Question regarding changing my oil

I use a hose on the filter drain nipple and have a fumoto valve(low-pro so I don’t bother with the hose, although I do have it) and just put my oil storage container underneath and open up the valve. Makes it really easy to do both. Filter wrenches are like $5 from harbor freight also. There is an oil change guide for 2nd gens somewhere on here that has he correct hose size for the filter drain nipple

 

You don't need a torque wrench, you don't need new gaskets, and you DO NOT WANT a drain valve.

I've never actually met ANYONE who has EVER changed out the copper gasket. You can reuse them a thousand times.

Drain valves are a cute idea, but they are an additional and unnecessary point of potential failure that is placed on the MOST critical seal on the entire engine. Smack it wrong when you run over a box of water bottles that fell off a truck on the highway and you get to say goodbye to your engine. The steel drain bolt WILL NEVER let go by being hit by road debris.


I find that typically, the engine's heat cycles will cause the oil drain bolt to tighten itself onto the engine, making it take a lot more torque to remove than to put on. Either use a long breaker bar to loosen it, or a piece of pipe over the end of your ratchet handle to give yourself some more leverage.

 

You can get a few crushes out of the drain plug gasket but when they get too thin you end up having to over tighten the drain plug to get it to seal. Thats when you risk damaging the oil pan threads. Fresh drain plug gaskets protect oil pan threads.

Also if you need a breaker bar to get your drain plug loose you should not be touching anyones car ever, including your own

 

If you're tightening it so tight that you can't make the copper gasket last the life of the vehicle, then you shouldn't touch anyone's car ever.

You apparently didn't read, and don't have any concept of how heat impacts size, so I'll let that slide.

 

I used to think the same thing until I did some research. A lot of us in the car scene run the drain valves and I was against it for the longest time, especially on lowered vehicles. But then I started doing some research and found oil pans are more likely to get dented than the drain ripping out. It’s not really an issue

 

Ever worked in a repair shop?

Umm .. not sure how "heat cycles" will make a bolt turn clockwise and get tighter on its own.

In the effort of avoiding an arguement, what I'm saying is that if you replace the washer every now and then you'd be protecting the health of the threads and you wouldnt need a breaker bar to loosen the bolt.

 

Oh, another thing. Here’s pics of my truck, with one of those “cute” valves on it. It’s tucked up. Skid plate and cross member are protecting it. The oil filter is more exposed/lower than the valve.

 

They don’t but metal heating up and cooling down at different rates can cause a need for higher torque on removal

 

Which is why I’d recommend spending the extra $0.93 on your oil change to just replace the crush washer every time.

 

Yea I just reread that 96cardboard dude’s post....it’s full of factually incorrect information, OP. You should ALWAYS change crush washers; they’re a one time use.

 

The pan and the plug are made out the same material right? So they will heat and cool /expand and contract at the same rate right?

Consider another theory.. that is much more simple. When you put the plug back in, the threads and washer are lubricated by the oil that drained out so its easy to spin and torque down (to whatever "torque" you're aiming for). The next time you remove the plug the threads are not as slippery because the oil that was in there is kinda baked.. so it takes more effort to break it free

 

In this truck, yeah. My play car is steel bolt into aluminum pan, which tends to bind a bit. And you’re right about the lube...same concept as Teflon tape on threaded pipes. However, I’m pretty sure you’re still going to have a different rate of heat transfer due to the pain being one larger piece of metal and the bolt one smaller piece of metal

 

All the more reason to replace the little washer from time to time. Those aluminum pans will bite you in the ass

 

Oh, I’m not the dude who said not too

I always replace whenever I change my oil

 

That's what I do. Tight and then a little bit more. Simple. No need to over think it.

 

Just use German torque spec: Gutenteit.

 

No. Feel free to spend money you don't have to, but they will always last the life of the engine unless you seriously overtighten them.

 

Hand tight with a wrench is all you need,never use a Torque wrench on the drain plug.

 

No torque wrench, hand tight. Overtighten it and you'll strip it out and then you have another whole set of problems. Skip the fancy crush washers and purchase a tube of Permatex #2 Form-a-Gasket from the auto parts store. I've used this for years without a drip ever. Just dab some on the threads of the oil pan bolt and you're done. It never hardens and you can wire brush off the old stuff at each oil change if you want. Get a short piece of tubing (fuel line works) to connect to the drain nipple at the oil filter and run the tube to a point below the skid plate and drain the filter oil to your drain pan. Stick a bolt in the end of the tube when you're done. Hands down, the Tacoma is the easiest vehicle ever on which to do an oil change.

 

Its their truck,so they can do as they want,crush washers are cheap.