2003 Honda Accord Oil Drain Washer Replacement

The Honda manual recommends that the washer be replaced with every oil
change. As a result, I end up going to a Honda dealer and pay a
premium for a fairly commoditized service. I follow the manual's
suggestion as to when to do maintenance services.


1) Is there a significant impact if this washer is not replaced? For
example, every other time or once a year???

2) Is it possible to buy the washer myself and have it changed at a
non-Honda shop?

 

You could simply make one trip to the dealer and buy a bunch of the
washers. Then you could have Jiffy Lube use them as needed.

Of course, you're never sure the Jiffy Lube guy actually uses it...

It's a one-use washer. It's a crush washer. It's designed to seal the
bolt against the pan. Once crushed, any re-use of it won't serve the
purpose. You might as well not use it.

Of course. There's no magic to it.

 

Probably not, but if there is a problem, it could be catastrophic
engine failure from losing all your new oil, so just change it. The
odds are low, but the stakes are high.

They're so inexpensive that the last time I asked for some, the
mechanic gave me five of them for free. He said it wasn't worth
ringing it up. So, yes, your dealer should be glad to give you a
supply. If they charge you anything, it's going to be nominal.

Ron

 

---------------------------------

A used one is way better than none at all, since the Honda bolt HAS to
have a washer of some type under it or it will start cutting new threads
into the pan . . You can buy them in quantity from places like NAPA,
for cheap. BTW, if it leaks a tiny bit, it will foul your driveway, one
drip at a time. Since the sump holds 4 litres, you'd have to wait a long
time to loose much oil.

Monkey-Lube places will install some kind of washer if you ask (or if
they think), but it may not even be close to the correct size /
thickness / material.

'Curly'

 

Have owned a 91 Accord for 10 years now and do all my own oil changes every
5,000 kms, and have NEVER changed this washer in 180,000 kms. It has NEVER
leaked. This is a conspiracy by Honda to charge you an extra $1 for every
oil change they do!

 

im still on my original honda washer after 6 oil changes. when i start
to get the drips, ill replace it.

of course! cheaphondaparts, majestic honda, etc. should all carry em for
under a buck a piece. i should probably order some myself.

 

they wont change it on their own, will they? is that part of their
$16.95 service?

 

You can get assorted washers at any auto supply store. They're usually
plastic or fiber, and you need to reduce the tightening torque to
compensate for the different characteristics of the different material.

Jelly Lube and other outfits can supply their own washer, which won't be
aluminum, so you don't _need_ to use the dealer for oil changes.

However, a non-Honda shop will also use a non-Honda oil filter, which will
not filter as well and may have inferior drainback characteristics. They're
also much more likely to use cheap, low-grade oils to keep their costs
down.

It might seem expensive to get the changes done at the dealer when you're
under warranty, but there are advantages to it.

Good for you. You're helping to extend the life of your expensive
expenditure.

Replace with EVERY change.

The OEM aluminum washers compress when torqued down for the first time and
the metal becomes more dense than it was when new. You CAN just flip it
over for the second use, but then the margin of error for overtorquing
becomes much smaller.

Non-aluminum washers will compress as well, and may not seal properly the
second time, resulting in leaks.

Another caveat on the above: Honda oil pan threads are notoriously easy to
strip.

If you've been getting your oil changed by an aftermarket shop and they
strip the threads, a new pan is over $200. Honda won't even look at you and
you'll be forced to try to get compensation from whatever shops(s) you
used. And if you used more than one, you can forget about ever getting a
penny, as they'll all point fingers at each other.

 

doesn't become more dense. it becomes harder as it deforms, and that
deformation is from where it squeezes into the small surface
imperfections of the mating surfaces to form the seal. that's why they
need replacing periodically - they become too hard to deform
sufficiently & therefore seal properly.

you can use these washers several times. i do, but i /don't/ flip
because that limits the degree of deformation it incurrs each time,
hence they can be used over. not ideal of course, but as long as they
still seal, it's not a problem.

some of the non-aluminum washers are fine. an old honda of mine had a
steel washer with a rubber lip on it. worked great & completely
reusable. others like fiber washers can be bad because they tend to
break if over torqued. and you don't know until the blue smoke's
trailing out behind you & the red light comes on. don't ask me how i
know that!

best to stick with oem.

 

Honda dealership will throw in a washer when you buy a filter from them.
Usually a crush washer will last 4-5 oil changes before REALLY needing
replacement. I order about 10-20 when I order transmission parts from
www.slhonda.com when my stock get low.

 

My greedy dealer charges me a whopping 50¢ for each when I buy a filter.
It'll bankrupt me, I tell ya.

 

So you're saying it's work-hardening that causes the problem?

I'm reluctant to reuse just because of the thread-stripping problem.

Amen!!

 

understood. and much more safe. that said, stripping shouldn't be a
problem unless the plug is habitually over-torqued. it only needs to be
tight enough to seal, and with an aluminum washer, that's not that
tight. if i've planned ahead, i'll always use a new washer, but when
i've ordered a package of filters & forgotten to order the washers at
the same time, i've discovered that unabused washers continue to seal
quite well.

 

Or you could just do your own oil changes.

Not exactly true. After a reuse it begins to loose it's effectiveness
but it wont catastrophically fail on you if you forget to swap it out
one time. Add to this you can re-anneal the all metal type, those that
are built of a metal encase fibrous material less so.

It's _supposed_ to be replaced each time, not a MUST replace each time.

Follow your own council though. This free advice over the Internet is
worth what you pay for it.

Yepper, this is the 'me too' part of the post.


TBerk

 

How exactly is this going to come about? Not being a smart ass, but I'm
wondering how you mean.


TBerk

 

When I went to an oil change place while I was in college, I asked the
technician if he had the drain plug washers. He assured me that he did.
Later that day, feeling confident that I had done everything I could (short
of doing the work myself) to keep my car maintained, I suffered an oil leak.
I took the car back immediately and asked the guy if he could look at it...
he told me it was leaking from the drain plug. I asked him why he didn't
replace it when I specifically mentioned it to him.... and he told me that
it looked fine to him. It was replaced at the previous oil change.

That's reason enough for me to replace it each time. (and also reason
enough to watch the oil change guy at EVERY step.)

 

It's very unlikely but conceivable that failure of a drain-plug seal
could result in loss of enough oil for an engine to seize. Something
like this happened to my brother-in-law who got an oil change at a
quick-change place. They didn't get all of the old oil-filter gasket
off. The resultant oil loss came to a critical point while his
wifelet was driving the van. She came home from shopping, walked in
the house and asked, "Does that little red oil-thingy light on the
dashboard mean anything when it's on?" The engine had continued to
run without oil, but once it was turned off, it seized and could NEVER
be restarted -- catastrophic engine failure; you can't even rebuild
these things. That cost him $1,500 back in the 1970s. It would be a
lot more today, and the scenario could conceivably occur with a leak
from an overused drain-plug washer. It's not likely, but if something
like this hasn't happened a few times, I'd be surprised.

Ron

 

I always thought the bigger concern is overtorquing the drain bolt (and
ultimately tending to strip the threads) because the used crush washer has
lost some of its compressibility.

Less compressibility = less seal for same torque = higher torque required,
for which the assembly as a whole is not designed

In my young and foolish years, I re-used the washer for years on my 1991
Civic. No problems, but a few years ago I did switch to using a new OEM
washer each oil change.

My drain plug/washer did seem to develop a leak last year. I installed a
new drain plug (from Autozone) and the problem has not re-ocurred.

Likewise:
They're only a quarter apiece or so at the dealer's. One charming Honda
dealer parts guy even handed me a fistful not long ago, and when I asked
"How much will that be?," he said, "No charge."

 

Any *good* shop which works on Hondas should stock these and should change
them as a matter of course. Find yourself a competent independent if you
are not willing to go the DIY route.

Yes, you can buy the right sized washers at most real auto parts stores or
at the parts counter at your Honda dealer.

John

 

I have news for you, I have yet to find a Honda dealer which uses Honda
brand motor oils. Each one seems to have it's own favorite supplier like
Pennzoil, Valvoline, etc. ... just as the quick lube places do.

The Fram mfg. Honda brand oil filter is nothing special either.

Image does not equal reality.

John