How to stop your sump plug oil leak!

So, truthfully : Is there anything more annoying than coming home to your lovely drive, to see a little oil stain on it? 

Apart from coming home the next night, and seeing another one!  So how do you prevent this from happening?  Do you always come home when its dark, or do you try and prevent the oil drip in the first place? 

The simple answer is: 

Always replace your sump washer EVERY time you change the oil, whether you think it needs replacing or not.  Most sump plug washers are designed to provide an excellent seal ONCE, and once only.    So what’s the good news?  Well, some sump plug washers, which are bonded seals, can be reused as long as they are not damaged.  Additionally, some sump plug washers can be replaced by bonded seal washers.  In these instances, you don’t have to keep changing them. 

There are also some tweaks you can make in changing the type of sump washer already fitted, to ensure that you get a better seal and save money in the long run. 

GM Engined Vehicles:

SP6 Sump Plug	SW3 Washer

Instead of fitting an SW6 O-ring, fit an SW3 Sump Washer instead.   This will give you a much better seal and as long as the washer isn’t visibly damaged, you can use it again.

 

Sump Plug with SW4 bonded seal washer.	For Ford vehicles that are fitted with a nylon washer, fit the SW4 bonded seal.

 

Peugeot/Citroen: 

Peugeot / Citroen Vehicles which use crushable copper washers SW17 or SW12 can be replaced with bonded seals SW17B and SW4 - as is fitted on virtually all vans using these engines. 

Change from crushable to bonded seal washers.