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I just finished changing the final gear oil and I notice in my owners manual that there's no mention of using crush washers for the drain bolt or the filler bolt? I assume you should have one for the drain bolt?

Item 26 is listed as a "gasket" for the drain plug and fill plug. Item 13 for the oil pan drain plug is listed as a gasket also. Unless they are damaged they don't need to be replaced. I haven't changed them for over 62 k miles.

Get yourself a couple of Dowty washers, fit and forget.

I sold my 2007 FJR with 295,000 km on it - bought it with 20,000 km on the clock. The bike still had the crush washers for engine and final drive drain bolts that were on the bike when I got it. Never a drop of leakage from either location. Without a new crush washer on the bolt, you have to be a little more careful with tightening - I expect that there is less range between too loose and stripped.

Intech wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 10:24 am Item 26 is listed as a "gasket" for the drain plug and fill plug. Item 13 for the oil pan drain plug is listed as a gasket also. Unless they are damaged they don't need to be replaced. I haven't changed them for over 62 k miles.

I stopped by a Yamaha dealer awhile back to get the oil change supplies. The parts guy says there is no "crush washer" listed. We go back and forth. He turns the screen around and shows me there is only a "gasket".

I tell him I will take one of those. He comes back with a crush washer and a %$# eating grin.

I was changing them every time. Good to know I can reuse them.

Crush washers once used once or twice (depending on how ham-fisted you are or if you used the 31 ft. lbs. Yamaha torque spec), are merely flat washers... get the Honda aluminum ones and problems solved.

raYzerman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 12:27 pm Crush washers once used once or twice (depending on how ham-fisted you are or if you used the 31 ft. lbs. Yamaha torque spec), are merely flat washers... get the Honda aluminum ones and problems solved.

You are absolutely right that the crush(ed) washer is effectively a flat washer but it is a flat washer that has been precisely profiled to the drain bolt and the oil pan. The soft aluminum Honda washers work at least as well as the Yamaha "crush" washers and the rubber insert "Dowty" washers work as well. In the past, I have also used soft copper washers for oil drain bolts (as well as brake banjo fittings).

They all work to prevent leaks and to help prevent the bolt loosening due to vibration. I don't especially take pride in the fact that I never bothered to change the crush washer, just pointing out that it is one of those things that probably doesn't matter that much. There are a lot more important maintenance considerations!!

I still have the original factory crush washer on the engine oil drain bolt. Nary a leak to be seen. I had to switch to a Dowty washer on the final drive drain bolt very early to stop the oozing.

raYzerman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 12:27 pm Crush washers once used once or twice (depending on how ham-fisted you are or if you used the 31 ft. lbs. Yamaha torque spec), are merely flat washers... get the Honda aluminum ones and problems solved.

Hmmm....’ham-fisted’. For as long as I can remember anything that had a lower torque spec used to get finger tightened and a quarter turn. Never ha a problem. Out of curiosity I set my torque to 17ft lbs and quickly discovered that a quarter turn is closer to 20+ ft lbs. I guess I should be using my torque wrench more often on these lower torque specs like drain bolts. Trusting of course that my torque wrench is even accurate

I use torque wrenches to make sure I don't overtorque something.

Spec for rear diff drain plug is 17 ft. lbs. assuming you're using a crush washer..... but with a true crush washer all you have to do is start crushing and I'll give you your 1/4 turn and you can stop. After that you're just flattening it more.
Honda torque spec for their aluminum washer is 22 ft. lbs. 20 is good. If you repeatedly overtorque the Honda washer, after many oil changes it will just start wrapping itself around the head of the drain plug.... I just took the one off the VFR which I'm going to assume is 21 years old... had to chisel it off the bolt, put a new one on.

I've never changed a crush washer on any of my bikes in 30 years. Never had a problem.

FJRPittsburgh wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2020 8:31 pm I've never changed a crush washer on any of my bikes in 30 years. Never had a problem.

On 4 different bikes over the last 20-odd yrs I've replaced 1. Final drive on the FJR.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 7:16 pm I use torque wrenches to make sure I don't overtorque something.

I use Gunthers method, good n tight.