Isn't there a washer- maybe a copper seal- that goes on the oil drain plug bolt? I just refilled the crankcase and saw this suspicious washer left behind, but my garage is full of loose hardware from past disassemblies. Does it go in there, between the crankcase and bolt?

Yeah, there's supposed to be a sealing washer.

You can get them here, amongst other places-

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=N138152


As a substitute, for years I salvaged the sealing washers from my spark plugs, and reused them on the oil drain. I got 4 oil changes for every spark plug change, and never had a leak. In fact, I may go back to that, because since I switched to the "correct" copper rings, I always have a wet drain plug screw!

Jim

thanks jim.