Factory Oil Drain Plug

[Blue Streak]

I have been thru the whole dyi complete oil change thread. I was just wondering if any one has had a problem reusing the factory oil drain plug.
Getting ready to do my first after having 3 free bees done at the dealer. I know about the Fumoto's. I can hardly believe the dealer was replacing the plug even at there cost, & it not being listed on the work order as a replacement part. Have not heard of any issues. Trying to get a heads up on things.

Edit: I have changed oil on all my vehicles all my life, so I have done many. Not once have I ever had to replace a drain plug.

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[dmeyer302]

Only time I ever change drain plugs is when the head gets so rounded off you can't loosen it anymore. I've done hundreds of oil changes, farm, vehicle, and otherwise. Tighten it like you mean it and you won't ever have a problem.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I have been thru the whole dyi complete oil change thread. I was just wondering if any one has had a problem reusing the factory oil drain plug.
Getting ready to do my first after having 3 free bees done at the dealer. I know about the Fumoto's. I can hardly believe the dealer was replacing the plug even at there cost, & it not being listed on the work order as a replacement part. Have not heard of any issues. Trying to get a heads up on things.

Having just completed my first oil change, the drain plug is a very robust 15mm head with a flange and a big o ring. It should be good for the life of the vehicle IMO.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Radioman]

Having only 1,080 miles on the Ranger, I haven't done my first oil change yet. I bought a new Motorcraft filter and a new drain plug but I plan on reusing the existing plug for many oil changes. I just like having a new plug on hand just in case I needed it.

 

[Blue Streak]

Having just completed my first oil change, the drain plug is a very robust 15mm head with a flange and a big o ring. It should be good for the life of the vehicle IMO.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Phil hearing this from you gives me a lot more confidence. I am beginning to wonder if drain plug replacement was a marketing strategy to make another sale.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Phil hearing this from you gives me a lot more confidence. I am beginning to wonder if drain plug replacement was a marketing strategy to make another sale.

Hi Larry,

I think the key thing here is to take a moment to inspect the O-Ring. If it is slightly proud of the flange and no missing chunks, It should be good to go. I was looking through the Owners Manual and could not find where it recommends a new drain plug each time. Any idea of where this came from or where in the Owner's Manual it is? From a Ranger Program perspective, If I were still at Ford and found this was proposed for the Ranger, I would not stand for it unless forced to accept...back to the drawing board to fix this...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Blue Streak]

Hi Larry,

I think the key thing here is to take a moment to inspect the O-Ring. If it is slightly proud of the flange and no missing chunks, It should be good to go. I was looking through the Owners Manual and could not find where it recommends a new drain plug each time. Any idea of where this came from or where in the Owner's Manual it is? From a Ranger Program perspective, If I were still at Ford and found this was proposed for the Ranger, I would not stand for it unless forced to accept...back to the drawing board to fix this...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Thanks Phil. I love reading your input to all of us in this forum. Could have been one of those internet rumor things, they spread like wild fire & no one knows where it started.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

I heard you have to change the drain plug every 500 miles, even if you don't change the oil.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I heard you have to change the drain plug every 500 miles, even if you don't change the oil.

Sheesh....like I change my underwear twice a year even if my smell test says I am okay. From where does this crap come? Gotta be Trolls as the Ranger kicks butt to current competitive offerings.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[VAMike]

Only time I ever change drain plugs is when the head gets so rounded off you can't loosen it anymore. I've done hundreds of oil changes, farm, vehicle, and otherwise. Tighten it like you mean it and you won't ever have a problem.

It really depends on the design of the part. If it's a low torque fitting with a crush washer and you overtighten instead of replacing the crush washer you risk ripping the threads out. I'd rather buy a couple of washers than an oil pan. Different design, different rules.

 

[ryyck]

Dang Phil...you as crazy as you sound? Don't smell the underware...do the eye test.
I called a couple of Ford dealerships....they all agreed the plug is steel and will work as needed
and can be reused.
This goes for the diff plug as well.

 

[thewhiteranger]

new owner here and haven't done mine yet -- where does it say to change the drain plug? where did that come from????? and why would we need to do that?
and is the pan aluminum or steel? I was wondering if over-tightening would strip it out? that would be bad.........

 

[LightingBlue]

Just a tip: every few oil changes it's a good idea to anneal the copper washer if you're re-using it.

If you're annealing the washer, and you aren't having a 200 lb gorilla torque down the drain bolt, there is no reason that the factory unit won't last you 100K before even considering replacing the factory washer. The drain plug is a lifetime item, assuming you don't spend your life screwing up hardware.

 

[HenryMac]

Just a tip: every few oil changes it's a good idea to anneal the copper washer if you're re-using it.

If you're annealing the washer, and you aren't having a 200 lb gorilla torque down the drain bolt, there is no reason that the factory unit won't last you 100K before even considering replacing the factory washer. The drain plug is a lifetime item, assuming you don't spend your life screwing up hardware.

There is no copper washer...

Ye Ole 2019 Ranger drain plug

 

[rang19ca]

The drain plug will last as long as the truck if you don't round off the head or tear up the rubber seal.

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