oil change q

[Incantation]

well.. having changed the oil today, somehow i managed to forget to put the washer on the oil plug..

is it gonna leak? i don't wanna pull the plug and lose a couple litres of new oil..

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

if not lucky you are.

Put it in a safe place for a few thousand miles.

[SRR2]

Been there done that. It's steel against steel. If they're both flat and parallel, you might get lucky. Or not. At worst, it's probably not going to be more than an annoyance.

You could use a clean pan and clean off the area around the drain. I've seen shops drain and re-use oil. Not the ideal situation, but even if you pick up a bit of dust, it will hit the filter before it gets into anything expensive.

I'd take option 2.

[calmloki]

It's not leaking yet? Maybe the old washer stayed on the plug. If not my money is on it leaking. BTW - when I did my tranny service I neglected to change the drain plug washer, which rewarded me by leaking. Managed to swap a new washer onto the plug and only lost about 3 tablespoons. (unscrew the plug most of the way, work the washer to the bottom so it's easier to get off one-handed, remove plug and stick your [clean] thumb against the hole, swap washer, and reinstall). Have a drain pan to catch what you spill.
Tom Walrod

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Just make sure the car is cold

[SRR2]

Don't you just love the feel of cold oil running down your arm and settling in your pit?

But seriously folks, this isn't a bad idea if you're agile. Just don't miss. To put the washer on the plug a helper would help. Good thing, because if he didn't, he wouldn't be called a helper I suppose. He'd be just another annoying bystander getting in the way and laughing at your oily arm.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

out of reach.

Your family comes home hours later to find you laying there, too stuborn to let go.

or go to the bathroom

[SRR2]

Oooh, yeah. Oil running down your arm is guaranteed to make you hafta go. Heh heh heh.

[632 Regal]

gotta remember the warm water bucket trick! In my barn sometimes the damn lady bugs crawel up your shirt or shorts and make a meal of whatever they want, it really sucks when your trying to add or check trans fluid with the car running. Twist and turn and burn your arms or face etc...

what was this post about?

[dacoyote]

gotta remember the warm water bucket trick! In my barn sometimes the damn lady bugs crawel up your shirt or shorts and make a meal of whatever they want, it really sucks when your trying to add or check trans fluid with the car running. Twist and turn and burn your arms or face etc...

what was this post about?

getting the crabs?

[Zeuk in Oz]

well.. having changed the oil today, somehow i managed to forget to put the washer on the oil plug..

is it gonna leak? i don't wanna pull the plug and lose a couple litres of new oil..

And I thought I was the only one who did dumb things like that !

Erich (Shogun) had a post recently that might help :

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=17559

[632 Regal]

I dont follow the similarities.

[Beez540]

well.. having changed the oil today, somehow i managed to forget to put the washer on the oil plug..

is it gonna leak? i don't wanna pull the plug and lose a couple litres of new oil..


yer best bet is to find an auto restoration place... have them put it on the giant end to end swivel. Then, vertically rotate the whole care 180 degrees. Remove drain plug (magically no oil will be lost), then clean surfaces, add the washer, and re-install drain plug. Then turn the car back over. It's sooooo easy.:D

[dacoyote]

yer best bet is to find an auto restoration place... have them put it on the giant end to end swivel. Then, vertically rotate the whole care 180 degrees. Remove drain plug (magically no oil will be lost), then clean surfaces, add the washer, and re-install drain plug. Then turn the car back over. It's sooooo easy.:D

hahahahahh

[Jesda]

The sideways method worked great for this car:
http://www.r3vlimited.com/Tech/Jackpoints.jpg

[calmloki]

Yoda mechanics. There is no try. Do there is, or not do. We all need these little challenges in our humdrum lives to keep things interesting. Not as high stakes as going to a second story apartment and changing the bottom heating element on a 52 gallon hot water heater without draining it ...
Tom Walrod

[Scott H]

the oil pan is aluminum


Been there done that. It's steel against steel.

[SRR2]

I stand corrected. I guess I knew that and just wasn't thinking. The point was that the plug was hitting something harder than the crush ring.