how can i keep my oilfilter from "seeping"?

ddw350

ddw350

Registered User
i changed oil a week ago and noticed oil seeping from the filter seal.it normally seeps a little,but there was a quarter size puddle underneath in just a day.i always coat the filter before i install it,and usually tighten it up with the filter wrench,if i dont it really drips,should i remove,clean the seating surface and recoat with something heavier like grease...im going on a 500 mile trip saturday,i figure it would be a good idea not to have oil dripping out the whole time!
 
You sure it was engine oil seeping and not power steering fluid? I have a bad powersteering line on mine right now and it almost looks like the oil is dripping off the oil filter. Stock engine mounts are shot and need replaced as well.
 
im pretty sure,like i say it usually leaks a little,for some reason its more this time.i'll fool with it tomarrow,maybe tighten it a little,hose everything down up in there with some brakcleen and see what happens.i dont think it will hurt anything,in fact once it warms up it probeley{?} doesnt leak..this is a peace of mind thing i guess...
 
Just a quick thought...........are you sure that when you took off the old filter that the gasket came off with it. In other words are there 2 gaskets now there.
This is not a problem that comes up very often, usually the old finger tight and then 3/4 to one turn works great.

R910
 
ddw350 said:
hose everything down up in there with some brakcleen and see what happens....
Click to expand...

Whatever you do, don't use brake cleaner to clean it with. Use carb cleaner. The brake cleaner will dry out rubber parts and cuase them to crack or fail sooner. Or use engine degreaser. I've found the Supertech engine degreaser works just as good as the more expensive foamy stuff, and leaves the engine and other parts real clean after you rinse it off with water.
 
im sure theres not 2 gaskets,cause the old one fell out as i was taking the filter down..maybe ill just wipe things down good with a rag instead of hosing with brakecleen.ever since i got this car ive always had to crank the filter down,the hand tighting 1 turn doesnt seem to work on this car,my other vehicles that works fine,ill give a 1/8 turn with the wrench and see what happens...
 
I always tighten mine with a filter wrench because they are in such an awkward place.........BUT.......remember what goes on at some point has to come off. I used to work in a garage and I have on numerous occassions had to chisel filters off. You can always get them off but it gets to be a messy proposition sometimes.
BTW what type of filter are you using????

R910
 
i know,they come off hard sometimes!i use wix 51516[i think thats the #]my dad gets them by the case,but they switched to fleetguard,i dont know that # yet...
 
Never heard of Wix.

Anyway, I always use a filter wrench to tighten the filter. I highly recommed it, unless you have a deathgrip of a hand.
 
are you sure its not oil that dripped out of the filter when you changed it that got stuck in that cross member lip? Just a thought... it gets pretty nasty in there.
 
heres the deal....i climed under there this evening and looked real close,its definately coming from the filter,BUT not from the rubber seal,but at the bottom of the canister,where its seamed to the thicker metal part that houses the rubber seal!!so when i tried to tighten it the canister was spinning but the base wasnt!so i put a new filter on[we been using wix filters as long as i can remember]
retightened by hand ,then just a touch with the filter wrench,i havent really driven it yet,but i let it run for 15 minutes and no leak..oh yea get this..i lost oil when i took the filter off[naturally] then it continued to come out as i was getting the new filter,so when i checked it it was low.i figured maybe a quart ran out ,so i dumped a quart back in.ten minutes later i was back under the car draining out the excess oil that was 3/4 inch over the fill mark!...what a damn joke!!
 
So.........bad filter eh! Damn I hate when stuff like that happens.

BTW how did you drain the extra oil out after you had found out that you had overfilled it?

R910
 
you know..its ashame that stuff happens,i mean thats a pretty serious thing to have gone bad,especially being new..right out of the box,just imagine being halfway into my trip this weekend,and the filter canister falls off...by time you figure out what happened,5 qts of mobil 1 would be all over I 95 southbound!!i'd be on the side of the road,with more than likely a damaged motor...anyhow,i loosened the plug and gently eased it out until a steady but manageable stream of oil came out,hardly even made a mess[thats a damn wonder!!]..oh yea,isnt wix filters one of the largest fiter companies around??they sponser all that nascar,nhra stuff i think....
 
Actually, I think Fram does. They're huge. You'll see their filters in almost every local auto parts store.
 
For future reference the oil pressure sender will look as though it's leaking from the filter or the oil pump itself.

Jeff
 
fram...wix

well just so you don;t feel bad i have heard of both wix and fleet gaurd. my dad gets them by the case too but i personally like to use the fram ones with the like grip tape on them they are way easier to get on there good and get off later. just my opinion.
 
let me guess,your dad does something in the heavy equipment field??seems everyone who deals with this stuff has cases of filters in thier garage..
 
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