5.7 Oil drain plug loose(ish)

I do my own oil changes and use all OEM stuff. I notice on my '21 tundra that when I perform an oil change, the oil drain plug is not as tight as I remember it being. It's almost loose, just barely snug. I use the drain plug washers that have a blue finish on them. The finish on it almost disintegrates like paper when I remove an old one, revealing the silver metal washer.

Today when I changed the oil in the wife's '20 Sequoia I noticed the drain plug bolt was very tight. The last oil change on her vehicle was done by a local shop who has done great work for us. I noticed they used a copper washer on the drain plug bolt when they last did it.

After this observation I went to snug up the oil drain plug on the tundra which had an oil change a few days ago. I definitely snugged it up a bit more.

Does anyone share a similar experience with the OEM drain plug washer? It's almost like it loses it's integrity leaving the drain bolt not as tight as it should be.

I don't use a torque wrench when snugging these up, but I have a decent feel for snug tight without going so far as damaging the threads.

 

Prior to installing a Fumoto vavle, I never had an issue with the blue washers. They did stick to the pan though.

 

This ^^^.

Get Fumoto (or equivalent) valves for your engine oil draining and never have to contemplate this conundrum again.

 

Not a good solution. I put one on the tundra for exactly one oil change interval. It took so long to drain the oil that the fumoto valve came off before it was even done draining because it took so long. I’ve got things to do, not wait around for 30min for the oil to finish draining. The longest part of an oil change without the fumoto valve is getting the stupid skid plate back on. Pain in the butt…

I’ve had the blue washers stick to the oil pan before. No biggie. Just seems like the oil drain bolt feels looser over time compared to when I installed it. Curious if it was something any else noticed or not. Maybe it’s time to just get the torque wrench out and tighten it up per the spec….

 

Check out the valvomax plug/valve, good stuff!

 

Drill a hole in the skid plate for the fumoto?

 

You could always try torquing it to the manufacturer's spec. But then you would be made fun of by simpletons for not knowing what you are doing, and having no business changing your own oil.

 

Sounds like the port is starting to strip with your next oil change you could replace the oil pan, tap it to a larger size( which I would remove to do so if you are removing the oil pan I would just replace it) or put a bunch of JB Weld or similar around the drain plug and use a fluid extractor for future oil changes

 

Thanks. I’ll inspect the threads next time but I’m certain that isnt the case.

 

How would it be stripping out with just 4 years worth of oil changes? Over-tightening? That doesn't seem likely at all, given what's happening. There are many things I would consider and try before I go with removing/replacing/retapping the pan. And JB Weld would not be one of them, LOL.

Inspecting the threads (should always be part of the procedure)
Torque bolt to manufacturer specification
Try a different bolt/washer
Install Fumoto/ValvoMax/EZ Oil Drain