Crush washers need to be re-torqued

Just FYI for the general readership here...

I changed the oil several days ago in my 'Taco. I have previously used these crush washers on the drain plug, and when I went to break the torque on the drain plug, it was not tight at all. Seems these particular crush washers had a little more "give" to them after the fact. There was no oil seepage though from the drain plug.

I also read a review on these (on Amazon), someone else had the same issue.

So, today I double checked the torque on the oil drain plug with the new crush washer of this type that I installed. Again, it was not at 30ft lbs like I had tightened it previously. It took almost half a turn more to get back to 30 ft lbs again.

$5 UTSAUTO Oil Drain Plug Gaskets Crush Washers Seals Rings Part # 90430-12031 for Prius Tundra Sienna Highlander Scion Corolla Rav4（12mm) 12 Packs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W6DT6G4

I think it'll be ok from here on out, but I will check the oil drain plug again.

 

Thats curious??

 

I've never done 30ft lbs, I always thought it was too high. 25 max.

Snug with a wrench or short ratchet, double check once. Bam done.

 

Yes, more like a little unnerving to me. I've never had a drain plug's crush washer "give" as much as these do when they are initially torqued down. The crush washers seem legit from sight and feel. It's just that they seem to need to be re-torqued again. I would've never realized it had I not felt the ease of unscrewing the drain plug several days ago.

 

Down right scary in fact.

 

Any significant temperature changes? Wonder if its something like, changing oil in warm garage then outside where its super cold?

 

It was indeed cold on the days I last changed the oil. Could've been a cause of the plug not maintaining torque. I think I'm going to try to dissect one of the crush washers. Just to see how hardy they are.

 

are those oem gaskets?

 

No. Not according to the link.

BTW, OEM doesn’t mean what you think it does.
So technically, they are OEM.

But a genuine Toyota product? No.

 

I’ve seen two vehicles loose drain plugs while on the highway. First was a Subaru probably 20 years ago, it fell out bounced up and took out the headlight on my ‘87 Hilux and then I watched the oil stream hit the road and spray all over my windshield. That’s when I learned not to use the wipers in such an event. Second was a dump truck, watched the plug fall out and I slammed on my brakes, he pulled over about 1/2 mile up the road.

 

ugh....guess i'm retorquing my drain plug tomorrow

 

Drain plug washers are designed to be torqued once at a dealership and off you go done.
Having done this worked at a dealer, I generally never had a problem unless the part is rarely faulty. Which even then would result in a drip complaint, not total loosening and failure of the engine due to complete loss of oil.

the torque spec and washer is designed by engineers to work properly.
And there is a certain way to use a torque wrench (or hand feel, if you have that skill) - slow consistent steady pressure.

if it leaks after that, it is a design flaw.
Which historically Toyota has many of that they have not done anything about.

I do not think you HAVE to use their (faulty?) washers.
For example. If I had an m14x1.5 drain plug or whatever the size is, I would not care what washer I use, as long as it is a sealing crush washer. Whether that be copper or aluminum which is more common.

in fact, having upgraded to a different style of magnetic plug, it does not use the dealer blue felt washer. It uses a regular kind that I can simply stock up on from a hardware store for cheap

I wonder if your torque wrench is malfunctioning.
A $400 top of the line Snap-On torque wrench checked to be calibrated, bought used on eBay for $100-200, is probably more trusted than a $30 twist style wrench.

torque wrenches are also most accurate in the middle of their range, not at the minimum or maximum end.

so if you are cheap and tighten something to 50 ft lb using a big 1/2” tq wrench that runs from 50-250, that may not be as accurate as using a 3/8 20-100.

different tools for different tasks.

also. What the hell is UTSauto? Never heard of it.
Most people simply install the factory washer the dealer either throws in your filter kit for free, or cheap, to know they are getting proven quality

all metal has a give factor that can cause some loosening over time. That’s why you torque it once, walk away do some other shit, then come back and torque it again to be sure.
Unless you work in express for $12/hr trying to bang them out fast for Boss promising Pizza Slice

 

I think we all are.

Actually, I just swapped out my drain plug with a Fumoto valve two weeks ago, and I used a crescent wrench… but I did say “Click” when I got it where it felt right.

 

I went and looked more closely at the crush washers. They have a thin, gasket type of material on each side. The body of the crush washer is some sort of soft metal of sorts, not easy to cut with my Leatherman. It does not respond to a magnet.

 

They aren't OEM.

OEM doesnt mean "same"

 

It’s probably aluminum as crush washers often are, making it non magnetic

the felt probably initially has more of a squish/give to it interfering with torquing, than an all metal washer

why Toyota uses a felt fuzzy washer when other manufacturers use all metal, I don’t know. But other manufacturers also have much stronger looking oil pans. My Tacoma pan looks like a cheap cooking bowl; probably cheaper to produce for more profit.

 

30 lb/ft? That's a lot. Try 16-18 like a spark plug

That way you can get more than one use out of the washer

 

So for grins (and because the Aves are losing to the knights atm) I measured the depth of the OEM washer and it's .0682 while the UTS shows .070

 

it is a lot.
Most of the drain and spark plugs I’ve dealt with spec 30nm \ 22 ft lb

 

Yes, concerning the torque wrench I was using, it's a Craftsman 3/8 drive with a range of 20-85 ft lbs. I do have a beam type torque wrench but that was hard to get a reading on while was under the truck.