Archived Oil plug leak

[JCyrbok]

I changed oil today with no problem. I have the "Superplug" from Geno's garage, which I have read is having problems staying tight. I have never had a problem with mine.



After I drained oil, I re-installed the plug, with a new DC plug washer, the rubber and metal kind and torqued to 40lbs/ft.



refilled and I have a farely steady leak from the plug. Tightened it alittle more and still leaking. Dont feel comfortable tightening anymore for fear of rear big problems.



Any help that can get me through a couple of weeks? I just changed to synthetics and was going to run about 500 miles and change oil to get rid of all the crud the syn loosened up.



I know have big fear of going out to garage in the morning to go to work and find 11qts of 15w40 on the floor instead of in my truck were I left it.



ANy help would be appreciated.



J-



PS 2001 2500 4x4 with 20K. never a leak before.

 

[DEZLPWR]

Get rid of the Superplug....

or, in the meantime, put some silicon around the drain plug to seal it. I had the same problem. The silicon is getting me by until my next oil change where the Superplug will be removed and thrown in the garbage!

 

[Ron Bissett]

Drain oil in to a clean pan to use again after checking the seal and seal seat on the pan clean , then use the oem plug if you still have it if not use the super plug then use some sealer around plug after torque to spec's use plenty your choice let dry then fill with the oil you drained to the CLEAN pan . Then get a new plug your choice , and get some sleep . Lol Ron in Louisville KY Oo. Oo.

 

[Bob Horrell]

The problem is that the pan gets slightly warped around the plug opening from too much torque. Drain the oil and then sand lightly around the plug opening with a sanding block and fine sand paper. You don't need to sand very much. When you start you will see where the surface is uneven in the sanding marks. The paint comes off first on the high marks. As soon as all the paint is removed right around the plug hole, you are good and then any plug will work. The uneveness comes from the holes in the thread area so that oil can be drained without completely removing the plug. When torqueing the plug some of the metal moves easier because of the missing metal for the drain holes and leaves an uneven surface. Once sanded the problem seems to go away forever.

Hope this helps.

 

[BigMike]

Is the Geno's Superplug the same as the Heavy Duty Plug with Magnetic Tip from Geno's. I have an oil leak also and am planning on replacing my existing plug with the Heavy Duty plug. Not sure I should after reading this thread.

 

[DEZLPWR]

Nope, they are two totally different plugs... . Go with the heavy duty one!

 

[Joe Mc]

I have the plane old HD non-mag head plug for 32k now, no leaks. Changed the first gasket last oil change, just because I got 5 from Geno's. Figured 5 should last me another 140k or at least till I'm ready to get another.

 

[bavrit]

I changed my oil last week and I have the superplug. This is the second oil change on the plug. I had a small leak to start with and now it is leaking significantly more. I rechecked the torque and it is still at 44 lbs. I bought a new factory original plug with gasket today. The gasket has a rubber side and a hard fibre side, which side goes against the oil pan? Throw the superplug in the trash. . I will try to analyze it before I throw it away. .

 

[BigMike]

Thanks Bob Horrel for the solution to my leak problem. I had the dealer change my oil back in October. He put in a new plug and apparently over tightened it. I have taken it back several times, gone through several different gaskets. I bought a Heavy Duty plug from Geno's hoping that would work. It didn't. I finally took it back today and they sanded it per your suggestion and it appears to have done the trick. I'll see in the morning after it's parked all night. What a relief. I knew the next step might have been an oil pan replacement and what a battle that could have been.

 

[BigMike]

Guess I spoke to soon. Turns out I still have a leak around the plug. The good news is that Dodge will cover the replacement of the oil pan under the 100,000 mile warranty. Otherwise, I'd be looking at a $700 cost. Apparently this is a common problem if you over tighten the plug. Does anyone know if there is a deductible under the warranty? I'll have to check my info.

 

[Phil Stuart]

Oil pan plug woes

Hello all,



I also have the Geno's heavy duty plug and after the first oil change with the new plug installed, noted a leak ever so small but nonetheless still a leak after about 2,000 miles. The plug had worked It's way loose by the compression of the new sealing washer. I just torqued it back down to about 40 ft. lb. and kept an eye on it. It hasn't leaked since(whew!)



Phil

 

[jboehm]

42K, and change (almost) every 3500 miles since new. . no leaks for me. Original plug, gasket, etc. I do clean the plug, gasket, and wipe clean the sealing area on the pan, before reinstalling the plug. . Never a drop of oil. , but then I don't have to overtorque it to seal... that causes more problems. Heck. . last time I changed oil, seemed like the plug tightend a bit from the last change, just from vibration. I know I didn't do it!



Clean, Clean, Clean. . including the threads, dirt in oil is evil, right?

 

[illflem]

Both of my trucks with stock plugs seem to tighten themselves also. I just go by feel with a 8" wrench when replacing the plug, doubt if it's anywhere near the 40 ft/lbs people talk about torqueing to, always takes a two foot breaker bar to get it off the next time. I have absolutely no worry about the plug falling off.

 

[DSiemens]

stock oil plug

My stock oil plug also tightens itself. I tighten until snug but nowhere near 40 ft/lb. No leaks either. A quick pull on long handle ratchet loosens it just fine.

 

[RKohn]

Mine was loose.

guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it and sand the mating surface at the next change.

 

[bavrit]

Superplug woes

I think I may know why the plug leaks. I also experienced the loose plug on the first oil change and then a oil leak on the second oil change. I dumped my new oil and studied the problem. The problem is a combination of the oil pan design and the plug design. If you put your finger into the oil hole on the pan you will discover that the threads do not go all the way to the bottom of the pan, the threads start about 1/4 of an inch from the hole. The oil hole is larger at the edge than it is before the threads start. The Superplug design is a nut design as opposed to the circle design of the original. The sealing edge of the superplug is 0. 14 inches, the original is 0. 25 inches. The torque of the superplug is applied to the oil pan in narrow area where there are no threads, remember the threads do not come all the way to the edge. When it is torqued it allows the pan to deform just around the oil hole where there is no threads. Sure enough I now have a circular protruding edge just around the oil hole. Hope this makes sense?? I am not positive of this but it makes sense when you study it. I think if the Superplug were re-designed with a larger circular sealing edge it would be awesome...

 

[bavrit]

Geno's superplug part 2

I spent this morning analyzing the problem a bit more. The lip of the oil pan gets sucked up letting it leak. The problem is still not enough surface area on the plug. "read my previous post on oil pan design". The scenario is you install your new plug, as time and temp cycles go by the lip on the oil plug hole moves letting the plug get loose. Once the lip moves enough the plug starts to leak. As of today with a new dodge plug it appears the leak has stopped, I was worried because sanding the flange would not help. I leaked a 1/2 quart of oil in 500 miles with the old plug. . . . I still think if the superplug were redesigned with circular surface area identical to the original plug we would have a success. Hope this helps!

 

[Bill Lins]

What about putting a steel (fender) washer on the plug before placing the sealing washer on it? Reckon that would help ( making the sealing area bigger)?

 

[Bob Horrell]

Both my wife's 95 and my 96 developed the leaks described with the stock plug. Sanded both of them years ago and neither has leaked since, and both have the stock plugs. Mine also are much tighter when I go to loosen them than when I torque them after an oil change. I still have original washers.

 

[Gifford]

plug gasket

I let one of those quickie lube places do my oil once (never again) they lost the sealing washer in the drain tank somehow, took them 3 hours to get a new gasket. To make a long story short, it turned that the gasket the parts company brought them was the wrong one, so they MADE it fit by over-torqing it. I didnt discover it till the next oil change. Even with a new dodge plug and gasket it leaks BAD. My fix, which has been working for over 75k miles now, is to add a homemade cork gasket around the plug. The cork only lasts a couple oil changes, so last time I was at the hardware store buying some cork sheet, I bought a rubber/vinyl type sheet too. It seems to work just as well as the cork and is more durable. It costs only . 79/ per sq. ft. so you can make several gaskets pretty cheap. (Cheaper than a new oil pan anyway!)