Oil Drain plug - copper ring

[Rockhoundrob]

My daughter has a 2009 Rogue - 155,000 miles.

For a few months I noticed an oil stain under her car. Maybe 1-2 drops a day. It was coming from the oil drain plug.

Yesterday, I changed the oil and got a new drain plug from Autozone.
The plug came with a washer, but it was made of some material that is not copper. It almost looks like high temperature paper.
I got a small packet of various size copper washer, but none of them fit.

Does anyone have an idea what size washers to get?
I'd like to get a pack of 10, so I will be good for 3-4 years.

[itsa300zx]

I use these from rock auto,

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nis ... asket,5428

[VStar650CL]

The Nissan crush washer is p/n 11026-JA00A. You can get 10-packs all over eBay for $5~8.

[casperfun]

The Nissan crush washer is p/n 11026-JA00A. You can get 10-packs all over eBay for $5~8.

Bought cheap copper crush washers on eBay for my 2009 Rogue, very happy with them and never had a problem.

[VStar650CL]

I might add, those washers are almost infinitely reusable if you don't get carried away with torque and you wipe both surfaces before reinstalling. Our '13 Altie hasn't had a new one since we bought it, and that amounts to about 25 oil changes. It doesn't leak in the slightest. "Snug" and "clean" are the active terms.

[Rockhoundrob]

I see 2 types listed here... crush washers and "Normal" copper washers.

I assume the crush washers have to be replaced every time, while the copper washers can be reused?

[VStar650CL]

I see 2 types listed here... crush washers and "Normal" copper washers.

I assume the crush washers have to be replaced every time, while the copper washers can be reused?

Correct. The copper flatwashers (banjo washers properly) will compress and spread over time to maintain a flat surface seal, so they can be reused until they spread too much. The Nissan factory washers are the crush type, and those (at least officially) shouldn't be re-used.

[casperfun]

I might add, those washers are almost infinitely reusable if you don't get carried away with torque and you wipe both surfaces before reinstalling. Our '13 Altie hasn't had a new one since we bought it, and that amounts to about 25 oil changes. It doesn't leak in the slightest. "Snug" and "clean" are the active terms.

Sometimes when I can’t remove a crush washer at that particular moment for one reason or another, I have reused it with no problem. Sometimes I’m too lazy trying to remove them if it’s giving me a hard time and I prefer to deal with it later on the next oil change.

[Lone Wolff]

I have always (almost 40 years since my first oil change) tightened oil drain plugs as tight as I can get with the standard length 3/8 drive ratchet. Never had one leak and as long as I use a longer 1/2" drive ratchet for removal, never have an issue with getting one loose.
Granted most of those first 20 years of oil changes were on older cars without any crush washers, but I use same method on newer vehicles with crush washers. I reuse the washers on both the Rogue and my motorcycles for about 4-5 changes before replacing them just as a peace of mind.
YMMV.

[casperfun]

Same here, never used any washers most of my life when I first had a brand new 1990 pearl glow nissan maxima. No leaks. Only last few years I used a crush washer for the hell of it.

[Rockhoundrob]

Just had a thought...

If the oil pan is steel and the washer is copper, won' that cause Electrolysis?
In other words, would that cause electrical corrosion due to 2 different types of metal?

[itsa300zx]

You mean galvanic corrosion? you also need an electrolyte (ie water moisture that is slightly acidic) to have this occur.
These parts are usually covered in a thin layer of oil to prevent the moisture causing galvanic corrosion.
Not a concern in this application.

[Rockhoundrob]

OK, I have heard about not using steel brackets to hold copper pipes.

Guess I will give this a try...

Thanks for the info!

[VStar650CL]

The little bit of action you get between the washer, pan, and plug will actually act like Loctite. It isn't as if it's a crank bolt intended to be in place for the life of the motor. The fact that it's constantly in and out makes whatever galvanic action might occur irrelevant, and even if it became serious, the washer would sacrifice itself to save the pan and plug. So @itsa300zx is quite right, don't worry about it.