this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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Cars - For Car Enthusiasts
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It's not like all your oil will drain out if you don't use them, but they help seal between the pan and the plug, helps stop you from over tightening the drain bolt, and makes it a little easier to get the bolt back off for the next oil change.
I always use a torque wrench when tightening, so there is no issue with over tightening.
Removing the oil pan nut has never really been an issue, likely due to the above statement.
i have changed oil in vehicles probably 30 times at this point. last year for some dumbass reason i decided to start using a torque wrench to tighten.
looking at the specs for my foreign, i did not look at the correct column on the page for ft/lbs or Nm… did not double check… and ended up fucking stripping the bolt threads on the oil pan!!!!!!!!
had a hell of a time removing the bolt, but there were enough good threads that i could drill out what i cross threaded and still attach the bolt… i did not have to have an oil pan replacement… and no drips or leaks… i count myself extremely, extremely stupid and lucky.
Ooof. That hurts.
If it makes you feel any better, one time I accidentally drained my transmission fluid because I took off the wrong plug! That was a rather costly mistake as you can't simply add transmission fluid to fix it. You have to flush and bleed the lines, and I did not have all the right equipment. Had to have my car towed from my driveway to the shop! Oops.