Oil Drain Plug Torque

[George S.]

Greetings,

What is the factory torque specification for the oil drain plug on the 05
Baja sport? BTW, I think it would be the same on the 04 Legacy's.

Thanks, George

 

[Jim Stewart]

Greetings,

What is the factory torque specification for the oil drain plug on the 05
Baja sport? BTW, I think it would be the same on the 04 Legacy's.

I don't believe you need to torque it.
Just use a new crush washer and tighten
until it stops crushing.

It's always worked for me.

 

[y_p_w]

I don't believe you need to torque it.
Just use a new crush washer and tighten
until it stops crushing.

It's always worked for me.

33 ft-lbs should be fine if you insist. Don't know if it's any
different depending on the kind of washer you use. I had a
copper washer that fit, and used that for my last oil change.

 

[Googler]

I switched over to using a fumoto valve (www.fumotovalve.com) on my '03
Baja. Makes it a whole lot easier to drain the used oil.

 

[Mark Olson]

I switched over to using a fumoto valve (www.fumotovalve.com) on my '03
Baja. Makes it a whole lot easier to drain the used oil.

It also makes it a whole lot easier to knock the valve off if you hit
an obstacle...

What is wrong with simply turning a wrench to remove a drain plug???
It takes all of 20 seconds to remove or reinstall, and there's nothing
whatsoever to fail even if the drain plug takes a direct hit from a
rock/stump/what have you, unlike quick drain valves.

 

[DANIEL HUBER]

Is there a washer that's required to be replaced at every oil change when
putting the plug back in? Just got my '01 Forester and wondering if this is
a part I should stock up on for future oil changes.

Dan

 

[Michael Pardee]

Is there a washer that's required to be replaced at every oil change when
putting the plug back in? Just got my '01 Forester and wondering if this
is a part I should stock up on for future oil changes.

Dan

I buy a new washer with the filter. The old one will probably seal, but it
may seep a bit. If that happens, resist the temptation to give it "just a
wee bit more torque" - live with the seep until the next oil change.
Overtorquing can damage the oil pan threads, and is a common problem in
Hondas. Dunno if Subarus have the same vulnerability, but I'd hate to learn
the hard way :-(

Mike

 

[Googler]

My fumoto valve does not hang low enough to be an issue. I have been
changing my own oil for over 30 years. What I really like about this
valve is (1) I no longer get hot oil going down my arm when I unscrew
the oil filler plug, (2) I do not have to worry about having a washer
and (3) I do not have to worry about the possibility of cross-threading
when reinstalling the drain plug (not to mention the torque
measurement).

As always, YMMV. Just my 2 cents worth. Cheers!

 

[Edward Hayes]

I like the safety of the crush washer & bolt. In addition; the bolt
hole allows the used oil the flush out rather than a slow flow. You
can also modify the Fomoto valve so that all the old oil drains out.
The instructions are simple and you only need a rat-tailed file and a
vise. The instruction for modifying the valve is somewhere on the
www.scoobymod.com web site and includes pictures on what needs to be
done. JMO ed

 

[George S.]

Thanks to all. I just thought the torque may be listed somewhere. I've
never owned a vehicle that required a crush washer on the drain plug.

 

[Richard E Courtright]

Is there a washer that's required to be replaced at every oil change >when putting the plug back in?

Hi,

The Subie factory washer is a rolled "crush" design. It SHOULD be
replaced at each change, though you can probably get two or three uses
out of one without leaks if you're careful.

But if you can find copper washers in the right size, you can use them
MANY times before replacement. I used to get dozens of uses out of them
on air-cooled VWs "back when." They were paper thin by then, but still
sealed!

Rick

 

[Richard E Courtright]

What is the factory torque specification for the oil drain plug on the 05
Baja sport? BTW, I think it would be the same on the 04 Legacy's.

Hi,

Older Subies called for 34 ft/lbs. Don't know about newer ones.

Rick