Beware || oil drain plug washer (when changing your oil)
 

Not sure if anyone else has had this issue, but it's worth a mention.

I changed my oil drain plug to a Fumoto at the first oil change, so I didn't give this much thought. I just made sure the oil pan was clean and put on the Fumoto and called it a day...

When I cleaned the garage earlier today, I noticed my drain plug. It had the factory washer on there, glued on with the black paint used to paint the oil pan:

http://i.imgur.com/aSEHxPL.jpg

My best guess is that the oil drain bolt was assembled prior to the pan being assembled, and the oil pan was painted at the same time.

Be careful when you change your oil for the first time (or the most recent time). I didn't think to look for the washer as it usually falls into the pan I'm draining into, but now I know where it is.

If one were to accidentally stack washers in this case, it could cause your oil to leak from the pan.

-alex

Yeah....

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So we're assuming that you did not put on a new crush washer?

Note: I have no idea if the Fumoto needs it or not... I'm just a chump that randomly re-uses / buys new crush washers with a good old fashioned bolt.

Fumoto uses a fiber washer and does not use a factory crush washer.

o...k...usually all cars came like that when new..so, i am used to it. lol

Yea I actually don't know where I put my stock plug, oops

My point is, this is something that can be easily overlooked if you are changing oil on your own, or if the dealer mechanic is not careful and/or an apprentice.

Just documenting this to help others.

And yes, the Fumoto comes with its own washer.

-alex

Sidenote: this was not an issue on my 2005 Camry, nor on the 2002 ES300. All my other ~15+ cars were all purchased used.

You've never purchased a new Subaru then.

I also used a Fumoto but thanks OP for the info.

Thanks for the tip. Did my first oil change today and I might have overlooked the stuck crush washer if I hadn't seen this thread.

The dealership where I bought my car (wasn't a toyota / subaru place) re-used the crush washer when they changed the oil and a week or two after driving it home I noticed that there was a small leak from the drain plug and had to drain the oil again and replace the crush washer to fix it


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I broke the oem oil bolt on the 3rd oil change so hello Fumoto. 18+ oil changes later and it's still not leaking. No more dropping the bolt into the oil either

Saw this issue with my first non dealer oil change. Fiber washers like to stick to the pan. Metal crush washers usually come off with the bolt. I always us something plastic to knock the fiber ones off the pan. Don't want any metal scrapping on that surface.
Had an 87 chevette once. Just replaced a blown motor and had filled her with new oil. Got underneath, figured I'd snug the drain bolt a little more. SNAP. Broke the bolt clean out of the pan. Torque wrenches are my friends, at work and at home.

Ok, please explain how on earth you break an oil plug?

stripped bolt head
 

stripped the bolt head... That's broken enough for me. ...granted, I wasn't wearing rubber gloves so that was probably the real issue




I thought I knew how to fix cars until I learned about finer things called torque wrenches. After rotating the tires on my (then) '87 MR2, I tested the grip by driving ...mph down a freeway only to have 3 bolts snap off all at the same time. The one bolt that hung on saved my life. Torque wrenches are the beginning of tools you'll need if you repair your vehicle yourself. Agreed.

Didn't break mine, but I did replace it. It started to get rounded off and had the painted crush washer corroded on causing leaks even with a fresh one stacked on, so $2 later at Subaru I got a new one. When I bought a fresh oil pan from Toyota, it came with a drain plug bolt... and a painted on washer :iono:.

:rolleyes: - :D

Maybe some of these folks are using a HD impact wrench - set on HI.

:iono:

Or plyers. I would think you would strip all the threads in the oil pan before you rounded the head? I guess if there is a will, there's a way.

OR ........ :iono:

Well, it is a "plug" is it not?! - :confused0068:

Reminded me of this old meme...

I use my teeth


https://i.ibb.co/3dgrhn2/I-use-my-teeth.jpg

Kinky
;)

No more bolt
No more drop
No more oily fingers
Just easy peasy...

https://i.ibb.co/gdCCjHY/Fumoto-Valve.jpg

Nothing against fumoto, but never had an issue with an oil pan bolt on numerous cars and 100s of oil changes.

With a fumoto valve you are at risk of a gang of anarchists that go around with a special tool opening fumoto valves on parked cars, just because.

lol ok, cause my car totally looks like it has one on there.

This is as crackpot crazy as the people who think someone will hand out drugs on Halloween [emoji1787]

Those of us with a '22 won't worry about it. It has a cover over the drain.

:tweetz:

um, so who's to stop anyone with a Gator Grip socket running around a parking lot and doing it to every other standard drain plug?

https://images.thdstatic.com/product...20a-64_600.jpg

Only special tool needed with the FuMoto is a low deck height trolley jack.
That'd be a bit noisy and conspicuous.

Don't park with one side up on the curb?

I just got done with my 3rd time replacing the drain plug after the first oil change and thanks to this thread I finally found the right crush washer and don’t want to go through the process again. I purchased a box of 10 the

Dorman 095-159 Engine Oil Drain Plug Gasket for Select Scion / Subaru / Toyota Models, 10 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IWLKK1S...ing=UTF8&psc=1

We put in fresh 20 weight Mobile 1 the first time on the change and left out the gasket I didn’t see. The second time I used a copper crush washer and still got a drip. I didn’t like how dirty it was so we added the fresh 5 quart jug of the same oil this morning with the right gasket. Ran the engine for a minute and checked the dipstick, it was a little under 1/2 quart low so we added another 1/2 quart.

After it sits for 1/2 hour or so now it’s about 1/4 quart too high. I don’t really want to go through the process again but should I ? Is there any real concern that we will blow out a front or rear seal?

Fortunately we haven’t detected any oil loss even though we see the slow oil leaks on the front timing cover so I’m anticipating that it will remain this high if I leave it until the next oil change. Looking for advice or similar experience?

i don't normally worry about being a 1/2 quart high. worst case, it's a little high on startup, but once it fills all the galley's and valvetrain, it easily takes that up.

Thank you for your prompt reply. After I wrote this while waiting I checked on the internet and once the word siphon was mentioned I got out some vacuum lines and adapted them to the gear oil pump, tried the method on the old oil to also get rid of the residual gear oil. I actually pulled closer to 1/2 quart from the sump.

So right after shutting down the engine the engine keeps about 1/2 quart or more above the sump level. I’m glad to read this reply, it makes us feel better that we probably haven’t harmed anything �� thank you