Drain plug change intervals

[Stewie]

So I have heard both side of the story that some people say to change the drain plug/bolt along with gasket every OCI but is it really necessary?

Some say they never changed it, some gasket only and others plug and gasker.

What are your thoughts? My stealership charged me $6 for 1 drain plug w/ gasket

 

[crazyoildude]

we rebuild engines all day long and never change a drain plug unless there is problems which there are not usually and if there are sometimes we replace the pan

 

[mclasser]

>Changing the drain plug every OCI

 

[AKhan87]

i got originals on all my cars, easily 1.5 million miles if I combine all the cars in the family that I maintain, why in the world would you replace it if it's not leaking?

have you changed your rear main seal, just because it hasn't been changed for a while or ever? and why not? because it's hard to get to?

just because something is easily accessible doesn't mean it needs replacing when its functioning perfectly.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
So I have heard ... that some people say to change the drain plug/bolt along with gasket every OCI

Shenanigans. No, you haven't.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: Stewie
So I have heard ... that some people say to change the drain plug/bolt along with gasket every OCI

Shenanigans. No, you haven't.


drain plug gasket AKA crush washer

 

[901Memphis]

The drain plug shouldn't need to be changed unless stripped or damaged.

 

[slowdime]

I've only ever changed it if the head is close to rounded off.
Gasket only gets changed if it leaks, and I've never had one leak yet.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: Stewie
So I have heard ... that some people say to change the drain plug/bolt along with gasket every OCI

Shenanigans. No, you haven't.


There are some vehicles out there that have the one time use
crush washer locked onto the drain plug...which theoretically makes the drain plug a one time use item. The thought being that
a fresh set of plug threads will be less likely to strip or fail from the gorillas that over tighten them dozens of times like on traditional drain plugs you keep re using with a new washer, many of you know that these oil change jockeys almost never use a new crush washer.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: Stewie
So I have heard ... that some people say to change the drain plug/bolt along with gasket every OCI

Shenanigans. No, you haven't.


There are some vehicles out there that have the one time use
crush washer locked onto the drain plug...which theoretically makes the drain plug a one time use item. The thought being that
a fresh set of plug threads will be less likely to strip or fail from the gorillas that over tighten them dozens of times like on traditional drain plugs you keep re using with a new washer, many of you know that these oil change jockeys almost never use a new crush washer.


Mine is not built in, could I flip it and re use it?

 

[sicko]

I changed my drain plug about a year ago because I went from a standard plug to a magnetic plug. I kept the original plug in case I ever decide to switch back to it.

Only other reasons why you'd ever change the plug would be if the old plug leaked consistently, or was rounding off making it difficult to tighten or remove.

My vehicle also has a crush ring washer with the drain plug. I usually replace it every time, though there have been times when I reused one because I didn't have a new one to put on.

 

[fdcg27]

Someone is jerking your chain.
There are drain plugs that use an elastomeric captured gasket that may not last the life of the car, but they certainly wouldn't need replacement at each OCI.
There are also the traditional drain plugs that use a crush washer.
I hardly ever replace a crush washer, much less a drain plug.
The only reason that a drain plug should ever require replacement would be through the use of worn or cheap sockets that don't fit correctly or sloppy work rounding the plug off.

 

[KrisZ]

I don't change the plug or the washer unless they leak, but we have plenty of members that change them rigorously. At the end of the day it makes zero difference to the car.

 

[earlyre]

the vibe in my sig uses a crush washer, and i change that for a new one each OC, sometimes i may need a knife to pry the old one loose from the head, but i've never replaced the whole plug bolt on that car.

I replaced the one on my old neon, b/c it was rounding off from me using the wrong size at first(didn't realize it was metric)/the jockeys at my previous OC place gorilla-ing it on.

and my last OC on my sable(only the second one i've done on it)I replaced the plug with a Fumoto, so i don't have to worry about any of that again.

 

[Boss302fan]

I can not tell you the amount of times I used to have my oil changes done at the dealer and they did not use a crush washer... I took my Lexus in last year and noticed that they did not use a washer. It did not leak but it drives me crazy that even a Lexus service department sucks....

 

[Gito]

Fumoto valve, I'm telling you that you won't regret it. Won't have to worry about crush washers or cross threading your oil pan drain drain bolt opening.
http://www.qwikvalve.com

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I have had thirteen vehicles in my lifetime and never replaced on oil pan drain plug or any other drain plug. You use the proper size wrench/socket to remove drain plugs, you clean em up and replace them using a new washer. What the *%@@ could go wrong with a drain plug?

 

[Kestas]

For the 42 years I've been changing oil on cars for myself, friends, and family, I've only had to replace one drain plug. That was because it was a used car, and a quicky oil change place likely overtorqued it at one point to where it almost stripped.

 

[Stewie]

I hope I can handle not changing it

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
What the *%@@ could go wrong with a drain plug?


A gorilla at quick lubes over tightening it stripping the plug threads or WORSE stripping the oil pan threads which happens all too often.