Leak around oil drain screw...thoughts?

There is only one oil pan. Sub assembly means "part of," so it's two pieces bolted together creating one oil pan.

 

Sorry to bump an old thread, but my situation is similar to OP. I picked up a new truck, and it appears there is a little leak at the drain plug.

Does anybody think there might be a way to replace the crush washer without draining all the oil?

I'm guessing not, but every once in awhile people have cool tricks to do things that I never would have thought of.

 

Nope, but just replace it at next oil change. Also if you have torque wrench set it to 20 ft-lb (thats below the spec) warm up the car and check if bolt is torqued to spec. Most likely is not if it is leaking any oil from there

 

x2

Never changed mine either. No leaks.

 

x3.... w/ 80k and the same washer w/ zero leaks.

 

Yeah, I figured I'd check the torque first. It leaves about a 2-inch circle of oil everywhere I park, so I don't want to wait until the next oil change to fix it.

 

The washers have been superseded by the plastic washers, and are recommended to be replaced at every oil change.

Come on they are cheap enough.

 

45k miles here, have yet to replace that stupid crush washer. I just make sure I clean everything real well and snug it up. No leaks.

 

It must have been about 15 ft-lb. I tightened it to 20, and no leaks!

 

Nope, no vacuum, and no pressure. If the oil pan was pressurized, it would push oil out of the shaft seals. That's the reason all crancases are vented.

One of the functions of the PCV valve is match the air flowing into the crancase with the air flowing out, so the crankcase is maintained very close to atmospheric pressure