Drain Plug Gasket

marty in Ohio

marty in Ohio

Well-known member
How often should I change the gasket on the oil drain plug. Some say every time you change the oil. Is that an overkill?
Marty
 
Well, Synchro, that's kinda what I was thinking. Mine is dripping a little and I've never changed the gasket in the 28 years I've owned the car. Just got a new one from Snyder's to put in.
Marty
 
I think it also depends on which gasket you get. You can reuse the hard fiber ones but the copper ones aren't as forgiving.
 
You change it when it is required. To change it every time is overkill.
 
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I had one seeping a little while we were away on one of our long trips so I used a little dab of Loctite #3 (aviation gasket) on it. NEVER do that. It took so much oomph to get it undone that the boss holding the drain plug came lose in the sump. The only way I could change the oil (we were about 3,000 miles from home) was to drop the sump, tip out the old oil, refit the sump and refill. That's not the sort of thing I like doing on the run.
In future, I might use a bit of the yellow Teflon tape but no #3!
 
Try this to avoid regular replacement of the drain plug gasket:
 

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One has to be careful using plastic for drain plug gaskets. One time I had the modern car serviced at a "quick lube" place, a few days later I noticed a small oil leak at the plug. On closer inspection I saw that the gasket looked odd. I took the car back to the "quick lube" place and watched while the attendant removed the plug and the oil. The gasket had partially melted and deformed enough to leak. The gasket was replaced w/a copper one, fresh oil added and no more leak.
So, if using plastic for making oil drain plug gaskets, make sure it can "take the heat". Don't forget that the oil in an engine runs 20°-40° hotter than the coolant.
 
Katy,
I have been using homemade plastic gaskets for many years without issues. I also use them on my radiator caps. If you use oil containers for the stock, the gaskets will do well on a Model "A".
 
I don’t see why it is an issue. Mike’s A-Fordable has the fiber drain plug gasket for $0.25 and the copper one for $0.95. Seems like replacing them each time you do an oil change is cheap insurance to prevent the possibility of a leak.

I suppose you could take the used copper ones to the swap meet and sell them for two for a dollar.

David Serrano
 
several years ago, on a small order from a supplier I added 10 gaskets, $2.50. I change gasket every time. $.25 each change is not much to waste and I don't have to tighten the plug so tight
 
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