flan
Veteran Member
I never have changed the oil plug or washer in the last 70k miles I’ve owned my car? Didn’t know this was a thing.
Car died after oil light came on…
- Thread starter brandonkraemer
- Start date
IndigoBlueWagon
TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
It is a thing. The plugs used to come with crush washers that were removable but should be re-used. Then they switched to captive solid washers. Still, it makes sense to replace it once in a while.
TurboABA
Top Post Dawg
I need to move to USA...... I'm still battling my insurance on my '10 write-off (3 weeks now) and I'm being offered less than that as a replacement value!
F M L
Collision write off?I need to move to USA...... I'm still battling my insurance on my '10 write-off (3 weeks now) and I'm being offered less than that as a replacement value!
F M L
TurboABA
Top Post Dawg
Yup
TurboABA
Top Post Dawg
Visual here
2010 CJAA, DPF, CP4 - Expectations, maintenance, reliability VS real world!
For everyone stressing about all the design elements of these vehicles, I'd like to give you my opinion on it. With decent maintenance and care, it will most likely be something else that kills your baby.... just like this MOFO Cobalt got me yesterday! Got the Jetta new, planned on driving it...
Mongler98
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Location
- COLORADO (SE of Denver)
- TDI
- 98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Good deal and moving on is always good. At least it worked out kinda.
Problem is cars are at an all time high and what the car is worth is jow what you should have settled for. You should have settled for what it would cost to buy a replacment. Good luck with your replacment though. Hope its another TDI!
I have not had a running tdi in years now but still a member. Hope to see you post now and again moving forward.
IndigoBlueWagon
TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
What?!?
Mongler98
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Location
- COLORADO (SE of Denver)
- TDI
- 98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Dis you NOT see my memorial video on crushing the car?
Mongler98
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Location
- COLORADO (SE of Denver)
- TDI
- 98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
it ran up to the day i took the engine out and saved it for the 944.
AndyBees
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- May 27, 2003
- Location
- Southeast Kentucky
- TDI
- Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
OP and others, I know everyone wants the oil drain plug to be secure and not leak. (Oil Plug Replacement)
So, here, sharing the story on my formerly owned 2000 Jetta TDI (my son owns it now). It has the "original" oil plug and washer. The oil drain plug has always been quite difficult to screw out (wrenching required until it is out). If the plug did loosen and begin leaking oil, the amount would be small and show-up on the dipstick.
Anyway, below is a photo viewing the oil pan ........ basically oil free including everything in the background (photo taken at about 370k miles).
So, here, sharing the story on my formerly owned 2000 Jetta TDI (my son owns it now). It has the "original" oil plug and washer. The oil drain plug has always been quite difficult to screw out (wrenching required until it is out). If the plug did loosen and begin leaking oil, the amount would be small and show-up on the dipstick.
Anyway, below is a photo viewing the oil pan ........ basically oil free including everything in the background (photo taken at about 370k miles).
flan
Veteran Member
Looks like mine, and I have the same resistance while unbolting it from the pan.OP and others, I know everyone wants the oil drain plug to be secure and not leak. (Oil Plug Replacement)
So, here, sharing the story on my formerly owned 2000 Jetta TDI (my son owns it now). It has the "original" oil plug and washer. The oil drain plug has always been quite difficult to screw out (wrenching required until it is out). If the plug did loosen and begin leaking oil, the amount would be small and show-up on the dipstick.
Anyway, below is a photo viewing the oil pan ........ basically oil free including everything in the background (photo taken at about 370k miles).
brandonkraemer
Veteran Member
My drain plugs never had much resistance past a few turns out from its seated position. I could hand loosen it at least half of it’s thread depth out. I’d use a torque wrench set to proper pressure and I always changed the plug and washer.
I still can’t completely fathom how it backed itself completely out except if the shop didn’t torque it down or even fully threaded back in. I guess not everyone changes the plug, I always did based on things I’ve researched here and the fact that Kerma included it with the oil! For the piece of mind and the price of the service the shop charged, seems like a simple thing to do.
When I did changes in the past and drained from the pan it wouldn’t really lose oil until the last 1/4 of the thread depth or last 5-6 turns where it was easily turned with finger pressure, FWIW
I still can’t completely fathom how it backed itself completely out except if the shop didn’t torque it down or even fully threaded back in. I guess not everyone changes the plug, I always did based on things I’ve researched here and the fact that Kerma included it with the oil! For the piece of mind and the price of the service the shop charged, seems like a simple thing to do.
When I did changes in the past and drained from the pan it wouldn’t really lose oil until the last 1/4 of the thread depth or last 5-6 turns where it was easily turned with finger pressure, FWIW
Nuje
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Location
- Island near Vancouver
- TDI
- 2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
I just did the oil change on our 2016 Audi e-tron (1.4T in there), and in loosening the drain plug, I was met with *maybe* 10ft.lbs. of resistance. I had my Snap-on ⅜" digital torque wrench on it (but not switched on ) to do the loosening, so there was a reasonable amount of leverage, but still, compared to the 50+ oil changes I've done on other 30Nm drain plugs, this was nowhere close to that.
Now, this engine had maybe 2000km of usage since the last dealer oil change (bought the car used with AudiCare included), as it's our "city car" and 80+% of the driving we do on it is all-electric, so given 8x the usage, could the drain plug have worked its way loose and out?
Definitely!
Add this to the spark plugs I checked recently on a friend's 2011 Audi A4 which (again, dealer installed about a year ago) didn't even register a torque reading on the Snap-on torque wrench (well, one registered 10.2Nm when loosening; the other three didn't show anything), and my opinion of Audi service techs is not exactly exuberant.
) to do the loosening, so there was a reasonable amount of leverage, but still, compared to the 50+ oil changes I've done on other 30Nm drain plugs, this was nowhere close to that.Now, this engine had maybe 2000km of usage since the last dealer oil change (bought the car used with AudiCare included), as it's our "city car" and 80+% of the driving we do on it is all-electric, so given 8x the usage, could the drain plug have worked its way loose and out?
Definitely!
Add this to the spark plugs I checked recently on a friend's 2011 Audi A4 which (again, dealer installed about a year ago) didn't even register a torque reading on the Snap-on torque wrench (well, one registered 10.2Nm when loosening; the other three didn't show anything), and my opinion of Audi service techs is not exactly exuberant.
Franko6
Vendor , w/Business number
There are two things that grieve me when doing oil changes.
1. Overtightened plug.. It doesn't take 60 ft lbs torque. It takes a nudge. I use a right angle Makita battery powered tool that everyone says, "Why do you use a tool that has no TORQUE?" It has plenty enough for things like belly pan screws, oil pan screws, 6m x 1.0 screws, Valve cover screws. But when I'm removing a screw and my arms are shaking with the power I need to exert, MORE IS NOT BETTER! Get a torque sheet and a torque wrench of appropriate size and at least figure out how much 'too much' is.
2. Dirty parts. My other pet peeve... How can you expect a build to be top notch if everything you put back together is dirty? Dirt behind the crush washer on a oil pan bolt will keep it from sealing.
I don't think the copper or aluminum crush washers need replaced every single time. It just takes some common sense.
1. Overtightened plug.. It doesn't take 60 ft lbs torque. It takes a nudge. I use a right angle Makita battery powered tool that everyone says, "Why do you use a tool that has no TORQUE?" It has plenty enough for things like belly pan screws, oil pan screws, 6m x 1.0 screws, Valve cover screws. But when I'm removing a screw and my arms are shaking with the power I need to exert, MORE IS NOT BETTER! Get a torque sheet and a torque wrench of appropriate size and at least figure out how much 'too much' is.
2. Dirty parts. My other pet peeve... How can you expect a build to be top notch if everything you put back together is dirty? Dirt behind the crush washer on a oil pan bolt will keep it from sealing.
I don't think the copper or aluminum crush washers need replaced every single time. It just takes some common sense.
DivineChaos
Top Post Dawg
Ouch. Values here are nuts. I was given more than I paid for mine. Call a lawyerI need to move to USA...... I'm still battling my insurance on my '10 write-off (3 weeks now) and I'm being offered less than that as a replacement value!
F M L