Oil Leak from filter?

Seeria · #1 04/26/09, 08:58 AM

Hello all

We put in a new filter during oil change and now we seem to be losing a quart of oil per 3 miles of driving.

There was a very slow slow drip from oil pan before the change which we though was from the oil pan plug, so we replaced it too. Driving the 3 miles to the store and back, a block from home the oil light came on. ACK Checking it once cooled showed it to be a quart low.

We can't see any forsure leak source and it doesn't leak while parked. Is it possible the filter is faulty? Or maybe something worse?

ninny · #2 04/26/09, 09:30 AM

Take the new filter off and check and make sure that the rubber gasket is on the new filter that seals it to the engine block. Also check to make sure that the rubber gasket from the old filter didn't stay on the engine block. Occasionally the rubber gasket on the old filter will stick on the engine block and create a leak and most of the time it's a big leak.
Check it out.

.

rambler · #3 04/27/09, 03:30 AM

I had a new filter still in the wrapper, there was an obviously flipped gasket that was rolled along into the metal parts. Hard to decribe, but it was an obvious fault & would leaked a lot of oil. So it could be the new filter is just bad.

As mentioned, it is common for an old gasket to stick to the engine; then you have 2 gaskets, the old & the new, and they will not seal up to each other & leak like crazy.

Another common problem is that the new gasket on the new filter did not seat properly in a groove or ridge that it is on, and leaks past this mis-alignment.

Take off the new filter, and look for something bent, assembled wrong, 2 gaskets, or a gasket that did not seat into the place it should have seated into.

Another rare possiblitiy is that you got the wrong filter; or the wrong one was in the box. It's possible a wrong one would screw onto the post, but never seat right. Compare the new one to the old one if you still have it, see if the gasket & holes and all are the same size.

--->Paul

Seeria · #4 04/27/09, 07:15 AM

Thanks

Can't work on it until Saturday so keep her parked and will redo the job then.

I was a teen but had an engine choke on me. Dad cussed my behind up and down about not putting oil in it. After that he forced us all (six teenagers) to learn some basic maintenence for our cars. Seeing that light came on gave me flash backs to teendom. eep

**Cabin Fever** · #5 04/27/09, 08:15 AM

Besides the double gasket problem, I know of a female friend who felt she was not strong enough to hand tighten the new oil filter. She used the oil filter wrench instead. Once, when tightening the new filter, the wrench actually punctured the thin filter canister. Oil ran out the puncture hole very quickly after starting the engine. Always hand tighten the oil filter!

Beeman · #6 04/27/09, 11:58 PM

Is it the correct filter? I've seen the wrong filter installed, will thread on but won't seal correctly. 1qt. in 3 mi. should be pretty obvious and a lot of oil everywhere.

blufford · #7 04/28/09, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeria

Hello all

We put in a new filter during oil change and now we seem to be losing a quart of oil per 3 miles of driving.

There was a very slow slow drip from oil pan before the change which we though was from the oil pan plug, so we replaced it too. Driving the 3 miles to the store and back, a block from home the oil light came on. ACK Checking it once cooled showed it to be a quart low.

We can't see any forsure leak source and it doesn't leak while parked. Is it possible the filter is faulty? Or maybe something worse?

Did you replace the oil plug with the same size plug or a slightly bigger one? If not the plug or filter,
maybe its your oil sending unit. They can be hard to see depending the type car.

Beeman · #8 04/28/09, 07:26 AM

I just reread your OP. 1 qt. low will not usually turn the oil light on, or at least the oil pressure light if that's the one you mean. The oil drain plug should have a seal or washer of some sort which is usually the cause of a drip there.

We really should start from the beginning with what type of vehicle and what engine size along with which filter did you use? Also which oil and how much did you put in? Did you run the engine after changing and then shut it off and check the oil level?

Seeria · #9 04/28/09, 03:40 PM

Update. Hubby swears it wasn't a quart loss. Checking the filter and new plug all seems fine and he can't find oil coming from either.

He's thinking the oil pressure sending unit might be acting up. We had it replaced two years ago. We did some driving around today and have had no oil loss this time, and the oil light came on only once for 30 seconds (shut off once I found a place to pull over, at idle it turned off). Racking my brain, but I could be wrong about the oil difference. This is a "measure twice, cut once" but more "double check then let hubby check".

Car is a Grand Merc 93. Inheritated from a misguided car abuser (mother in law).

The search goes on!

michiganfarmer · #10 04/28/09, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninny

Take the new filter off and check and make sure that the rubber gasket is on the new filter that seals it to the engine block. Also check to make sure that the rubber gasket from the old filter didn't stay on the engine block. Occasionally the rubber gasket on the old filter will stick on the engine block and create a leak and most of the time it's a big leak.
Check it out.

.

that was my first thouhgt

michiganfarmer · #11 04/28/09, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeria

He's thinking the oil pressure sending unit might be acting up.

that is a pretty inexpensive fix, and a pretty good thing to check

RideBarefoot · #12 04/28/09, 03:59 PM

My beloved truck started gushing oil on my way home the other day. Turns out it's the gasket on the oil cooler leaking, very hard to see in the position it's in.

haypoint · #13 04/28/09, 09:58 PM

If you change the oil and filter, check the oil level and it is right on, then start the engine, nearly a quart of oil will go into the oil filter. Then when you check the oil level, it will show a quart low.

Could it be that the missing quart of oil just went to fill the new oil filter?

Seeria · #14 04/29/09, 06:57 AM

If that's how it happens then yup, sounds like it and I'm not nuts thinking I did see it low. *cheers* Older I get the more I wonder.

We're gonna work on changing out the OPS unit and see what happens with that appear/disappear oil light that thinks it is a magician.

Bearfootfarm · #15 04/29/09, 07:46 AM

Quote:

We're gonna work on changing out the OPS unit and see what happens with that appear/disappear oil light that thinks it is a magician

If the light is coming on when its at an idle, it could be the oil pump is goiing bad

seagullplayer · #16 04/29/09, 07:51 AM

CHANGE THE NEW FILTER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like it is an oil flow problem, not a lack of oil. There may very well be a clog in the new filter, your oil light should not go on and off...

Change the filter out and see what happens it is the cheapest and easiest place to start. You can do a google on the subject, but many people will not use a two stage filter for this reason.

Beeman · #17 04/30/09, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeria

Update. Hubby swears it wasn't a quart loss. Checking the filter and new plug all seems fine and he can't find oil coming from either.

He's thinking the oil pressure sending unit might be acting up. We had it replaced two years ago. We did some driving around today and have had no oil loss this time, and the oil light came on only once for 30 seconds (shut off once I found a place to pull over, at idle it turned off). Racking my brain, but I could be wrong about the oil difference. This is a "measure twice, cut once" but more "double check then let hubby check".

Car is a Grand Merc 93. Inheritated from a misguided car abuser (mother in law).

The search goes on!

Right after changing the oil did you drive at highway speed and then have the oil light come on? Then when you pulled over, shut it off and restart the oil light didn't come back on?
This is common on a Ford that has been neglected. What happens is the sludge in the engine drains to the bottom. When driving at highway speed the sludge gets sucked up and starves the oil pump by clogging the screen. When you shut the engine off the sludge settles off the screen and when you restart and idle the pump isn't sucking oil very hard so the light is off.

HermitJohn · #18 04/30/09, 08:42 AM

People who make and sell some of current retail oil filters should be publically horse whipped. Its all about that last nickel of profit anymore. People who make the popular orange filters maybe are the worst offender. They made a good filter 40 years ago and still sell on that old name recognition.

Right now last I read, probably top of line Purolator (PureOne?), the Wix (also sold as NAPA filters), and Motorcraft (relabeled top line Purolator) filters are best. If you can find them, Donaldson and Baldwin/Hastings and German made Mann filters (not the American made ones under license) also top quality.

The rest are just names anymore pasted on generic cheapo filter and sold with lot hype. The Delco and Mopar filters sold retail are not the ones that come on cars out of the factory anymore. Some website that keeps current on this and cuts them open and posts their findings. What the actual filter being sold under a retail name and paint job seems to change frequently.

Anyway what I am saying is bad check valve in a filter can cause oil pressure light to come on. Cheap filter means cheap check valve. I have Fords right now with older engines so use Motorcraft filter since its cheapest of acceptable filters. But would have no problem using others I mentioned.

Seeria · #19 05/01/09, 07:10 AM

Sounds about right Beeman. Will be doing some test driven today to see if the last change fixed anything. And yeah, we bought a different filter this time, hope it is better.

Wis Bang · #20 05/01/09, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

People who make and sell some of current retail oil filters should be publically horse whipped. Its all about that last nickel of profit anymore. People who make the popular orange filters maybe are the worst offender. They made a good filter 40 years ago and still sell on that old name recognition.

Right now last I read, probably top of line Purolator (PureOne?), the Wix (also sold as NAPA filters), and Motorcraft (relabeled top line Purolator) filters are best. If you can find them, Donaldson and Baldwin/Hastings and German made Mann filters (not the American made ones under license) also top quality.

The rest are just names anymore pasted on generic cheapo filter and sold with lot hype. The Delco and Mopar filters sold retail are not the ones that come on cars out of the factory anymore. Some website that keeps current on this and cuts them open and posts their findings. What the actual filter being sold under a retail name and paint job seems to change frequently.

Anyway what I am saying is bad check valve in a filter can cause oil pressure light to come on. Cheap filter means cheap check valve. I have Fords right now with older engines so use Motorcraft filter since its cheapest of acceptable filters. But would have no problem using others I mentioned.

That web page is a real eye opener. I wish I had a link to it.