Wal Mart Blue sealant around drain plug

Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Messages
4
Location
albuquerque, nm
I purchased a used car that had the oil changes done at Wal Mart. They used some type of blue sealant around the drain plug, and I can't get the drain plug off. Anyone experience this? Thoughts on how to get it loose without breaking something?

TIA.
Rob
 
The plug was probably just over tightened, the waxy stuff they use doesn't have any clamping force. UNLESS the plug was stripped already when they changed the oil and they applied some sort of sealant to keep it from leaking, which also could be what you are seeing.

My recommendation would be to get a half inch ratchet and a six point socket (to prevent the drain plug from rounding), and start yanking away until it gives. Hopefully the oil pan threads aren't stripped.
 
Also remember, leverage is your friend. Longer ratchet = easier to loosen. However, if it takes anything longer than a standard wrench or ratchet to loosen a drain plug, be worried.
 
Be prepared to need a new plug and have to chase the threads in the oil pan. It was probably sripped and rather than tell the owner of the car, they used a lot of sealant.
 
It's even possible that they were too cautious and used medium-strength threadlocker on the drain bolt. Kinda the polar opposite of quick lube joints, eh?

It's overkill, but maybe that's what the blue stuff is.
 
All the Wal-Marts around here use that blue stuff. It's not sealant in the traditional sense, nor is it threadlocker - it's a tamper seal. They put it on so that they can tell if you or another shop messed with the drain plug after they changed the oil. I guess they found out that a lot of people were blaming them for an oil change faux pas after a little shop screwed up, since they (Wal-Mart) have bigger and deeper pockets.

As for the overtightened plug...yeah, they'll do that. Breaker bar then a chaser should do the trick. If it's really bad, you might need an oversized plug.
 
Ahhhh...the mystery is solved. That is pretty smart on Wal-Mart's part...now if they could do something about the people who return used oil in new oil bottles.
 
They did it at a car dealership here too on my car before I purchased it. I always wondered what it was, thanks for the explanation
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It didn't leak so I didn't think it was a sealant masking anything.
 
Hmm, another thought - if the tamper seal is still intact, would it be possible to take it to Wal-Mart and make them deal with it? After all, they provided the proof themselves of who is really at fault.
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they arent the only ones that use blue. and yes you can use it against them, however if they are like most other shops, an oil change is only warrentied for 90 days, if at all. espeically if you let an oil change interval go for a long time. we had someone claim that their motor froze and it was our fault since we worked on it last. it still had a perfect tamper seal from us, unfortunately the oil change was done 2 years prior.
 
Yeah, but if he has the receipt from the previous owner and goes at 12:20 while the service manager is out to lunch, maybe he could harass one of those high school lube kids into dealing with it. Admission of guilt from the lube guy and some belligerent rambling when the service manager gets back might net you some results. I doubt a calm man-to-man talk would get you anywhere at Wal-Mart; a dealership or father-son garage, maybe.
 
Lube shops tend to use a sealant or a rattle can of primer or a thick coat of paint to prevent a drain bolt from loosening off. Kind of a safe precaution measure for the inadequate experience from the kid that changes the oil.

More than likely a cheap plastic gasket was used too. They are the worst gaskets available!!! Why are they used??? CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP! Odd thing is when a drain plug falls out an engine costs alot more than a 5 cents plastic gasket.
 
I had a plastic drain washer/gasket put on by a local dealership here, and when I went to drain the oil, the plug came off simply by using my fingers, that's how loose it was. I don't know if it was because of the washer, but my oil pan was wet because of it too. -smiles happily at my stash of 60 OEM Honda drain plug washers- Much better
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I worked at a Wal-mart TLE back in college. First, Squishy is correct, it is just to tell if someone worked on it since the oil was changed. It also serves as a visual check that the plug has been tightened.

Secondly, alanu, believe it or not, but the plugs and gaskets Wal-mart got were the best quality and the closest to OEM of ANY lube shop I've seen. You'll have a hard time finding such a good selection at an auto parts store. In fact all of the auto parts store ones I've seen are generic junk. Not only that, they are the only shop that I know of that doesn't use oversize plugs(self tapping plugs that destroy your oil pan) Now that doesn't mean that some untrained employee won't use the wrong gasket on your car.

Bottom line is you will have bad service at any shop, including the dealer, so do it yourself.
 
We took my gf's Cavalier to a quick lube type place and not only did they overtighten the drain plug, they GLUED it in place as well. It took stripping the drain bolt with a pair of vice grips to get it out.
 
I don't think I have come across the "plastic" washers referred to earlier, I am assuming they are made from vinyl. Nylon washers work very well(they are the ones with a milky white colour), they deform very well and hence seal very well. Only problem I have noticed is that because they are soft and thick the drain plugs loosen up after a while, so I retorque the drain plug again a couple of weeks after I install a new nylon washer. The drain plug retains its torque after one retorquing. Of course this procedure is only practical for DIY oil changes. Fibre washers(usually red in colour) eliminate the need for a retorque but they do not seal as well as nylon.
 
George - The one that was used on my car was clear. It didn't seem to deform at all, it was really a pretty hard piece of plastic that looked very similar to those little rings on the CD spindle packs that hold the CDs in place.
 
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