well oil is slowly leaking from the drain plug. I put in a new crush washer during the oil change. During the oil change i was accidently tightening the drain plug instead of lossening it, and actually crushed the crush washer and another washer that was already on the drain plug. I think destroying that other washer is wat broke the camels back.

I've read that the drain plug already has a crush washer on it from the factory, and its suppose to be removed at the first oil change. i didn't do that becuase i didn't see it. And i think thats what i crushed, along with the other washer i put on from the first oil change. Hope this is making sense.

How can i fix this?

 

you mean you still have the original crush washer on there? i did that once...added another crush washer cuz i didn't see the original one. kevin at carlsen saw it and told me to take the other one out on my next oil change.

i did that (had to pry it off drain plug), put on a new one, and there hasn't been a problem.

 

yes i did have the orignal on there and then added another one. but then during this oil change i accidently tightened it instead of loosening it and crushed both washers in the process. I put a new one there but now it has a small leak.

Maybe some threads got stripped? Any thoughts anyone?

 

okay, I am not following your post very well... Just do this. REMOVE ALL washers and place ONE NEW washer on the drain plug. You are suppose to have ONLY ONE. It's a crush washer, you are suppose to 'crush' it. Basically, the next time when you change the oil, you'll see an imprint of the drain hole on the washer, which is okay. If you only have one on right now, most likely you don't have it tight enough. I remember when I did my first oil change, it was leaking a little too. It turned out I just didn't turn it tight enough (crush the washer). Good luck!

Leo

 

its pretty snug on there already. I only have one washer on there right now, a new one. I'm afraid that if i try to tighten it some more i'll break or strip something. How can i tell if i've crushed the washer enough?

 

haha! I asked the same question when I first did it. I kind of just learn through time. I have my car on a ramp, so I anchor myself with my right foot on the wheel and I turn the ratchet. I don't use a torque wrench, so I can't tell you how tight it should be. But it's pretty damn tight. You'll figure it out after couple of time. What you can do is, tighten it, clean the drain plug area with degreaser. Check it again after your next drive. Keep tighten it until it doesn't leak anymore. So next time you'll have a better idea. It's hard to describe. But just remember, it's a crush washer, so you'll feel it gets crush, then it get 'really' tight. That's when you know it's tight. Hope I didn't confuse you even more

Leo

 

come down to oakland and do it for me pretty please with a cherry on top

 

I live in SJ so that might be a little tough. But I think there is a berkeley meet on Tuesday or something. Check the bay area meet forum. You can probably have someone help you there at the meet. I think you should have enough clearence to just tighten the sucker. If you can't get to the meet, you would have to come down to SJ or wait until weekend when I don't have to work. Good luck!

Leo

 

Go to subaru. Get a new plug and gasket. Install.

Ok, so you most likely don't need a new plug, but I like to have new parts whenever there's a question.

 

Torque for the drain plug if ya want a number is 33 ft-lbs.

Jason

 

Use a new crush washer every time you put the drain plug back on. If you are still getting leakage from the plug, try teflon tape. This time, clean off plug and threads with a clean rag and wrap the threads with two turns of teflon tape. Put on another crush washer, tighten up and check for leaks. If it still leaks, you may have damaged the theads on the drain pan and need to go to the dealer for repair.