the tinkerbell engineers overthink everything.....that is why they have issues their whole life........heat your washer over the stove....i shared that to-day at the bar....they had a great laugh on the hair dressers

 

Well, assuming your serious the washer is not a crush washer it is a sealing ring.

It is made of a very hard material, not aluminum but a silicon bronze alloy *specifically* designed to not crush.

The sealing ring is very flat, its surfaces very parallel, and it is as I said above very hard. It is a sealing ring because it *seals* the drain plug and the sump plate.

It is a use once and replace item.

The reason is because while it is hard, harder than the drain plug or sump plate material, it still deforms a bit on the surface the drain plug tightens against.

If the sealing ring is reused and this now deformed surface once again ends up with the drain plug tightened against it the drain plug no longer has a flat surface to tighten against but instead there's a ridge. The sealing of the drain plug to this ring is compromised. There can be a slight leak of oil at this area.

The other problem is the ridge damages the surface finish and the sealing integrity of the drain plug. So when a new sealing ring is used the drain plug may no longer form a leak free seal with the new sealing ring due to the surface finish damage it sustains.

If the deformed side of the sealing ring is placed against the sump plate this mars the finish there and over time this can lead to a leak even if a new sealing ring is used.

By reusing the sealing ring you are damaging the drain plug and sump plate, the very things you would normally want to preserve. The sealing ring is the sacrificial item in the drain plug/sump plate sealing and you are reusing this very inexpensive item at the expense of the more expensive drain plug and the even more expensive sump plate.

Over time the drain plug and the sump area around it will show signs of an oil leak.

I recall years ago as a kid watching the gas station mechanics -- this when almost every gas station offered auto servicing and repairs -- and one of the first things a mechanic did was when under a car taking a rag to wipe the drop of oil hanging from the oil sump drain plug so it wouldn't drip on him as he worked under the car.

Also, for a few years I delivered newspapers and every driveway had a nice big oil stain from the oil leaks mainly from the lousy "crush" washer setup.

Porsche develops a better alternative to this "crush washer" setup and the result is a leak free drain plug/oil sump seal and then owners who ought to know better come along and with their servicing (I use this term loosely) reuse the sealing ring, damage the drain plug and the sump plate sealing surfaces, and roll the clock back 50 or 60 years.

Nice. Welcome back to the 1950's.

 

I just add a new washer each time. I'm up to 6 now. Had to buy a longer bolt at 4.

 

If you guys use the right oil, you don't need a washer.

I have a found that running pure unicorn **** is the most effective. It has a unique lubricating property that emulates DT40 and totally eliminates the need for a washer or plug.

 

This is absolutely priceless........

 

Wow Bruce. The natives are restless tonight.

"Tinkerbell engineers", "welcome back to the 1950's", "unicorn ****"...the hyperbole is thick in this thread.

I think I'll stir the pot a little bit more.

I think Hitler re-used his crush washers. Do you want to be like Hitler?

 

They may have come out with improved washers over the years but I insist on using only Porsche N-rated washers on my car. YMMV.

 

Amateurs....all of yea.

This is how you know the job was done right!!!!!

-

 

Sorry but thr truth hurts i guess.

I'll put it this way.

Reusing the sealing ring is what you do when you don't know what you are doing.

 

Perhaps you could elaborate as to why Porsche calls it a crush washer, look up the definition of a crush washer, what annealing means,does,how to do it, then you will be up to speed as to what we are discussing.
We are not talking about a crush you have on your girlfriend and you seal the deal with a ring

 

All the documentation I've seen refers to the ring as a sealing ring.

Here's a link to a parts diagram for the 997 engine crankcase and item #24 is the sealing ring and is referred to by this name in the item list to the side of the diagram.

http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=101-05

As an ex-welder and ex-journeyman machinist I know very well what annealing does and annealing this sealing ring is just adding insult to injury.

Like I said reusing the sealing ring is what one does when he doesn't know what he's doing. And I'll add annealing it is well, I don't want to be too harsh so I won't say anything more.

Reuse the sealing ring if you want ruin the sealing surfaces of the drain plug and the sump plate. The sealing ring costs $0.50. The drain plug $3.75. The sump plate costs $149 to $161.

I will say this so it is prefectly clear: Do not reuse the sealing ring. Replace it with a new one every time you remove the drain plug.

 

https://www.suncoastparts.com/produc...021900930.html

I can call up porsche parts too. Its a flippin aluminum crush washer that prevents leakage between the pan and the bolt.
Brand new its annealed, hence softened so when torqued, crushed, worked, whatever seals and is worked hardened. If you reuse it you should anneal it again.....not hard to do.....so that it has the same properties as new.
Apparently there are some who just reuse it without annealing and OMG still NO LEAK. Hope their engines were not insulted by that nor injured.

It amazes me how some need to make something a dissertation and catastrophic event out of nothing. Well , a little aluminum washer. Stick to the thread.

But thank you Bruce, this is why I love this forum. Its like bits and bites .....a whole new handful everytime.

 

From the Porsche PET Catalog: Sealing Ring #900 123 106 30

 

Crush washer = Sealant Ring = Gasket = Sealing Washer

They are the same thing. Not figuratively, but really, the same thing. They are "soft" to conform by deforming and fill space with the purpose of sealing gas or liquid with a plug. BTW, what a vendor calls their thingy is their business... there is no law or council passing judgement on what a business calls their parts. I perused some engineering publications and the best "official" name for these things I found is Sealing Washer. I believe Crush is more of a slang word that became common.... but it is not wrong to use it. I found one supplier who called one a "Copper Plug Gasket Sealing Washer".

I don't believe for the life of me that re-using one will do any damage to anything at all.... however, as the ring looses its efficacy, we humans will crank down on the plug until the leak stops... thus weakening or damaging threads etc.... I wonder how many of those spotted garage floors (spots from oil drain plugs) were actually caused by ham-handed gorillas cranking things down way past torque spec over and over and doing damage rather than a any gasket issue (how many garages actually use a torque wrench?).

I will now find a guy named Neal, fill him full of liquor, and have him do unspeakable acts to aluminum.... and then re-use the gasket.... for the third time. (Why? Are you kidding? After all this drivel, I can't wait to report on this at my subsequent oil change.)

If...... if my unholy use of poor Neal and gasket reuse doesn't get me hauled into some monkey court of German engineers seeking to build a planet of maintenance perfection, or if I do damage to my pan... I will.... wait for it.... replace any damaged parts (or I may just throw the car away having stained it with abuse). But even then if my pan is damaged beyond use, I just may buy a fatter, softer, sealing washer like a copper one. But I don't think that will happen... the damage that is... the monkey court worries me.

(Wow, three pages of entertainment..... and counting....)

Peace
Bruce in Philly