Hello everyone! I'm curious of an aluminum crush washer will work properly on a 97 Sierra oil drain plug with the Vortec 350? It normally uses a rubber O-ring on the drain plug. I purchased a Votex brand USA made stainless steel magnetic plug for the truck and it came with the aluminum crush washer. All aluminum crush washers I have seen in the past were with aluminum oil pans. My 97 Sierra has a steel pan that is slightly rounded. Does anyone know if the aluminum washer will work or do I need to get a rubber gasket for the aftermarket drain plug? Many thanks!
metal crush washer vs rubber gasket for 1997 GMC Sierra oil drain plug?
- Thread starter Chris B.
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I can answer only indirectly but I use a new aluminum crush washer every time on the steel pans of my Prius and Camry and they seal fine. Your concern should be with the geometry only within the crush zone which can be hard to analyze. Maybe you could do a "chalk transfer" test.
Get a compound rubber/metal washer that is reusable. You wont have to search around for a new one every time you do an oil change.
^^ In short...those are the best.
My DDs for >20 years take aluminum crush washers and they're trouble free too
The Saabs all had copper washers....also with no probs.
But those rubber/metal ones last and last.
Heck, even the "old fashioned" flat nylon(?) washered Ford ones wear out.
My Ranger had one of those and you could see various colors of sealant smeared about over the PO's years of maintenance.
I ceased the opportunity to install a Fumoto...I had wanted to do that for a while.
The Ranger's engine was the first where the Fumoto didn't reduce ground clearance.
My DDs for >20 years take aluminum crush washers and they're trouble free too
The Saabs all had copper washers....also with no probs.
But those rubber/metal ones last and last.
Heck, even the "old fashioned" flat nylon(?) washered Ford ones wear out.
My Ranger had one of those and you could see various colors of sealant smeared about over the PO's years of maintenance.
I ceased the opportunity to install a Fumoto...I had wanted to do that for a while.
The Ranger's engine was the first where the Fumoto didn't reduce ground clearance.
FWIW I use a nylon washer with concentric ribs on a old steel pan on a 73 Maverick. Works fine and no drips. Available on Amazon.
I bought a kit of aluminum and a kit of copper washers, various sizes from our Asian friends. They were cheap and I have a couple lifetimes worth of supplies now. Don't leak and I have replaced plenty of hybrid steel/aluminum/plastic- rubber seal hybrids over the years.
If we're thinking of the same thing, those plastic ones are brittle and have to break.
These are my favorite!! I have used these to replace crush gaskets, copper gaskets, aluminum gaskets.. I was in the lube industry for years.. These work great!! Unless you have, the rubber insert on your drain plug, then just replace the rubber insert..Get a compound rubber/metal washer that is reusable. You wont have to search around for a new one every time you do an oil change.
Ok thanks guys! I only have the aluminum crush washer and I have to fill it right now so I'll try it and torque to spec and see how it seats and seals. Then I'll buy some of these different kinds mentioned above to try out. I'll update and let you all know how the aluminum washer works out on this truck.
Yup, those are the ones I tried years ago. It was as if they were designed to break.
Glad they work for you.
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Copper, it lasts a long time. Likely 5 years or more worth of OC.
I used this style on a 94 Cavalier for almost 10 years with no issues. I just put a new one on at every oil change and they never broke or leaked. I eventually just bought a new drain plug from the dealer that had the rubber built in.
I just bought a 24 pack for my Corolla for $5.99 on Amazon. They're a fiber, rubber, with what looks like metal, too. Anyway, look similar to the ones I've gotten from the dealer. Should be enough for the life of the car (should get it to around 250-300k if I don't forget where I put them).
In other words, they're cheap if you eBay or Amazon various styles. They seemed to have copper, aluminum, and this mish mash of materials that said they'd fit my car. I just knew the size of the bolt to fit.
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