Crush washers

[grubworm]

great...I already went down the "lube" rabbit hole and now I'm sliding down another hole...the "crush washer" hole

I'm changing out fluids in differentials and was told to change the fluid AND the crush washer. I ordered the crush washers and see that they are flat on one side and rounded on the other. I searched for the proper orientation of the washer...flat side against the bolt head OR flat side against the housing. oddly enough...the internet seems to be 50/50 on what side goes where. even Reddit seemed to be split on this. after hours of searching...it dawned on me that I am actually a member of the greatest forum on the internet.
so with that revelation...I ask: "What is the proper orientation of a crush washer?"

(if worse comes to worse...i'll use 2 of them back to back and that way at least one side will be right....)

 

[highboy4x4]

Yup, interweb is all over the place. I think of a muzzle break or suppressor. Beveled toward receiver. So I would place the flat side against the bolt head, beveled side towards diff.

 

[grubworm]

Yup, interweb is all over the place. I think of a muzzle break or suppressor. Beveled toward receiver. So I would place the flat side against the bolt head, beveled side towards diff.

View attachment 297628

sounds logical...and in the case of an oil pan, it also sounds logical that the flat goes against the pan because the flat side wont damage the pan and the pan is more expensive and harder to replace than the bolt.
its just so odd to me that I cant even find the manufacturer recommendation for the orientation. the internet is so full of information, and yet its harder and harder to get a definitive answer on ANYTHING. like trying to ask my wife where she wants to go out to eat...

I'm going to install it with the flat against the washer like you said. I'm going with the logic that the crush washer is meant to seal on an imperfect surface, and the imperfect surface would be the oil pan, differential housing, etc...

I like it when life is so good my only big concern is the proper orientation of a washer...

thanks!

 

[highboy4x4]

Yup, interweb is all over the place. I think of a muzzle break or suppressor. Beveled toward receiver. So I would place the flat side against the bolt head, beveled side towards diff.

View attachment 297628

sounds logical...and in the case of an oil pan, it also sounds logical that the flat goes against the pan because the flat side wont damage the pan and the pan is more expensive and harder to replace than the bolt.
its just so odd to me that I cant even find the manufacturer recommendation for the orientation. the internet is so full of information, and yet its harder and harder to get a definitive answer on ANYTHING. like trying to ask my wife where she wants to go out to eat...

I'm going to install it with the flat against the washer like you said. I'm going with the logic that the crush washer is meant to seal on an imperfect surface, and the imperfect surface would be the oil pan, differential housing, etc...

I like it when life is so good my only big concern is the proper orientation of a washer...

thanks!

Cheese whiz, you had to ruin it by bringing up the age old dilemma of restaurants…

 

[FishinCrzy]

crush washer is meant to seal on an imperfect surface

That and/or maybe on the side that is most likely to be above ambient pressure?? No reel knowledge just spitballing.

 

[grubworm]

im sure I need a good slap for this...
I ordered a whole bag of crush washers and started my work a couple hours ago. I ended up just going with flat copper washers that are soft and seal with pressure and don't have any orientation since they are flat on both sides...
this whole post and $20 worth of crush washers for nothing...

 

[MuckSavage]

Just drill the appropriate sized hole in a penny....Viola! Crush washer (do it while there's still pennies around)

 

[MOAK]

Hmm, I never thought about it much, I just put the flat side on the mating surface and the crush side on the bolt head. For some reason that seemed to make sense. Never had any leaks- carry on

 

[grubworm]

Just drill the appropriate sized hole in a penny...

im not putting another hole in that mans head...

 

[grubworm]

well, this thread wasn't a total loss...
while searching "crush" washer, I did come across a clip of this old skit that i'd forgotten about...

 

[genocache]

In the Land Rover world, old used crush washers can be reused once you anneal them.

 

[grubworm]

In the Land Rover world, old used crush washers can be reused once you anneal them.

that's good to know...
I initially went to the local NAPA to get the 18mm crush washers I needed and they didn't have any in stock, so knowing that they can be annealed and reused could definitely get you out of a bind if you don't have new ones

oddly enough, the transfer case uses NPT plugs, so no washers there, but I did need thread sealant for those

 

[highboy4x4]

im sure I need a good slap for this...
I ordered a whole bag of crush washers and started my work a couple hours ago. I ended up just going with flat copper washers that are soft and seal with pressure and don't have any orientation since they are flat on both sides...
this whole post and $20 worth of crush washers for nothing...

View attachment 297638

@grubworm, I had to laugh at your comment… as a retired Warrant Officer, we “always” gave free advice and then when the CDR didnt follow, we said this… nothing personal here but man this is funny…

 

[grubworm]

@grubworm, I had to laugh at your comment… as a retired Warrant Officer, we “always” gave free advice and then when the CDR didnt follow, we said this… nothing personal here but man this is funny…

ha! well, on subs, we called that "OBE"..."overcome by events"
meaning that I had intentions of doing one thing, but due to unforseen events...I ended up doing something else instead...


...basically, once I started the job on my Tundra, I saw that the plugs came OEM with copper washers instead of crush washers, like I was led to believe by a Google search prior to commencement...

also...i'm pretty sure a person who constantly asks your advice and does the complete opposite is called a "WIFE"

 

[grubworm]

damn...not only is the internet bad for online dating...its pretty much bad for any information....

before changing fluids on the wife's jeep sahara...I consulted the Almighty Internet for what pieces and parts I needed prior to starting the job. the internet said that the jeep had a Dana 30 front and Dana 40 rear and that both needed a replacement 18mm crush washers when reinstalling the plugs.

well...BOTH axles have NPT plugs as well as the Xfer case. so the bag of unused washers for my Tundra are also unused for the jeep...

on the bright side, we do have an anniversary coming up, so it looks like the wife is going to be getting jewelry this year...