How tight should I tighten the drain plug after oil change? To not having leaks or stripping the threads out of the oil pan.

 

2004 manual says to torque Transmition drain plug to 37 ft. lbs., Diff drain plug to 37 ft. lbs.

A good quess for the engine would be aaahhh.... 37 ft. lbs.?

 

That's what I wonder. How tight is 37 ft lbs? haha~

Any idea examples? such as after finger tight, then do another 1/2 turn maybe? or as hard as I can pull with one or two fingers on the wrench?

 

That's what I've done for 36 years. I've never had to use a torque wrench for something this simple in all of my cars.

 

I never needed a torque wrench in the past either, but I've heard stories of people stripping threads on lug bolts, so I went ahead and invested in one. Not a bad tool to have when you're around aluminum too.

 

If you don't want to use a torque wrench then take it to the dealership; they don't use them either. I know, it cost me $350 for a new oil pan in my 99 Interped a few years ago. The A--holes used a temp plug and when I found out they claimed it was already stripped when they got to it. I thought that was kind of funny since they were the last ones to do the previous oil change so I don't know how long it had been there but I know that last time I did it, which had been three oil changes before, the pan was fine and I always use a torque wrench but it was my word against theirs. By the way that was last oil change I have ever had done by someone else.

 

Sounds like a torque wrench would be a good investment. thanks guys. I'll go get one this weekend.

 

I just checked the manual, the oil pan drain plug is actually 22 ft lbs.

FYI, Transmission drain plug is 15 ft lbs, Spark plug is 21 ft lbs, wheel bolts is 81 ft lbs.

 

I'm Sorry, Here is the pages from the 2004_ZH29_Crossfire_Service_Manual.pdf

pdf's should be attached....

 

Just did ours a week ago. I did put a small dab of liquid sealer on the washer. I too did not want to overtighten, but did not want a leak. Next time I will replace the washer on the drain plug, got to be cheap insurance.

 

Been a while since I changed the oil. I wonder if the washer is rubber or not and maybe the extra washer that comes with the iol filter is for the drain plug?

 

jackei,

The torque for the oil pan plug is 22 ft lbs. Chris gave you the wrong procedures one is for the Transmission and the other is the rear differential; here is the oil change procedure from the manual. You should technically replace the brass gasket each time. I bought 10 of the for a $1.00 at the dealership when I bought my filters.

 

Great Research! I just didn't read every page in the manual. I stand corrected for my mistake. Thank You

 

Checked the torque wrench, only the "LARGE" size is available. They are excellent for the wheel bolts, but I think it is way too big to work under the car. FYI, I found walmart has the cheapest torque wrench for $25.

 

How bad it is to not changing a new gasket? Since it is made of brass (not rubber) that won't get cracks or compressed too much.

by the way. thanks for the info on the price.

 

I am sure many people never change it until it becomes horribly deformed. When I change my oil through the bottom I always change the gasket; it's only a dime and it's cheap insurance. However, after the second oil change(after 10,000 miles I figured the engine was broken in) I have strictly used the ToSider so I no longer touch the plug.

 

I called two different dealers, the gasket is actually $2 each... Do you know the size of the gasket maybe I can get a better deal from autozone or kragen.

 

Schumacher Mercedes in Scottsdale threw one in for free when I bought my oil filter.......

 

jackei,

Your dealer is hosing you. I found out that dealer Parts departments charge whatever they want over their actual cost and the price can vary greatly from dealership to dealership. I bought the paper filters for $9 and the fleece for $12 but another dealership quoted me $18 and $27 in the same town. In fact I don't buy parts from any of the Chrysler dealerships because I found that the Dodge and/or Jeep only dealerships have been having the lowest markup in my area. Seems that if they sell Chrysler products they figure their parts are made of gold.

 

Would anyone happen to know the size of the drain plug bolt? I have a limited set of sockets, and I'd rather figure out whether I need to borrow a socket before the car is up in the car. Thanks.