Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:07:28 -0700
Reply-To: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject: Re: Oil plug
In-Reply-To: <20130710094646.W939U.110622.imail@eastrmwml213>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
But Dave, you wrote "that's what that washer is for, to take that force to keep it from damaging the threads."
:)
One does not always get a copper crush washer with either a gasket set or if you ask at parts counter. Quite often it is a flat copper washer which does not have any crush at all.
The drain plug is an iffy design in my opinion. It is too easy to strip the threads in the case. Steel plug into an aluminum hole is asking for trouble sooner or later. Especially since now most of our WBX engines are at least 32 years old, and if the oil has been changed regularly, the plug has been in and out more than 64 times.
I stripped my plug last month, just after I got my engine back into the van (head job). I had been very careful with that plug. As a stop gap, till I get a timesert or similar insert installed, I made a new plug with longer shaft to engage the few un-damaged threads left in case. The stock plug does not seem to use up all the available threads.
I took a 14 mm (thread size) bolt, that was longer than the drain plug, drilled and tapped for a 10 mm bolt. The 10 mm bolt (13 mm head size) screws into the larger bolt. I turned down the head of the larger bolt so that it would fit in the recess in the case). Made a Delrin washer instead of using a copper washer, and ended up with a new plug that was longer and caught some of the remaining un stripped threads in the case.
http://shufti.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/img_2311.jpg
It is working fine, no drips.
alistair
On 2013-07-10, at 6:46 AM, <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
> ---- Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> No Dave,
>>
>> it is a sealing washer. I doesn't prevent you from stripping the threads.
>
> I know it is a sealing washer. I did not mean that it will prevent stripping the threads, merely that if one follows the procedure correctly, just crushing the washer, one will not strip the threads. That's all. mcneely
>
>>
>> BTW, one can find 3 kinds of washer down there 1. a crushable copper washer, a non-crushable copper washer, and sometimes a nylon (or other plastic) washer.
>>
>> alistair
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2013-07-10, at 6:06 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> well, this is steel into aluminum. but i don't use a torque wrench, either. just tighten till stops, then quarter turn, just enough to crush the washer slightly. that's what that washer is for, to take that force to keep it from damaging the threads.
>>
>
> --
> David McNeely
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