oil change mistake

[BillP603]

I did the same thing on my 2000 F-150, changed the oil, started it up and pulled out of the garage and into the turnaround on my driveway. Got out to double check the level after 45 seconds of running and saw the trail I had left. Had to wait for my wife to get home to have another vehicle to go get more oil, then had to do another oil change in the driveway after it was dark.

 

[Soundguy]

even on a big set of ramps I find it difficut to service my wifes yukon.. there are 2 filters 2.. one for 2wd which is longer, and easier to remove ( slightly ).. makes less mess too.. and the 4wd model which is short. In fact it is so short.. it worries me. I've seen rider mowers with bigger filters.

the long filter physically fits the space but must be maneuvered thru a maze of bolted on junk down there, being inverted twice.. so i have to stuff a paper towell into the hole and put cardboard down to prevent making too much a mess. i like the longer filter just because. may be a mental thing.. but more filter media seems better to me.. the 4wd adds a bunch of junk to work around and thus the shorter fitler.. same engine though.. so that's why i use th elong filter. it must be better if they spec it instead of the short one on the 2wd model..

soundguy

 

[oldyellr]

I know it says to only hand tighten oil filters, but I've always used a tool on them since I had one come loose. Many years ago I left my car at a service station to get an oil change before taking a road trip. The next morning out on the highway someone in a passing car pointed at me and I saw I was leaving a cloud of smoke behind me. Turns out the oil filter had loosened and I'd lost half my oil. I've never ever let someone else change my oil since and always tightened the oil filter with a tool.

 

[Bird]

I know it says to only hand tighten oil filters, but I've always used a tool on them since I had one come loose. Many years ago I left my car at a service station to get an oil change before taking a road trip. The next morning out on the highway someone in a passing car pointed at me and I saw I was leaving a cloud of smoke behind me. Turns out the oil filter had loosened and I'd lost half my oil. I've never ever let someone else change my oil since and always tightened the oil filter with a tool.

It didn't come loose because it was hand tightened. It came loose because it was NOT tightened. I certainly use a tool to remove a filter, but never to tighten one, and I've never had one come loose or leak, except the one I mentioned before where I failed to remove the old gasket. If you use a tool to tighten a filter, I'd be concerned about the possibility of crushing and distorting the gasket and increasing, rather than decreasing, the liklihood of leaking, not to mention perhaps making it more difficult to remove the next time. But if you've been doing it and getting away with it (perhaps using a tool, but not over doing it), well, I won't argue with success.:laughing:

 

[Diamondpilot]

It didn't come loose because it was hand tightened. It came loose because it was NOT tightened. I certainly use a tool to remove a filter, but never to tighten one, and I've never had one come loose or leak, except the one I mentioned before where I failed to remove the old gasket. If you use a tool to tighten a filter, I'd be concerned about the possibility of crushing and distorting the gasket and increasing, rather than decreasing, the liklihood of leaking, not to mention perhaps making it more difficult to remove the next time. But if you've been doing it and getting away with it (perhaps using a tool, but not over doing it), well, I won't argue with success.:laughing:

You are 100% correct Bird. Tightening with a tool will cause more troubles in the long run. I do tons of oil changes, maybe 100 per year, and Bird has probably done 10 times the amount I have working at a service station.

Just spin it on then tighten as much as you can by hand is plenty.

Chris

 

[EE_Bota]

when i precharge my new filter there is usually enough oil at the top of the filter to dab a finger into to run around the gasket.

soundguy

I don't pre-charge my filter. It that important? (anyone)
If I did that, that would make me break out new oil a bit earlier in the process, so I could use clean oil then on the gasket like Soundguy does.

 

[Bird]

How many of you are old enough to remember when oil filters were in a cannister up at the top of the engine?:laughing: You removed a bolt from the center of the lid, lifted the lid off, then lifted the old filter out and used a little hand vacuum pump to suck out the old oil that was in the cannister before wiping it out with a rag and putting the new filter in. In fact, the one time I failed to remove an old gasket was of that kind. The gasket was stuck in the lid and I just failed to notice it. What year was it in the late '50s when they came out with oil filters mounted onto the side of the engine block and you changed them from underneath instead of from above? But they were still filters in a cannister. Then they came out with the spin on throw away filters. And we used to sell an adapter that we mounted onto the engine block in place of the cannister then put on a spin on filter.

 

[EE_Bota]

********************************
I don't understand why anyone would simply yank a filter off and stick on a new one without first inspecting and cleaning that area. :confused2:

I'm sorry. I mislead you. I was thinking of it like Chris does, and he does many changes on many different types of vehicles. I rolled my Subaru, BX2200, ST1100 and riding mower into one overall experience.

Your comments have forced me to think more carefully and divide up the pack. I have never made an oil mistake on any car, but on my Tractor, I left the plug out once.

I do always wipe down the filter boss, and the plug area of the pan, and replace the sealing washer with new. I do have a strategy for the plug on the car.

The tractor....I think I was just beat. I replaced both axle seals in the front, and adjusted the axle pivot, and all that took me hours and hours.

And I thought...change the oil too, it's time. So I started that.

Then I noted :Wow..in 2 more engine hours, it is time to adjust the valves: "I ain't doing that without changing the oil" so I decided to adjust the valves.

I got all that done, but kicked the pan a bit..leaving an oil spill. I got distracted cleaning that up...then I realized I really couldn't clean it up since the front tire was in the thick of the spill. So, I put the oil in to move the tractor to clean up the oil spill. I NEVER COULD get the thing right on the stick. Then I looked down, and noticed that the BLACK oil had pretty oil in it, and the spill was much larger. I got blue about it, and down on myself, and looked at my watch and noticed it was way after midnight. And I still had to complete the oil change, clean up the huge mess, and shower, and eat supper...

I think had I not left that plug out, I would have had a huge feeling of accomplishment, but instead, I felt like an idiot. But that was not being very kind to myself, since if a buddy had done it, I would have cheered him up, not beat him down.

 

[Bird]

I don't pre-charge my filter. It that important? (anyone)
If I did that, that would make me break out new oil a bit earlier in the process, so I could use clean oil then on the gasket like Soundguy does.

I don't know how important it is, but I've never done it either in the past. But it does seem like a good idea. Of course when a filter is mounted horizontally, I think it would sure be messy Now the manual for my new Toro ZTR with Kohler engine does say to do that, and it's mounted vertically, therefore I fully intend to do so.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Charging a filter is only important or possible on some engines. Dmax for example you can fill then put in place, same for the Ford Powerstrokes with the cartridge type. Just pour some in the filter housing.


Now on all my late model GM powered boats its impossible, the filter is mounted upside down as it is on my Kohler powered riding mower.

I guess it all depends on the application.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

How many of you are old enough to remember when oil filters were in a cannister up at the top of the engine?:laughing: r.

90% of my tractors use a filter canister and element

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I don't pre-charge my filter. It that important? (anyone)
If I did that, that would make me break out new oil a bit earlier in the process, so I could use clean oil then on the gasket like Soundguy does.

important? I like to do it. On a system that is not a waste filtration flow IMHO.. oil pressure comes up a bit sooner..

soundguy

 

[dstig1]

I know it says to only hand tighten oil filters, but I've always used a tool on them since I had one come loose. Many years ago I left my car at a service station to get an oil change before taking a road trip. The next morning out on the highway someone in a passing car pointed at me and I saw I was leaving a cloud of smoke behind me. Turns out the oil filter had loosened and I'd lost half my oil. I've never ever let someone else change my oil since and always tightened the oil filter with a tool.

I think you took the wrong lesson from this. The proper lesson is not to tighten the filter with a tool, but rather to NOT LET A TOOL tighten your filter

 

[dodge man]

I often use dirty oil on my new filter gasket, I can't imagine it makes any difference. I also use a tool to tighten my filter, but just a little bit, maybe a1/16 if a turn, just to make sure its tight. I also fill my filter if its possible, like Chris said, it depends on the desgin if thats even possible. If you don't fill the filter, you will see the oil pressure stay low for a couple of seconds, but I don't think its a big deal either way.

 

[EE_Bota]

important? I like to do it. On a system that is not a waste filtration flow IMHO.. oil pressure comes up a bit sooner..

soundguy

Where it is practical to do, I see no downside, and quicker flow is a definite upside, so I think I will do the same. Thanks!

 

[Soundguy]

i always do it on verticle mounted filters, and half fill horizontal mounts.

in the few ODD cases of upside down verticle filters.. i don't charge them. thankfully I ony have 2 pieces of equipment like that.

on vertical canister filters i precharge the canister after the element is in.. in horizontal canister filters, or the odd inverse vertical ones.. no precharge either.

soundguy

 

[clemsonfor]

I was changing the oil in my 97 F150 and made a dumb mistake. In my rush, I did not check the old oil filter to make sure the gasket came off with it. I installed the new filter (motorcraft), filled it with 6 qts of oil, checked the level and fired it up. I picked up my tools, took about 2 minutes, climbed in the truck and noticed the oil pressure gauge had not moved and the oil light was on. I immediately killed the truck. Never once did I hear any knocking or valve train noise while it was running but the gauge registered no oil pressure. I traced the problem to the oil filter housing where the old oil ring was still present, causing oil to blow out between the filter and housing. Would this cause me to not have oil pressure or for just the gauge to tell me I didn't? Does it get its reading from the oil filter housing? The motor is a 4.6 just in case. Thanks guys.

About 5 yrs ago i was changing oil in my ranger and the gasket stuck on the surface mounting area for the filter. Started it up and started to hear a water noise leaking from under the truck, i looked and noticed oil. I shut it down and pulled filer off and lookedat the old one and noticed the gasket was not on it. Pulled it off the block and reinstalled new one. Only lost about 2 qts. I always look at the filter not to see if it came off, and will never leave a just started up vehicle after a change incase something like this happens. I guess this is why they always say check for leaks after you start up.

In your case i think you will be fine as there was a film there, these things can run a lot longer than you think with out oil.

Another thing i did while working in my father in laws shop was changing oil. Forgot to put the plug in. Luckily the drain pan was there but i poured 4 or 5 qts in before i realized. It overflowed the pan by a qt or 2. I had a clean up and wasted 5 qts of oil!

 

[oldyellr]

I think you took the wrong lesson from this. The proper lesson is not to tighten the filter with a tool, but rather to NOT LET A TOOL tighten your filter

Yeah, in my case the TOOL forgot to tighten the filter. Ever since then I've changed my own oil. On some of my cars the filters have been awkward to grip, which is why I use a tool. I also like to have them so the part number shows, which may need an extra 1/4 turn I can't manage by hand.

 

[clemsonfor]

even on a big set of ramps I find it difficut to service my wifes yukon.. there are 2 filters 2.. one for 2wd which is longer, and easier to remove ( slightly ).. makes less mess too.. and the 4wd model which is short. In fact it is so short.. it worries me. I've seen rider mowers with bigger filters.

the long filter physically fits the space but must be maneuvered thru a maze of bolted on junk down there, being inverted twice.. so i have to stuff a paper towell into the hole and put cardboard down to prevent making too much a mess. i like the longer filter just because. may be a mental thing.. but more filter media seems better to me.. the 4wd adds a bunch of junk to work around and thus the shorter fitler.. same engine though.. so that's why i use th elong filter. it must be better if they spec it instead of the short one on the 2wd model..

soundguy

GM's been doing this at least 25 years that i know of! The old s-10's had possibly the same filters as wht your talking about a small 3"er and about a 6"er.

 

[Soundguy]

very well could be.. that small one just looks too small to me...

of course gm tells me my 5.3 buring 2.5 qts oil between changes is within spec too..


soundguy