Crush Washer Oreintation

[bullpup]

Can anyone please help? I will never use my local quck lube again so I am doing this myself. Today willl be the first oil change at 5000 miles.
Does anyone know if there is a correct way to put on the drain plug washer. I ordered my filters and washers from the Toyota dealer. One side seems flater. Is this just my imagination? I would presume the flatter side goes facing towards the drain plug.

[toyomoho]

My guess is curvature you are feeling was left over from when the washer was stamped out. Since the washer is aluminum, it will comply with whatever steel mating surfaces it encounters. The service manual shows no preference during installing. If you want, installing the curved side of the washer toward the oil pan would seem to be preferable. The washer would flare out a little and help seal drain hole. The manual does state it is a non-reusable part, however the washer can be reused with no problem. Make sure it does not become crushed due to continuous over tightening.

[bullpup]

I just removed the plug and letting it drain good while I have coffee. Hopefully the factory filter comes off just as easy!

[Mike Gerber]

The generation 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's I have worked on all had fiber washers. If it is a fiber washer, the smooth side goes toward the pan. It goes on that way so the washer won't stick to the pan when the bolt is removed.

Mike