Oil Drain Plug Crush Washer

Do I HAVE to replace the oil drain plug crush washer every time? I don't have
one and don't want to wait for IPD or the mail and need to change my oil. Last
oil change I had a new magnetic drain plug installed which I assume came with a
new washer. Isn't it likely the washer is still good?

 

HAVE to, no. Should you, yes. It will still seal and if you're really
cheap or out of them you can get a few uses from a crush washer, but
you're risking not only leaks but stripping the oil pan if you
overtighten trying to seal it with a used washer.

Bill

 

Actually I think I ordered some but who knows where I put them... This is my
first Volvo oil change

 

You don't have to but it's a good idea. I'd say change the oil and use the
old one for now, but order a bag of them so you have them on hand next time.

 

Eventualy you will start seeing oil drops on your driveway, this is the
point where you "have" to change that seal... it is a good idea to do it
each time tho. I know the Volvo dealer changes the seal each time, some
places don't. (why do we goto Volvo.... because they are only 5 bucks or so
more then the other lube shops including the very few european indy garages
we have seen, they use an OEM Volvo filter, good quality oil, and they know
our car and will do fluid checks and spot checks (they have called to say
this or that is low/needs replaceing before... we saw the parts they changed
out, not lying) while they have the hood open/car on hoist)

 

As everyone else said, you (probably) don't NEED to, but you should. I'd
just stop by the dealer and pick a couple up. The local Volvo dealer (and
the non-Volvo side as well) doesn't charge me for little things like that.

I'll always remember what the other guy said the first time I met him
"Here, don't waste a tree.".

Hah.

Your local hardware or auto parts store should also have a proper part,
but you'll probably have to bring a sample for them to check.

- alex

(ditchin' the bricks)

 

From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is volvowrench:

It's a popular fallacy, I'm afraid.

I wasn't strictly correct to say it had to be cooled slowly (I'm old,
it was late, I'd been drinking whisky), but it is a myth that copper
needs to be quenched to anneal it. In fact the rate of cooling is
pretty much immaterial. My text book on metallurgy just states
'cooling at any convenient rate,' going on to state 'The rate of
heating and cooling is almost without effect on the size of the
new-formed crystals.'

There are some copper alloys that benefit from quenching, such as
beryllium-copper, but the beryllium is added as a hardening agent in
the first place. For a simple oil plug washer you would only quench it
for convenience.


--

Stewart Hargrave

Faster than public transport


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is Stewart
Hargrave:

I've also just found out that it is possible to embrittle copper by
cooling it too fast - the rate of cooling needs to be in excess of 10
million degrees C per second. That equates to cooling it from cherry
red to room temperature in about 1/25,000th of a second.

I reckon it's unlikely to be a problem in this instance.


--

Stewart Hargrave

Faster than public transport


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

And that's the hard part. How in the world do you take a sample with you?
You'd have to walk to the parts store since the drain plug would be out of
the car.

Gus

 

by Stewart Hargrave dropped his
wrench, scratched his head and mumbled,

My info is empirical.

I worked in a factory where we made crimp connectors for distribution
voltage splices. After all the machining on the copper was complete we
annealed the crimp end. Just drilled the rod to make a crimp sleeve work
hardened the connector enough to cause it to crack when using a hydraulic
crimper to secure it to the conductor in the cable. After we built a
trick little machine to anneal every crimp connector the problem went
away.

There probably was a fair amount of Be in the rod. I never checked the
Rockwell, but it was fairly hard to begin with.

Bob

 

The drain plug diameter is 18mm. The inside dia. of the washer is 20mm. The
outside dia. of the washer is 26mm.

Brick_0

 

I went to the Volvo dealer and paid about $1.35 for one washer (I had hoped for
a bad of 5 for 50 cents. So I have the parts and tools I need to do the job, no
more excuses

 

WHAT ABOUT TEFLON TAPE AROUND THE THREAD ON THE PLUG IF YOUR WORRIED ABOUT A
LEAK .

 

From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is John
Robertson:

Don't know about teflon tape, put PTFE tape may help. I've never
needed it, and a replacement washer is not difficult to get hold of.

I would also be a little concerned that PTFE tape does tend to split
apart into strands, and the lube system of a car is the last place you
want foreign bodies floating about.


--

Stewart Hargrave

Faster than public transport


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

Really bad idea. Shards of the teflon tape remain in the female threads and
get pushed into the sump the next time the plug is replaced. Teflon tape is
only for tapered pipe threads.

And, it's not a crush washer under the plug head. It's an aluminum gasket.
A crush washer is designed to crush a specific distance when tightened to
allow pre-loading or positioning a ball bearing or other device according to
clearances.

Ken

 

It is a copper washer and it should be alright unless it has spread out
really thin i only change mine about every 10 changes

 

Hi "G",

I guess you like to "live dangerously"............
After all, what are we talking about here? "Volvo part #18818 Gasket
D1101, List $1.30, Net $1.00" Very cheap insurance. I buy them by the
dozen from the dealer ($12.00 Canadian). I never changed the drain plug
gasket on my first Volvo ('58 445, not 544... B16B motor) during oil
changes. May be the dealer did on the occasional visit . No problem. On
acquiring a '65 122S, B18 motor, tried the same practice........ it leaked.
Fortunately I noticed the leak in time. Never again!

And I.