Oil Drain Plug Crush Washers

[dishdude]

Grandma is driving a 98 Chrysler Cirrus with the V6 Mitsubishi engine. It has a crush gasket on the oil plug which I replaced last time with the Dorman/Motormite/Help! washers that you find at auto part stores (the book said it was the correct one). It developed a drip.

What can I do to guarantee that when I swap this thing out it won't leak? I hate crush washers - I have the worst luck with them. I think it has m14-1.50 threads on it...can I swap the plug for something else?

 

[Lethal1ty17]

they make nylon gaskets that look like really thin wafers that you put between the drain plug and the pan, try those, really cheap at auto parts stores for a pack of like 30.

 

[Colt45ws]

Make sure you are torquing it enough to cinch it down. If its a crush, the spec is probably like 25-30 ft-lbs.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Take the plastic coffee can lids and cut them into small circles and use that as your gasket.

 

[MrBeachcomber]

Plenty of good suggestions in this thread. Personally, I use Blue RTV Permatex silicone gasket maker/sealer on the bottom threads and flange of the oil plug itself. No leaks so far!

 

[cchase]

Usually they'll just about give you the OEM ones at a dealer. Might work better.

 

[gathermewool]

I reuse mine 2-3X. I rough up the surface with a file, clean it and flip it.

 

[mechtech2]

Some replacement plastic type washers at auto parts stores are way too soft.
They are easily over torqued, and splay out and leak. So you have to have an almost loose drain plug to make them behave!
There are nice ones with metal and rubber - you can tighten them.
Pure copper or aluminum can work well, too.

 

[The_Eric]

Go to the parts store and try to match up the thread diameter and pitch with a plug that has an o-ring under the head. Those work really well. Another suitable alternative is to find a drain plug washer with a thin rubber seal molded into it.

 

[Boatowner]

I get copper washers from the Honda dealer in Spokane, WA. I use them on my VW, wife's Odyssey, son's Civic, son's VW, son's Camry. Never saw a leak yet.

I would be nice to get them a little closer than 350 miles from home.

 

[SIXSPEED]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Make sure you are torquing it enough to cinch it down. If its a crush, the spec is probably like 25-30 ft-lbs.

That's what I do on my Honda vehicles. I use a new OEM crush washer and torque the drain plug to spec. The Odyssey has a cast aluminum pan, which requires a lower drain plug torque of 29 lb-ft. The Accord has a steel pan, which requires 32 lb-ft. The last time I changed the oil in the Odyssey, a leak developed at the plug. Found that I had to apply the 29 lb-ft torque twice; the second time the drain plug turned a little more and the leak stopped. You have to be careful with the Aluminum pans ... to much torque and you strip the threads, too little, and it leaks because the crush washer isn't clinched down enough.

I just buy like 20 washers at a time from my dealer; lasts several years.

 

[cryption]

I use the copper ones as well - but a buddy of mine don't use a washer on any vehicles he owns (4) and never has a leak.

 

[Stu_Rock]

Parker Stat-O-Seal.

Crush washers are only good for brakes. And Honda transmissions with M18 plugs---since Parker doesn't make an 18 mm Stat-O-Seal.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

At the shop I used to work for we had generic copper crush washers that had rubber fused on the inside circle. The rubber helped seal around the threads and makes them universal. Properly tightened, I never had one leak.

 

[paulo57509]

Those Stat-O-seals work great. You can get similar ones from McMaster-Carr.

GM uses (or at least they did in the '80's) a similar type of sealing washer.

 

[SIXSPEED]

Here's some detailed information on the Parker Stat-O-Seal. I might have to try these.

http://www.parker.com/literature/Literature Files/sg/literature/pdf/CSS6431.pdf

 

[Hokiefyd]

See if you can find a replacement drain plug with the integral rubber seal. Those seem to work the best for me.

 

[Donald]

NAPA sells the Oil-Tite drain plug washers that are a steel outside and a rubber inside. You can reuse them until the rubber looks beat up.

 

[KrisZ]

I still have the originall crush washer, I never touched it, it is nicely fused to the drain plug and I have no leaks at all, why mess with with a good thing

 

[SIXSPEED]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
See if you can find a replacement drain plug with the integral rubber seal. Those seem to work the best for me.

My Mustang and my Dad's GMC Envoy both come with oil drain plugs that have an integral seal. I'll have to see if the threads are the same for the Honda next time I do an oil change. The torque spec for these types of drain plugs are lower than for the crush washers ... only 19 lb-ft for both the Mustang and Envoy.