engcogod

My truck is leaking a little bit of oil from around the drain plug.. I wiped the whole pan clean and it not dripping from anywhere else.. Theres just always a drop coming from the drainplug... I checked & the plug is tight, but is there some sort of gasket that goes on the plug?

NoSmokeNoGo

There should be a gasket. I always wrap the plug with teflon tape and make a gasket with that. You have to put the tape right but the gasket because the way the pan is built there are holes at the bottom of the threads so it wont help to seal the threads.

zulusafari

Please be very carefull with the teflon tape. I have seen more than one motor with plugged oil galleries from teflon tape pieces leftover from sealing bolts. I am not saying don't use it, just be aware of the teflon pieces left after the threads cut into it. Be sure to clean out the oil plug threads (oil pan too) at each oil change. Having an engine roast from something as small as a telon tape shred is very heartbreaking. I do not know if teflon paste is better or not?

infidel

Many times chronically leaking drain plugs are due to overtightening which warps the pan. Not having the metal gasket in place doesn't help either.
Best bet for fixing one that leaks all the time is to buy one of the ez drain valves that many outfits sell, clean the mating surfaces well and apply some RTV sealant. Never have to remove the plug again and keep a good seal.

The teflon tape on the drain plug is a really bad idea, the stuff is almost impossible to get off the female threads without getting some inside the pan. Since not all oil flow goes through the filter it can end up clogging a cylinder nozzle and trashing your engine.
In my opinion teflon tape is for plumbing and has no place at all on a vehicle because the residue is so hard to remove.

NoSmokeNoGo

I didn't know that teflon tape was such a bad idea. I said to use it to make a gasket not put it on the threads. I did this on my 96 cummins from 110k miles when I bought it until I sold it with 187k and I never had a problem. I was just sharing my experiance. Puting tape on the threads isn't going to help stop it from leaking.