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Date:         Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:34:46 -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
Comments: To: mcneely4@cox.net
In-Reply-To:  <20130710101617.LGWRN.110995.imail@eastrmwml213>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I bet not all owners use a crush washer. Mind you, a flat copper washer will work too. Some say that a nylon washer will shrink from the heat. My home made Delrin washer is holding up fine.

If the plug drips/weeps, the temptation is to tighten it up more. An understandable temptation faced with the chore of draining oil to replace washer (and to clean the area the washer sits in).

The torque spec of 18 ft lbs (25 Nm) is not a finger tight, gentle caress of a tightening force. It is the same torque that the exhaust system fasteners call for. It is the same torque that the steering rack is bolted to the frame, and there is a host of other examples.

It really is no surprise that after a few dozen oil changes the threads will be damaged enough to fail.

alistair

On 2013-07-10, at 7:16 AM, <mcneely4@cox.net> <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> ---- Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote: >> But Dave, you wrote "that's what that washer is for, to take that force to keep it from damaging the threads." > > yea, I did. Like others, I sometimes write more quickly than I should, and put the wrong words down. > > And you are right, that flat washers are commonly sold as the "correct" washer for the waterboxer. the actual correct washer is a copper crush washer. and just crushing it will keep one from stripping the threads. but that is more because one did not apply too much torque rather than because the washer was there. it does provide,if it is the correct washer, a cue to the person doing the torquing that tight enough has happened. > > mcneely > >> >> :) >> >> 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 >


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