Crush washers need to be re-torqued

The only bullshit is someone claiming they torque everything every time. You wouldn’t last very long in the real world as a mechanic

 

stop buying maintenance items on Amazon. or at least buy GENUINE Toyota products, that are REAL Toyota products. how hard is it? what did you save? now ask yourself that, when you have to pay to have a new engine or trans put in, due to your failure, in replacement parts sources. Ski

 

I paint-marked it though.......

 

What are the odds of that happening once let alone twice- wow!

 

likewise I paint mark everything

They couldnt afford us anyway

Literally every bolt is torqued to spec and painted from the oilpan to the valve cover.

 

Not me. I’ve got a Fumoto. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

 

Every quick-lube drain plug that I've found loose was paint marked.

 

A paint mark means absolutely nothing if you're installing a different washer than the one you paint marked.

 

I bought a torque wrench years ago; my father (a mechanic his entire life) gave me a really weird look when I whipped it out one day working on something. While there's validity in the importance of proper specs, I think its also safe to say that "most" vehicle components have a fairly large margin of error. Experience goes a long way for people who have done it their entire life, and they know without a doubt when something "feels" too loose or too tight. Its not rocket science (where I assume precise specs are a little more important). That being said, I bought a torque wrench because I was NOT experienced. I use it on every lug nut; but only after I've installed them with some ugga duggas and driven for a few days. I think for some applications, its necessary; for most, its just for peace of mind, and being a few ft/lbs off surely has less of an impact than some of these tire and suspension mods we see here daily.

 

I don’t use a torque wrench on everything, least of all the lonely oil drain plug.

I do use the torque wrench for multiple fasteners, that require a tightening sequence such as tires. I don’t have to, or need to, but the majority of vibration and shudder complaints are due to shops and their exclusive use of power impact wrenches, with excessive torque.

Moreover, there are some mistakes, confusion or miss prints on TOYOTA SM in regards to torque specifications. I remember when the leaking rear diff came out as an example and there are others so it’s always best to rely on your skills first, and verify with a machinist bolt torque chart.

This is (oil plug) critical to be sure, and you need to get it right so attention is required, but rocket science is not.

 

I've assembled several engines, too. Still don't use a torque wrench on oil drain plug.

 

Wow. Now we not only have a million oil threads, we even have oil drain crush washer threads lol

 

i would buy them from rockauto. you really never know what you are getting with Amazon. they got a 25 pack for $13.75.

 

Ya lots of people build engines. Lots of those engines fail after a few thousand miles too. The point is someone said it’s bullshit that someone says they torque every bolt every time, I simply proved that wrong.

What’s funny, google stripped oil drain plug. It’s probably the most common and most consistent bolt to be stripped across all brands, Ford, Chevy, Yamaha, Harley. It’s kinda comical.

 

one of the reviews confirms your experience:
"
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
Color: 25PcsVerified Purchase
Great price for “crush” washers. The fiber does most of the sealing, I think. Swapped out the original GM plug for a magnet plug, this fits great. The outside diameter is a little smaller than the flange on the plug but that’s ok. I used the Votex “Made in Wisconsin” plugs sold on here, flange is same size as stock GM plug, and this washer is the same size as the original rubber washer. Torqued to factory specs (25 Nm) was no leakage when first installed. Just finished a 300 mile trip, no leaks, no drips, it’s holding up! I will drill it out a little for the 1/2” plug I have.

1st pic is this crush washer over a copper one, second is copper over the OEM plug to show coverage. The aluminum washer at the bottom is what comes with the Votex plug. You can see the copper washer is a (very) tiny bit larger.

Edit: Drilling it out isn't as easy as I thought, a 1/2" bit just digs in and snags the aluminum, so I started with a 15/32" bit and reamed it while holding it cupped in my fingers. Use the 1/2" bit to determine the finished size. A 31/64" bit is a snug fit in the original hole, but my 15/32" bit worked better, i think it was sharper.

Edit 8/23/22: I just did an oil change on the second vehicle, and the drain plug was loose! I could take it off by hand!! Both vehicles had this issue, I thought the first one might be a fluke, but the second confirms the issue. I tightened both to factory specs with torque wrench 25 n/m (18ft/lb). There is some kind of brown fiber pieces around the edge of the gasket, both had that. It wasn't leaking, and I'm amazed it had't fallen out. The one vehicle went 5,700 miles, the other 3000. I am using the Votex Stainless Steel Plug with this, so not sure if this is a gasket issue, or a plug issue, but I would assume the gasket.

I reused the plug with a new gasket, this time torquing to 40n/m (30ft/lbs). I think I felt the gasket crush, so hopefully it stays tight. I will check back in next oil change which will be in November.

Edit 10/12/22: After torquing one new gasket to 40N/M it was loose again after only 15miles. The plug was hand tight. The other vehicle I torqued tighter also was loose. Apparently these do not have enough friction to keep the plug from loosening. See the two pics I added, the glue that holds the fiber onto the aluminum melts with heat, the fiber wafer easily peels off of the surface. Maybe the glue has failed and allows the plug to turn, I can't verify the cause, but I do know that the plug loosens up after a very short time. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT.
"

and another:

"
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2022

$8 UTSAUTO Oil Drain Plug Gaskets Crush Washers Seals Rings Part # 90430-12031 for Prius Tundra Sienna Highlander Scion Corolla Rav4（12mm 25 Pack

Color: 25PcsVerified Purchase
Bought these several times, and they seemed to work great until one day one of my customer’s car came back on a tow truck. What happened was the plastic got softened, thinner and drain plug got loose. Every time my customers came back for an oil change, we replaced drain plug gasket with a new aluminum. washer. NEVER BUY THIS AGAIN!"

 

I think everyone has their own take on what is right or wrong for tightness of a drain plug. To discount a veteran technician on weather he/she uses a torque wrench on a drain plug is ridiculous. When I assemble a engine everything gets torqued. When I am changing oil for the millionth time I generally know what it should feel like when it is tight. I now work in aerospace where everything is not only torqued but also witnessed. You want to talk torque specifics?

 

I will keep my eye on it. Hopefully the second torqueing I did on it will not have to be repeated. Or I will have to drain the oil and put an aluminum crush washer on. And then put the drained oil back into the engine. I'm not tossing motor oil with less that a couple hundred miles on it.

I do not think I'll use these again for the next oil change.

 

Yeah, most of the stripped plugs are done at the quick lube places, where only speed matters.

The poor owner gets most of the blame after he decides to DIY because the oil was over/under filled and the filter was tightened by King Kong lol!

 

I would agree that it's not BS to torque everything, I'd just say to each his own.

To make your point for you, I repaired several other technicians mistakes in this area...whether it be drain pan plugs or over-tightened lug nuts. Some people don't have "it" upstairs.

 

Or you could use new oil and call it an engine flush, and call it a day