Oil Plug Torque
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 244
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
Oil Plug Torque
What is the torque specs for the oil plug bolt? I have an 06 F150 5.4... I do not have the tear down book where it tells me the info, and I did not have the owners manual handy at the time. Thanks....
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,293
Likes: 18
Snug that plug! Fight tight! Really, turn it down until it stops, then give it about another 1/8 turn. 10 ft. lbs. is very low torque and it's easy to over-tighten. Particularly with aluminum oil pans you don't want to yank on that wrench like you see them do at the oil change joints, shaking the whole truck as a 250-lb gorilla with a 12" ratchet handle yanks on it with all his might. I have a small SUV with aluminum pan, and the drain plug has a T-45 Torx socket. Even with that and being careful, it's still hard to get loose on the next change. I usually have to tap the medium ratchet handle to break it loose because I can't get far enough under the vehicle (without raising it) to get good leverage. I treat drain plugs exactly like spark plugs - snug 'em down and don't put any real weight on the wrench. I haven't personally changed the oil on my 2007 F-150 yet since the dealer gave me the first change, but IIRC it has an aluminum pan (4.2L), so I'll be doing the same as the SUV. Steel pans are more forgiving but are still easy to strip. Ask anybody that's ever worked at an oil-change joint how many repair kits they put in for drain plugs.
Last edited by 1saxman; Oct 28, 2007 at 10:25 AM.
