On Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:14:37 -0800, jim beam > wrote:

>On 01/01/2010 04:54 PM, JRE wrote:
>> Tegger wrote:
>>> jim beam > wrote in
>>> t:
>>>> On 01/01/2010 12:38 PM, Joe wrote:
>>>
>>>>> It makes sense to be informed. Talk to the technician doing the work
>>>>> before and after. Make sure they're not cutting corners...
>>>>>
>>>> while the dealer is the safest long term bet, i have to say, they're
>>>> not infallible.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ain't that the truth.
>>>
>>> My own dealer got three years out of the original oil pan. Then they
>>> managed to strip the plug. The monkeys were severely overtightening
>>> the plug, probably by using a combo wrench and tightening it by
>>> hanging from it, as monkeys do.
>>>
>>> I'm still running with the replacement pan, sixteen years later. The
>>> plug is not stripped.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> The faithfully torqued (with a torque wrench, to spec, every time,
>> without exception, since the car was new) drain plug in my '91 Accord
>> stripped about a year and a half ago. Pretty annoying...and very
>> unusual. But that's why they make self-tapping replacements, I suppose.
>>
>> (Note: I recently got a new torque wrench and checked it against the old
>> one. They're within a foot-pound of each other.)
>>
>
>[much to the delight of "crv guy" no doubt] i actually disregard factory
>oil pan plug torque. 45N.m is very high for something with a soft
>aluminum crush washer under it. i use ~30N.m and have never had a
>thread strip, nor a plug loosen or leak. replicate at your own risk.


Thanks Jim for your honesty <smile>. At least we can agree here.