Honda crush washer leaks

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xlt4me

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Northwest Indiana, USA
I have a very slow, but annoying, leak coming from the oil pan drain plug on a 2000 CRV. I use a new crush washer each time but once in a while I get a leak even though the drain plug is plenty tight. I have a stash of crush washers that are a mixture of OEM Honda and after market ones from RockAuto. I suspect that maybe the after market ones are a harder aluminum.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there an alternative rubber or plastic washer I can use?
 
some crush washers are not solid metal washers, but instead a folded piece of metal that is a bit more form fitting when it compresses. Perhaps that would help?

MB uses copper washers. You might want to try one of those instead too.

Any autoparts store carries a wide selection of fiber, plastic, metal, etc. washers. You might just want to try a selection of them...

JMH
 
Copper sounds good. I've had cars with copper washers on the drain plug for the life of the car and no leaks.

...just have to find one that fits.
 
Yeah, I've gone through my share of OEM crush washers and OEM-style crush washers. The OEM washers were thicker and seemingly made of a little softer material, so offered much better squishability factor. Removing the OEM washers, you can clearly see the indentations due to the gaps filled by the squished washer.

Now using a Fumoto valve, so no need to worry about washers and torque ratings.
thumbsup2.gif
 
I've luckily never had that problem and I have even reused crush wahers a time or two. Why can't Honda just use a flange head drain bolt with an o-ring in it rather than the silly crush washer?
06.gif
 
Next time, use a little non hardening Permatex or silicone RTV on both sides of the gasket/washer.
The objective is no leaks.
 
Originally Posted By: xlt4me
I have a very slow, but annoying, leak coming from the oil pan drain plug on a 2000 CRV. I use a new crush washer each time but once in a while I get a leak even though the drain plug is plenty tight. I have a stash of crush washers that are a mixture of OEM Honda and after market ones from RockAuto. I suspect that maybe the after market ones are a harder aluminum.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there an alternative rubber or plastic washer I can use?


Have you check to see if you have nicks or pits on the mating surface where the crush washer meets the bolt?

With a fresh new crush washer, I simply cannot see how it would still leak unless (a) the leak is coming from elsewhere; (b)it isn't torqued properly.

Lastly, crush washer is meant to be "crushed" to conform to any irregularities that may happen on the 2 mating surfaces to create a perfect seal and if you cannot obtain such seal, something is fundamentally wrong to begin with. So, instead of focusing on half-ash job in continuing what you do in hopes of sealing, can you take the oil pan off and see if it's cracked or check to see if there's a mating surface irregularities?

Q.
 
I have checked the mating surfaces and I don't see any problem there. While I haven't used a torque wrench to tighten it, I know it is more than tight enough. I don't think there is a crack because it isn't a problem every time I change oil.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: MaximaGuy
Just don't use any washers at all. I haven't been using washers for ages, not had a leak.


That's not an option with Honda. There is no O-ring on the drain plug or any auxiliary sealing. Your only seal is with the aluminum washer mashed between the bolt head and aluminum oil pan. They are odd because like said, they are not a crimped "crush" washer per say, they are just a soft aluminum ring. I re-used mine on my 2008 Odyssey and typically get a lot of mileage out of 'crush' washers.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: Tosh
I'm with Q: I think there's seepage from above that's collecting as a drip on the drain plug.


Well the first time it happened, I looked it over, from underneath, and saw it was just coming from the drain plug. So... I tightened it a little more without going crazy and striping it. It still leaked so I got another crush washer ready and I removed the drain plug, holding back the oil in the pan with my thumb. I changed the crush washer and reinstalled the drain plug. Messy job, but it did the trick -- no more leak.
Hence my theory that all crush washers are created equal.
 
My Nissan came with a copper crush washer from the factory. I replaced it with a plastic one out of an assortment pack from the Help section of my local parts store. Several oil changes later I have had no problems.
 
Originally Posted By: xlt4me
Originally Posted By: Tosh
I'm with Q: I think there's seepage from above that's collecting as a drip on the drain plug.


Well the first time it happened, I looked it over, from underneath, and saw it was just coming from the drain plug. So... I tightened it a little more without going crazy and striping it. It still leaked so I got another crush washer ready and I removed the drain plug, holding back the oil in the pan with my thumb. I changed the crush washer and reinstalled the drain plug. Messy job, but it did the trick -- no more leak.
Hence my theory that all crush washers are created equal.

I gotcha, didn't catch that sometimes the problem goes away.

There are aftermarket drain plugs that have a molded in or captured rubber gasket. Forgot where....
 
Have you inspected the drain plug itself? Are there any nicks or uneven surfaces on the bolt collar? missing parts of the threads?


Also you might want to try and rub a piece of clay bar over the area where the drain plug seals on the oil pan. There could be something a simple as a grain of debris there that is creating a tiny path for the oil to find its way out.

Make sure for the best results to fit the OEM style washer and plug and tourqe to the mfrs specs.

I have a VW Golf (96) and I ran out of the oem copper crush washers once. I ran down to the parts store and got what looked like the proper copper washers right down to the diameter and thickness. Problem was they didn't crush enough to create a proper seal. Reinstalled a new OEM washer and viola no problems.
 
Originally Posted By: Tosh

There are aftermarket drain plugs that have a molded in or captured rubber gasket. Forgot where....


Any autoparts store should have a drain plug with the right threads that has a molded gasket.
 
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