I’m seeing the drain plug crush washer for my Toyota, the actual Toyota part has some sort of gasket looking blue material.
I’ve been using all metal ones that don’t have this blue material.
Should I be using crush washers with this blue material? I didn’t realize there were two types. All metal design, and with blue gasket looking material. I haven’t seen evidence of leaking oil around my drain plug.
What you are using is fine. It is soft aluminum that conforms to the seat and plug. They can also be dead-soft copper.
OR you could use a Stat-O-Seal type washer that looks like this below. I like these.
I order metal oem crush washers a dozen at a time when I order filters. They are about 50 cents. For the Pontiac you have to buy a new plug.
I personally don’t think it matter much for leaks but could prevent stripping the pan threads. I’d just stick with oem and not worry about it. All of the Honda washers seem to be just metal but different sizes for oil or trans.
Thank you! I just wanted to be sure.
OP, just curious, where did you purchase your oil drain plug’s crush washers?
I believe I bought a bunch of all metal ones off Amazon a few years back, in bulk, that were a few cents a piece. I bought a big bag of them.
Are they pretty easy to deform, suggesting they are a soft metal? Soft aluminum is probably ok, but probably best not to use a hard material for that application. You’d think some sort of rubber-like washer would be the best choice, as long as it was engine-oil compatible.
Yea exactly. It’s a soft metal when I press down on it. I think the OEM ones might have some soft rubber or something, which is the blue stuff. But I’m not entirely sure what that blue stuff is.
Paper. It is an aluminum flat washer with thin paper gasket material on each side.
I’ve bought oem crush washers over the counter from a Acura dealer and on line from an Acura dealer. They have all been plain metal with no paper or rubber on them. Just have to be sure to use a new one each time. The only question is when the punch press stamps them out, there is a round side and a flat side. I assume the flat goes toward the pan but never seen any instruction either way.
The first sentence reads “Toyota”, twice.
I wonder if the paper coated versions have any merit compared to the plain aluminum? I’d worry a little the metal surface of the aluminum version might scratch the oil pan and result in a small leak. According to a recent Best of podcast, aluminum cannot scratch glass, so maybe it can’t scratch the oil pan either?
I’ve had drain plugs with rubber, aluminum, copper, nylon, and nothing… Never the paper though. Even the “nothing” drain plug (maybe it was supposed to have a gasket?) never leaked. Maybe damp at the bottom. No real need to overthink it, I don’t think unless the threads are all messed up and the oil pan sealing surface dinged or the like.
Yeah I think I said to use oem. Why he bought a bag of Honda washers, who knows? Except he has been known to do some Honda work. Same answer though, use oem.
I have never replaced an oil drain plug washer/gasket in a half century of oil changes and it has never mattered.
For decades I applied a non hardening sealer to drain plugs to avoid all the possible problems/complaints but when seal rings became OE I felt compelled to use them and the aluminum washers were cheap and convenient but I continued to coat the plug threads with sealer. habits are hard to break.
Belt and suspenders can be a good thing.
If what you’ve been using doesn’t leak, what’s the problem?!?
