Oil plug nylon washer vs crush washer

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by diyjake
Originally Posted by StevieC
I like the metal crush washers whether it is aluminum or copper. If you only tighten down to 20ft-lbs they can generally be used over and over again for a long time. It's only when you really reef on them that they are spent every 1-2 oil changes.

I used to do this all the time before I started using a Fumoto valve instead.


How do you like the Fumoto valve? I thought about using one but i'm afraid something would tap it and cause to lose oil or it is very secure?


I have been using them for over a decade now and have 9 of them in use in the family and have had only an issue with one 10 years ago that dripped occasionally and they warrantied it no questions asked. I'm a big fan of them for how easy it is to drain the oil without worrying about dropping the drain plug into the catch pan and not having to worry about crush washers ever again.

 

[diyjake]

These Fumoto valves would be sweet for getting oil samples in the middle of a OCI. Do you use the one with the short or long nipple?

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by diyjake
These Fumoto valves would be sweet for getting oil samples in the middle of a OCI. Do you use the one with the short or long nipple?

If I have room I prefer the long nipple and I buy Silcone blanking caps on E-bay to cover them to keep contaminants out of there between changes so that my UOA's are clean results. The long nipple is also nice for using a section of hose to empty the oil closer to the pan on windy days.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted by djb
Originally Posted by bubbatime
The Toyota brand crush washers are the best in the business. They are EXCELLENT. I use them on both of my motorcycles as well, as they fit perfect and they don't leak.
...
I religiously change them out at every oil change. That is the correct procedure, and I do things the correct way.


What is special about the Toyota brand ones? Are they softer, or patterned? Are they actually tin plated copper rather than aluminum?


They are soft aluminum in appearance, covered on both sides with a rubber or gasket type material. Good stuff. You FEEL them crush as you tighten them. When they crush, it feels like you just stripped the oil pan out. That's how you know that they are perfectly crushed with a good seal. No need to tighten any further. Just tighten it until it feels like the you stripped the threads (15 or 20 ft lbs or so) and you are done. The guys that reuse their crush washers for 180K miles, are insane in my opinion. Like said, a proper crush washer is what 25 cents each?

 

[StevieC]

If you didn't use a crush washer all it would cause is a slow drip here/there and you would be alerted to the mess in the driveway long before anything catastrophic happened if at all. It would take an extremely long time for you to run the engine out of oil this way. I drove all the way to Kentucky (9 hours later) with a leaking spin-on filter that was dripping much more than an oil plug would and when I got there it was only a quart low. I had done an oil change right before I left and was hurrying and thought I had tightened the filter enough but I guess I hadn't.

 

[bubbatime]

The crush washer keeps your drain plug properly torqued as well. I ha e seen drain plugs fall out.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by edwardh1
Originally Posted by bubbatime
The Toyota brand crush washers are the best in the business. ...
agree.
20 for $2.77 delivered
they have a paper or fabric like coating, ...
Authentic Toyota-branded ones? That seems too cheap, and a different material. They're plastic-coated aluminum, not paper or fabric. I bought 10 for $7 or so through Amazon, which is still way below dealer prices. I haven't needed any of those spares through 4 DIY oil changes so far, because the last one the dealer installed still functions perfectly. They can last a long time without leaking, if not abused.

 

[mobilaltima]

27 ft lbs might seem like too much, but I regularly change the oil for a friend of mine on his 2002 Tacoma. I torque the plug to the required 27 ft lbs spec, with a new toyota washer every time and I've never stripped the pan threads or had a leak.