought a new magnetic oil plug bolt too

The oil filter cap bolt has been ground down also, so I can't fit a big wrench on there. I got out my pipe wrench instead, but I couldn't budge it. In this pic everything looks wet because I sprayed liberally with WD40, hoping to loosen it, but no luck. (That's also what the drop on the "epoxy bolt" is.) (For a bigger pic, check my 'Maintenance' photo gallery).

In an ideal world I'd want to replace the whole... bottom third of the engine casing?! But it sounds like a lot of work and expensive. And it seems to be holding so do I really need to do it? But in the short term I need to replace the oil filter cap bolt too, which means getting it off somehow. Any suggestions?

-D.

 

There's a good-sized chunk left on there.

Get a Nut that will fit over that nub and have it WELDED on.

Remove Ignitor & Voltage Regulator during welding.

 

Great suggestion Rick, would never have thought of that myself.
OK, I'm still learning here, but "ignitor" is the TCI (transistor controlled ignitor) and the voltage regulator is a similar-sized box nearby with a big heatsink on it. Yell if I've got that wrong!
Now to find a big nut! Er, I mean, someone who can weld...
-D.

 

Yep.

"The Box" and "The Regulator"

Make sure they don't get zapped with High Energy from a Welding Arc.
In the mean-time, ...
Don't hack at it.
Give the welder all of that remnant to weld a large Hex nut to.

 

OMG, I think that rounder than mine was!!

I ut the flange away from the bolt head, then it came out with my fingers.
But I didn't have access to a welder :/

EMGO make an oil filter bolt with a MUCH larger head,
The OEM is way undersized.