Oil drain plug gasket

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
kitchman
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My tercel:: 1983 2wd tercel hatch back ,1986 SR5

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by kitchman »

SUCCESS!!!
Ok, this is what I did, to get that depression out from the bottom of the pan where that channel is in the thread bore is. I cut the head of a bolt with a Demel in such a way that it was able to fit into the channel of the threads.Then the bolt was threaded into a short slide hammer with which I bumped out the divot. Used the OEM gasket torqued the drain plug to 25 ft.lbs. and its bone dry Yes!
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splatterdog
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Location: Minnesota, USA

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by splatterdog »

Nicely done! Must not have been too bad. My 84's plug had been overtorqued so bad I needed a whole new sealing surface. Amazingly tough pan threads, that's for sure.
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MrWrench
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5. aka Spud
Location: Michigan
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Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by MrWrench »

Reviving a really old post. I am hopefully going to try and repair mine as well. My 84 is constantly leaking oil and I cannot get it to stop! No matter how many different gaskets/seals I try.
I used some oil dye to verify that it is for sure leaking from my drain plug.
1984 SR5. Lifted offroader with a snorkel. Aka "Thunderbucket"
1985 SR5. Daily driver. Aka "Spud"
1986 SR5. Dakar Rally clone build.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by dlb »

I don't remember this thread but I'm glad you brought it up, MrW. I have an 83 and the drain plug currently does not leak but if it does, I'm glad to have some ideas on how to repair it.
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rer233
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My tercel:: Multiple

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by rer233 »

Just smear some RTV gasket maker around the sealing surface before installing the drain plug!
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
87 fwd silver wagon a/t
87 4wd dx Cream (a/t- not anymore- now m/t)
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SirFoxx
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My tercel:: 1981 Toyota Tercel w/ 7age

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by SirFoxx »

rer233 wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:21 pm Just smear some RTV gasket maker around the sealing surface before installing the drain plug!
rtv doesnt stick to oily surfaces.
1988 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon w/ weber (RIP)
1985 4wd Tercel SR5 (RIP)
1986 Base 2dr Hatch (RIP / PARTS)
1986 DLX 4wd Tercel Wagon with ???
1985 DLX 2dr Tercel Hatch w/manual swap
1981 2dr Toyota Tercel w/7age (RIP)
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel w/Turbo 4AGE
1981 3dr hatch Toyota Tercel SR-5
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rer233
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My tercel:: Multiple

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by rer233 »

i clean the drain plug, smear the RTV on it, and install it in the oil pan- has worked for me!
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
87 fwd silver wagon a/t
87 4wd dx Cream (a/t- not anymore- now m/t)
xirdneh
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My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
Location: seabeck, washington, USA

Re: Oil drain plug gasket

Post by xirdneh »

I attached a picture. Look at right side centered between two spot welds. That is a divot. Under divot is a square notch in the threads to allow every last drop of oil to drain. If you look closly you can make out the square hole. If sheetmetal gets bumped there it will deform the metal and no matter what you do with plug it will leak. i ground a piece of steel rod to a square shape to fit in square hole and pry sheetmetal up.I
Also there are hydraulic line washers that work well too. I forget what they are called but they are steel washers with rubber built in around the hole in the washer.

Dowty washers
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Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
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