16 ft/lbs, seems like a lot for the drain plug

[hemi]

just finished my oil change. After reading a few posts where people stripped the drain plug i was terrified to torque it again to 16 ft/lbs. I know, i know, i always sweat the small stuff. Ended up torqueing the plug with my craftsman 3/8" in/lb torque wrench to 12 ft/lbs, or 144 in/lbs. 12 ft/lbs seems about perfect really, it's about 1/8-1/4 turn past snug. Gonna go with it for now and see if it leaks at all, but i doubt it will. I would rather have the plug be a tad loose and leak a bit than tighten too much and strip it. Last time i torqued it to 16 ft/lbs without a glitch, but this time took it nice and slow with it set on 12, and i'm afraid to go anymore. If it starts to leak, i will just torque another ft/lb and see if it stops

 

[Schism]

i said the same thing to myself when i replaced my pan. i was in the ballpark of 12lbs. or a pinch shorter to be safe. no leaks and a little paranoia was good for a change.

 

[kromdom]

I know, i know, i always sweat the small stuff.

hmmmmm.......Suzuki pays R&D engineers the big bucks for a reason, man. But you're probably gonna be OK with not following what the owner's/service manual recommends (surprising to hear from an OCD guy like you)

 

[kairles]

Hmmmmmm. I've never torqued a drain plug, on my cars or my bikes.

 

[hemi]

don't think it's gonna hurt anything not following suzuki's torque recommendations on the plug and goin with 12 ft/lbs instead of 16. Worst that could happen, it leaks a few drops and i snug it up a bit more. Trust me, if it leaks just one drop i will know. Kairles, i also have never used a torque wrench on a drain plug in my trucks or bikes, but after reading on here how easy the pan is to strip, and how quite a few have done it, others recommended definitely using a torque wrench on it to be safe, so i have used one the last few changes

 

[crawler]

Worst case is the plug falls out while you're cooking down the highway with the engine wound up. This results in you possibly wiping out from driving through your oil spill, or having a low/no oil pressure condition and possibly scoring bearings.

 

[fiend]

Worst case is the plug falls out while you're cooking down the highway with the engine wound up. This results in you possibly wiping out from driving through your oil spill, or having a low/no oil pressure condition and possibly scoring bearings.

No biggie just a little wipeout. Could end up bring a very costly drain plug if you ask me.

The plug may not loosen up until the motor gets warm and then it could possibly vibrate out while your riding. IMO it wouldn't hurt to add the other 4 ft lbs of torque. Just do it 2 ft lbs at a time.


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[crawler]

No biggie just a little wipeout. Could end up bring a very costly drain plug if you ask me.

The plug may not loosen up until the motor gets warm and then it could possibly vibrate out while your riding. IMO it wouldn't hurt to add the other 4 ft lbs of torque. Just do it 2 ft lbs at a time.


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My point exactly.

 

[Flicka]

I see nothing wrong with running the drain plug slightly looser than spec, but you should at least safety wire it.

 

[hemi]

ok i guess u guys are right, that would be a disaster if the plug went flyin out while cruising down the freeway at 100mph. Went ahead and torqued it to 16, so all is good now. Just get so nervous about that stupid plug after i read how easy it is to strip, and quite a few have had it happen. Wonder what the chances of stripping it are if u have a nice in/lb torque wrench (craftsman microtorque), u reset it back to zero after every use to maintain its calibration, and set it exactly at 16ft/lbs every time. I would think the odds of stripping are pretty slim? Wonder how much torque it could actually hold before ripping the threads out

 

[HillbillyTom]

I always clean the threads up after draining the oil (on the bolt at least), then put a film of RTV on the bolt threads. I torque mine to 192 in lbs (16 ft lbs), and the RTV acts as a sealant/slight thread locker. I've used the RTV trick on drain plugs in cars, trucks, street and dirt bikes for years now, not one problem or a single drop of a leak in any of them.

 

[skydivr]

Did you use a new crush washer or not? The new washer will 'give' a little so 16 isn't so bad...if using the old washer that has already "crushed" gotta be careful about going to full 16 as there's not 'give' yet. Torqueing a little under the manual won't hurt if it makes you feel better.

 

[hemi]

no just been using the original crush washer. The crush washer is a whole other story, many say they never have changed one, many say to change it every time

 

[HillbillyTom]

I changed my crush washer once, and it went to leaking. That's when I resorted to the RTV on the bolt to stop it. Never leaked before I changed the crush washer, and hasn't leaked since I started the RTV treatment with the new washer.