by induction1, September 16, 2004
i do all the oil changes on my 2004 S, and i noticed that the first time i did it, i did not have a drain plug gasket. of course, i have noticed no leakage, but i am entitled to one, right? would it be appropriate to ask for one at the dealership? advice? thanks
You mean that the original drain plug didn't have a gasket from the factory or that there wasn't one included with the filter?
It is usually a good idea to replace the gasket - but I have reused my old one (ran out) and didn't have any leaks. Normally - the dealership will charge for those little gaskets. Sometimes, the dealer will throw them in for free - depends on the dealership and if the parts department knows you.
Check to make sure the gasket isn't sticking to the oil pan. It has happened to me before, and I know it stuck when I was doing my first oil change.
I've been running without one for the last 150K miles, no problems, no leaks.
no worries here either........
I've been doing my own oil changes on my '03 Corolla LE, and keep a couple of new gaskets up my sleeve in case I need one. So far, I've been able to simply clean up the old gasket and re-install it without any leaks. I find it has more of a tendency to stick to the plug itself than the oil pan; if it didn't come off with the plug, it would most likely pop off and into whatevr container you are draining your oil -- necessitating a messy recovery job if you don't have a replacement gasket immediately to hand.
I would not want to install the drain plug without a gasket, since this may encourage one to over-tighten it. The gasket is there because it serves a useful function -- don't second-guess it. They are cheap as chips and readily available at your Toyota Dealer's Parts Department.
