I bought OEM oil filters for my car and they came with crush washers. When I changed the oil for the first time I noticed there was no crush washer on the car so added the one that came with the filter. Now, after doing the first oil change after the dealer service, I saw the dealer removed the crush washer.

Looks like this was a question with the 1st gen MINIs: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ug-washer.html

So, is a crush washer needed?

 

hmm mine had one...then when i did the first change i replaced it with the new one...

 

Yes, to prevent leaks, you will need to replace the crush washer with the new one. Also, make sure you remove the old one before installing the new one.

 

When I changed my oil, at first I didn't think there was one either. I wiped the drain plug area and felt with my fingers, and it sure didn't seem like there was one there.

Knowing that I had read somewhere else that it was stuck on the oil pan when someone else had changed it, I got a flat screwdriver and voila..there it was! It was just pushed on so hard it was almost as if it were part of the oil pan. So your dealer may have found TWO when they changed it!

 

does anyone know if the crush washer is directional? ie - it only works if placed with certain side up...?

 

No, it's not directional. It's simply made to give a tight seal while being slightly "crushed". My crush washer (new) looks the same top or bottom.

Tony

 

Believe me, there IS a crush washer there, if you look very close, it just doesnt fall off and appears to be a part of the enclosure. i have gone through this, and there are several other posts on the same situation. Yes you need a new crush washer and you need to remove the old one, BUT if you have "doubled up" i would keep a close eye on it for leaks in the future.

 

i had that question too when i did my first change... the cross section of it looks like a 6 or a 9 however you look at it but it seems like both the little 'tail' piece and and the actual roundness of it both crush to seal flat... i just put the more rounded side towards the pan lol