Crush washers need to be re-torqued

Granted the only crush washers I'm familiar with are those used building rifles, but retightening/torqueing is a major no go with those.

One and done, can't retighten or re-time them once they're used. Pretty sure these would be the same way.

 

The easy answer is to reuse your old one. Pre-crushed and still doesn't leak.

30ft-lb is wayy too much on those threads.

 

I have torqued the OEM washers, backed off about a half a turn & re-torqued to be sure I had it right, as sometimes there’s too much going on there and senior moment can occur at an early age.

I don’t recommend re-torquing, but nothing has happened nor do I anticipate any issues, but always run engine and check for leaks.

 

Yeah. Checking for leaks is smart. I've reused crush washers of all kinds and have only had a minor problem once. If folks crank them down way beyond the torque spec and score them to hell, then it is best to replace them.

 

I don’t torque every bolt.
And it doesn’t take much to change the tension on the bolt. There is a K factor in bolt torque. The oils of your hand alone can change the factor.

The torque settings can be different for the same bolt under different conditions.

Do I use a Torque wrench?
Sure, when I think it’s necessary.
Or the fastener is torque critical.


But always? No.

 

certain torque wrenches can be calibrated.

there are places with wall testers to check if they’re out. I believe tool trucks like snap on have them, and even possibly Costco know to check the performance of their own tq wrenches in the tire center that get a high amount of use.

 

The technical term is witness mark or torque stripe.

 

Here’s a few of the tools I used before retirement. Lower left I’m holding a neat little wrench that measures inch pounds. Using thumb and forefinger I can twist 3 in lbs
The black wrench is 1940s Snap On and it works. The others all garden variety Snap On or Proto.
We had on-site standards laboratory handling all types of precision measuring equipment. The yellow stickers are certification labels from lab. Some time in the 1990s we had to take all personal measuring tools home because guys were lax on maintaining certification up to date. Lazy fukin mechanics

 

Only if it’s written in a technical manual with a technical definition written by a technical author who went to school for technical writing.

 

I would recommend aliexpress and alibaba

 

Wish is where it's at.

All jokes aside I've bought a few good things from Aliexpress.... But you have to be careful. I'd never buy car parts from them.

 

The Feel Of My Hand Is Better Than A Torque Wrench

 

Double click & buy OEM washers from the dealer. They're cheap or they give them free with an oil filter.
They can be used a few times if done properly. I never use a torque wrench. You get a feel for it with a simple ratchet.

 

ive stuck with the OEM gaskets bought from both dealer or online somewhere and they give a nice feel when tightened. Actual OEM is key. Ive bought aftermarket that looked oem and some aftermarket that claimed to be oem and some give very easily, giving an almost stripped feeling until it is compressed to almost nothing. I discarded those for other uses that may come up.
Any oem gasket i used has never even given me the look that they may loosen, and usually take a little oomph to undo, even when torqued correctly. I think i use 27 ft lbs, ish

 

I get the crush washer for free from my dealer when I buy the oil and filter through them, laugh at me If you want but I still use a torque wrench when doing my oil changes or any of my co-workers.

 

Lol hahahahahah

 

To those saying 30 ft-lbf seems too high are wrong, it is indeed the spec from Toyota. It's really low for an

$13 M12x1.25 mm Self-Locking Nylon Insert Hex Lock Nuts, Pack of 6

M12x1.25 thread, less than class 4T.

The original gaskets are indeed composite coated aluminum. Toyota uses steel, uncoated aluminum, and coated aluminum gaskets in various locations on the truck, depending on where it's used.

My guess is that the coating on the aftermarket gaskets experiences more relaxation creep than the originals. Either because it's a different material or because it's thicker. Either way, if I was going to keep using them you can either tighten them a bit more so that they're still tight after relaxing, or torque them after some time/heat cycling. I'd probably just get Toyota gaskets, haha.

If you're interested in gaskets without the coating, order 90430-12008. If you want just composite gaskets, order 90430-12028. If you want rubber gaskets, order 90430-12245. If you want copper gaskets, order 90430-12110.

What repair manuals don't typically list is the tolerance on the given torque value. When you're looking at an engineering drawing or spec and it calls for 200±60 ft-lbf on one bolt and 200±5 ft-lbf on another, it's pretty clear which is more important, haha. If oil isn't leaking, your drain plug isn't falling out, and you're not stripping threads, you're achieving a desirable result.

Jeff

 

Many many decades of VWs and Audis which use a copper drain plug washer, I never had one 'loosen'.

 

So now we're factoring in the friction coefficient of the coating on the washer?



It's really not that complicated. All you have to do is squeeze the washer till it crushes a little. The less you squeeze it, the more uses you can get out of it

 

I use the ones from the dealer every time and torque to spec each time. Each time I do, I must re-torque because they come loose, each time.
With my VW and the copper crush washers, they never do.