Sump Plug Washer Differences?

[Chief]

Hi,
A while ago I bought a sump plug washer, and have finally got round to emptying the old oil.

As this was my first time doing the oil myself, I had never seen the original washer but expected it to be identical to the new one, however it isn't.

The old one is a thick solid copper washer, the new is a collapsing type.

I presume the old one (currently back on finger tight), since it worked, can be re-used? or should I use the new one anyway?

I did wonder if I'd been sent the type of washer used on the oil filter pipe by mistake?

Thanks

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[philthehill]

Either washer is correct and either can be used to seal the sump plug.
The old solid washer before refitting should be heated to cherry red and then quenched or left to cool to make it supple.
I suspect the squashable washer is now used because copper is very expensive and that solid washer weighs a lot more making it more expensive to produce.

[Chief]

Thanks for the reply, I decided to try using the original again, unsure if it was cherry red but it was certainly hot enough that even when I thought it was cold it wasn't.

I've put in 1L of oil in the hope that if I don't find a puddle of oil by tomorrow it'll mean the washer is working.

[oliver90owner]

It does need heating to cherry red.

Regarding which type, I would say the solid washer is a better bet as it can be reliably re-used. I would not wish to anneal an already flattened version. Of course, condition of the washer is an important consideration before re-using it.

Back in the 1960s I re-used a solid head gasket, on my motorcycle engine, several times by careful annealing it.

[philthehill]

Way back I did the same thing on my Seagull outboard engine which had a solid copper head gasket. Worked well with no problems for many years.
To reiterate the above - the copper washer/gasket must be cherry red to be effective in softening the copper washer.

[myoldjalopy]

Well, it is no doubt better to have the sump plug washer but I never used one for years because I didn't know there should be one! Never had any leaks either. I bet there are lots running round even now without them.