What's the prime culprit? Oil filter didn't fly off. Any most likely connection?

p.s. did not need this today...not that there's ever a good time.

oil * anti-freeze * trans fluid ?

Looks like oil

hole in pan

Blew the oil filter gasket out?

Oil. Fired up, purred like a kitten for 60 seconds, then some secondary noise made me think "uh oh" then oil light on. I immediately shut it down and went around front and the car was bleeding out oil.

Oil filter was super loose. Guess I should have checked before I fired it up. Hand-tightened, will fill up with oil and try again. Or should I get a wrench?

hand tighten only.

No wrench. You might want to spin on a new one.

Did you check to see the gasket was still in place?

Thanks, ok I will get a new filter and hand tighten it, fill with oil, then fire it up again. Now I have to figure out how to get all that oil out of my engine compartment. yuck! do people still steam clean and is that advisable?

Go buy several cans of engine degreaser and use it several different times after rinsing off the first batch Not the foaming type either :

Go buy some Gunk at the auto parts store. Don't spray anything electrical with it.

Double gasket will do that.

Douse it with Simple Green and blast it at the do it yourself carwash.

I change oil for a living...for 33 years now at the same company.

I used to think hand tight was good but from experience I found out that is not tight enough sometimes. So I spin them on hand tight and then they need a little torque n with a filter wrench to insure what happened to you does not not happen to a vehicle going down the road.

I always put some dirty oil on the rubber gasket before installation. Yea dirty oil whats dripping off the vehicle only because I am lazy and it works for many years now.

If I am doing big trucks with big filters then I fill the filter 3/4 full first with fresh oil and then it get a little fresh oil on the gasket.

Use a wrench!

Anyone bother to read the directions when putting on a new filter?

Wix:

Spin on the new filter. When the gasket contacts
the mounting base, rotate the filter 3/4 turn.

Fram:

Screw new filter on until gasket reaches base contact. Then tighten according to instructions on filter using tightening guide markers.

Cummins:

Carefully read the installation instructions printed on the outside of the filter to determine the number of turns the filter must to be rotated past gasket contact for proper installation and gasket compression.

Purolator:

Tighten the amount specified for your filter beyond gasket contact (3/4, ¾ - 1, etc)


They all also state use CLEAN oil and not grease.

I have ALWAYS filled the filter then used some of that oil on the gasket, spin it on quickly (some oil loss is normal) then tighten 3/4 turn to seat the gasket. Never just hand tighten or use double gaskets.

Never had a spin-on oil filter drip a drop when its been hand tightened.
Of course you have to be smarter than the filter and make sure it and your hands are clean so you can get a solid grip. (Did I really need to say that?)

Yes, the "standard" is film of new oil on the gasket and tighten 3/4 turn once the gasket makes contact. For a new filter.

Filter wrenches can distort and puncture the filter case.

Nothing worse than some yoyo that tightens the oil filter to the point you have to chisel it off to change oil.

It don't sound like you have ever done a big truck oil change, it is impossible to get those big filters tight by hand. In 33 years of doing it here at work, I have yet to damage a filter big or small by using filter wrench on them.

That will happen with no lube on the gasket...IMO.

We're not talking about "big trucks" though, are we?


Over 45 years doing this crap.
Its not rocket surgery.
I have never seen one filter mfg suggest using a filter wrench to install a spin on filter ON A PASSENGER VEHICLE.

There are DIRECTIONS??? someplace?

And some people can't turn a filter 3/4 turn by hand. So, use a wrench as needed.

Exactly.

When someone says never a wrench needed I think of trucks, excuse me.

Yup. Always check the old filter to make sure the gasket came off with it.

I did that one time when the car was parked on a slight incline. I started it and hopped back out and noticed oil running out from right behind the front tire. Dove back in and shut it off. Big nessy mess to clean up, but didn't hurt the engine.

I was taught to run a film of oil around the rubber sealing ring and hand screw it snug with one hand only.

I was taught to use fresh oil on a new filter gasket.
It's already there when I fill the filter.
Never used the wrench to tighten 'em.
Always needed one to remove 'em.

Only time I had a filter isues was...
You guessed it the old gasket was still there.
I only needed to do that once.

I'm a Toyota forklift tech and I like that the OEM Toyota filters come with plastic over the end of the filter with the right amount of grease. I've never seen that with any other filter manufacturer. I've done plenty of oil changes in my career and hand tight has never failed me for regular automotive. I've also worked on big trucks and I agree they need a little more torque I was a fan of the old strap wrench.

For automotive / light truck oil changes, I always hand tighten so they are SNUG - probably 3/4 turn after the gasket makes contact. I use a coating of drain oil to lubricate the new gasket. I've also experienced the dreaded double gasket debacle on my old (new) 96 Ram back when it was a couple years old. In the driveway of course. Started it up & heard a gurgling noise & oil streaming onto the ground - shut it off immediately. No problems - just a mess.

Thank god us as a group here are not responsible for world peace.

Id just like to see more pics of that dart!

Well my hand-tightening didn't quite work...i am not strong enough I suppose...another 4+ quarts on the ground. Arrgh! Got a K&N with the nut at the top and used a wrench to tighten it up - all is good now except for all the oil in the engine compartment.

I'll take some pics of the Dart - it's an interesting one. All black 69 GTS 383 auto stripe delete. Kind of a factory sleeper.

sounds like the oil pump relief valve is stuck, need to pull it out & clean it out.

Was it knocking prior to the spill?

Yeah, something ain't right. I'm not getting into the wrench/no wrench or manufacturers instructions debate, but you don't need to be Hercules to tighten an oil filter sufficiently. If it's dumping oil like that after a good hand tightening, something else is going on. Don't let it ruin your motor! Do you have an oil pressure gauge?

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