Another oil filter washer question

Hmmm...

US $ 1.00/ea - who wants to find out ?

H.

Hi,

At one time I had some nylon washers, sold specifically for oil pan plugs. IIRC, they leaked rather readily. I bought solid copper washers some time ago, based on experience with other cars before my Subie. They work well, and for quite a few oil changes. I personally would NOT try garden hose washers or others not specifically designed for hot oil. As another poster put it, why tempt fate and risk an engine for a buck?

Rick

No, garden washers won't make the oil pan any hotter than usual. (Sorry - I couldn't resist it!) Yes, they probably will leak. Solid ones can probably be reused if you don't overtorque them and they're pretty cheap anyway. BTW,the sump plug on its own with no gasket often doesn't leak as long as nobody's put the thing back in with a rattle gun earlier in the car's life. Just a thought.

NEVER use a rubber washer on a crankcase drain pan. They deform under pressure and will leak. Use a solid soft copper or aluminum washer instead. Be sure that the I.D. matches/fits up to the size of the drain bolt. Bring the bolt to the store with you to be sure to see that it fits.

I don't like a possibility of oil leaks so I just follow SOA advice and put a new washer on at each oil change.They are over priced at about one dollar but, cheap enough as I'm doing my own changes. There is plenty of time between changes to save up a dollar. I could give up one cigarette a day for

Whenever I buy a filter from Subaru, they toss in a washer. I get home and toss it away. ;)

Hi Cam: send the washers to me. ed "Cam Penner" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@News.individual.net...

Yeah I always have something rattling around in the filter box. :)

-Matt

One particular GM vehicle ('96 Buick Regal) I've performed oil changes on comes with a peculiar OEM drain plug. It has a magnet mounted on the tip. and comes with an integrated rubber (or rubber- like) gasket material. The thing leaks all over the driveway, so take it for what it's worth.

I've seen some non-crush metal washers with some sort of rubber insert on the inside. They didn't work terribly well.

And just a little nitpick with other posts on this thread. A "crush washer" is really just any kind of washer that forms a seal when it (by design) deforms. It doesn't matter if it's soft copper, soft aluminum, or whatever formed sheet metal Subaru uses. The material Subaru uses seems to be annealed to soften it up - they have a green to reddish tinge from a little bit of surface oxidation.

No. I use the Fumoto oil drain valve on my sedan. It makes changing the oil soooooooo much easier. I've never had it leak or come open accidently. The oil drains better as it doesn't track down the pan and all over the place. They've been in use for years on fleet vehicles, RVs, etc.

The website is

Fram doesn't make a 'Suredrain' for the Subaru and I wouldn't buy one of those anyway as they're junk. I twisted a 'Suredrain' apart just trying to torque it to spec in my wife's car. If you you lose the cap you're screwed. With the fumoto there's only the drain plug no extra parts. I'll never have to buy a crush washer again.

I have fumotos on each of my 3 Subies!

I appreciate all the responses, and WON'T be trying a rubber washer.

When I first got my '97, the dealer threw in a # of crush washers equal to the # of Subaru filters I was buying, for free. But now they wnt about 1.50 for the solid copper ones, which is the main reason I posted the original message. I generally do use them for several oil changes without leaking.

Jim

Hi,

Not to pick on anyone--this "syndrome" or whatever it is applies to lots of areas, not just cars--but why do people think nothing of adding another $1000 to the cost of their car for something like an upgraded sound system (which may or may not be that much better than stock), think nothing of going to the car wash on Saturday morning and dropping $10 or better to have someone do what they could (and maybe should?) be doing themselves while they sip a $5 latte and watch, then squawk about $1.50 for a washer? I do find it amusing. (One of my most memorable cases of this syndrome was a customer of mine many years ago who drove a Rolls Royce. With bald, mismatched tires.)

Even if one had to replace the washer at each oil change (like the chintzy little fiber thing they toss in with my Toyota filters), if $1.50 is gonna hurt someone, maybe they really can't afford to be driving a car? Just a thought...

Rick

Buy a batch on line for much cheaper:

(This is the right part for an '03 Forester. I assume other drain plugs are similar.)

-R.