How screwed am I....

[dconger74]

I changed my oil and when I drained it and put the new filter on everything was fine. put in the new oil and all and was cleaning up and noticed the washer off of the drain plug on the top of my pan. Am I in a bad way? I would really hate to drain all this new oil and have to buy more. would I be okay until the next change. TIA

[funnyguy44444]

It's not a big deal really. You should change the gasket every time you change the oil but it isn't a necessary thing. It certainly wont hurt anything. The only issue would be if the drain plug is leaking in which case you probably need to put a gasket on there. otherwise don't sweat it, just make sure you put a new one on next time you change the oil.

[BamZipPow]

You could easily catch yer new oil in a cleaned up catch pan...they only cost about $5. Put the washer back on (provided it's in good condition...if not, git a new one) and tighten the drain plug in place. Pour the new oil from the catch pan back into the engine. You might lose a little bit so it wouldn't hurt to have some new oil to top up with.