GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I am about to do the 1st oil change. Is there a drain plug gasket on these I should worry about? My last GM had an o-ring that lasted about 100k or so. Is this being a Toyota drive train, different??? also I see this is a steel oil pan. So, I don't suppose I need a torque spec. on the drain plug?

There is a small gasket that you're technically supposed to replace after each oil change. But if it looks ok when you take it out, there shouldn't be any problem with re-using it a couple times.

I like the o-ring design. Metal to metal on the drain plug to pan. The o-ring seals it up, they never leak. Guess this is different, guess it's just a fiber gasket? thanks...

When i did my frist oil change, the dealer that did it before i owned it, crushed the crap out of the o-ring :S so i had to buy a new gasket but ended up just getting a new plug/gasket, hasnt leaked yet

I guess they are a fiber type then? Similar to replacements I see at Advance Auto.

yea i think so, metal strands were coming off sorta like flaking.

could be a washer/gasket type that is used on motorcycles. Motorcycle ones are a metal crush washer. They call them gaskets. They are clearly all metal. Can be reused dozens of times as long as they are not over torqued. That's also what my old Mitsubishi had.

I got the drain plug gasket. They have 2 types. One is all black through and through. The other I was told is same as it comes from the factory , aluminum in the middle with a black coating on the contact surfaces. Both are toyota parts. What a joke. Hope I can find an o-ring design drain plug that fits like my old Bonnevile.

Hey, I changed my oil for the second time on my 05 vibe and my drain plug doesn't have a gasket. I noticed it didn't have one when I took if off either. Maybe I lost it when doing my first oil change but I think I would have noticed it. Either way, I didn't lose any oil between changes. Do you suppose maybe the purpose of the washer/gakset it to make it less eaier to strip the drainplug???

All drain plugs have some type of seal. On most GM's it's an o-ring that is part of the drain plug. Others use a gasket of some kind. My Mitsubishi had a crush washer like that on a spark plug. It never needed changing in 120k miles. My motorcycles use that same crush design. My old Bonneville's o-ring lasted 120k. A gasket that needs "should" be changed at every oil change is a joke. I will be looking for an alternative. Maybe just a copper or aluminum washer. The Toyota one is 12mm. Man, I suggest you look carefully at the next change. Get a spare from the dealer they are $1. It could be stuck to the oil pan. I will be doing mine next week.

Jasonvibe, I'm telling man, there wasn't one there when I took the drainplug off this time. I don't think it was there the first time either. (this is my 2nd oil change) I carefully checked the bottom of the pan I drained the oil into. Unless like you say it may have been stuck to the oil pan. My Hyundai used to have one so I know exactly what you're talking about.I can say that the surface of hole around the drain felt smooth and flat so that when you put the plug back in, its very flush to the pan. Perhaps the flatness I felt on the oil pan was in fact the washer, but i counldn't pry it off with my fingernail nohow.

It's 1AM and this is really bugging me. So I put on my reading glasses, crawled under the car, stuck my head close to the oil pan and sure enough I can see a metal washer between the drainplug and oil pan. You're right, it must have stuck to the pan. Thanks.

so my aftermarket drain plug gasket is stretching out (its like plastic or something like that) and I want a stock drain plug and gasket again. so my cars at the dealer now getting the cv joint replaced and I asked for a quote for the drain plug/gasket and it was $17!!!! YEA RIGHT im so not paying that.anyone know the part number for those so I can go to the toyota dealer and get a quote? thanks!

I just cut a new gasket each time from a sheet of rubber impregnated cork. You can get this from most auto parts stores. It's a roll of gasket material. You cut the inside hold the size of your drain plug of course. The trick is to cut the ourside way oversize, like 1.25" dia. Because of it's flimsiness the extra diameter will keep it from wiggling out from under the bolt head. Also, don't tighten the plug real tight. Just to where you think the gasket is about to wiggle out from under. Also you have to lightly oil the gasket so that it doesn't twist around when tightening. I have been doing this for years on my cars with no leaks.

I just changed my oil today and I have a thin fiber washer on my plug. Before today I would have bet my pay check that I do not have a washer on my plug since I changed it 3 times and did not see it. Go figure.