7 quart oil change

Some days you have no luck.

Started the prep work for storage. Washed the car and then went to change the oil and the first bit went nice and easy until the end which then made a Gigantic mess. Turns out I had a bad oil filter (k&n 2004 same as the one it was replacing) that would not seat. It screwed on and felt like it tightened up but in reality it hadn't. Started the car and no oil pressure and in the 10 to 15 seconds it ran dumped about 3 quarts of oil on the ground. Uninstalled the new filter put the old one back on it went back on perfectly opened up a new case of the oil moss sells and found that every one of the bottles had leaked in the plastic bags and coated the bottles. Cleaned up that slimy mess and poured in 3 quarts. Started the car up no leaks and good pressure. Tomorrow I'll get a replacement filter. So a job that should of taken about 15 minutes took an hour and made a hell of a mess. Also found I have a leaking valve cover gasket so that will be fixed in the morning and it's back to the carwash to degack the engine from this evenings fun.

Look at it this way... at least you had a drip pan under the car. ;)

Used Fram filters for years on two "B"s. No probs. Started reading this forum and found most folks didn't like "cheap" Fram filters. Went out and bought the realitively expensive K and N. 2nd one I bought failed. I'm back to using Fram.

I dont believe that K & N even make oil filters --I could be wrong --but the tried and true real manufacturers of filters are Purlolator --WIX and the like -if you stick wit them very few problems with top quality filters --Fram are junk to me --wont use them --my 2 cents..

NAPA Gold, never had a problem with one.

I posted a few days ago about the problem I had with a Fram filter. I did get a letter back from Fram offering to reimburse me for my expenses...I was really surprised by this.

K&N definitely make filters - I have used them myself.

Yes K&N do make a full line of oil filters and they are of very high quality. I use them on four cars, and have never heard of one 'failing' on any type of car. Of course there are other high quality filters out there (Wix and Napa Gold come to mind).

You can buy those drip pans at any auto parts store and many hardware stores. They are quite common, actually. Shop around because the prices range from $5 to $20 for the same pans. Most are zinc plated, US-made. Some are cheap Asian copies and some are stainless but cost more.

Okay, how do you get 7 quarts out of a drip pan?

And if you have the inverted filter stand, the Fram HP1 filter (racing filter) screws right on. Basil

Could it have been cross threaded? The aluminum threads on the oil filter adapter are especially succeptical to this due to the filter having steel threads. RAY

They need to make a drip pan that extends from front of car to rear of car.

I used to use Fram but now always use STP filters but noticed how they are all shorter now than they used to be. We have those drip pans and love them! If you have a regular leak like my son does with his transmission pan we put a little kitty litter spread out in the pan and then just dump out the kitty litter once in a while.

"Turns out I had a bad oil filter (k&n 2004 same as the one it was replacing) that would not seat. It screwed on and felt like it tightened up but in reality it hadn't. Started the car and no oil pressure and in the 10 to 15 seconds it ran dumped about 3 quarts of oil on the ground."

Almost sounds like the "felt like it tightened up but in reality it hadn't" was the top of the filter coming in contact with the standpipe. Sounds like the wrong filter was installed. Too short.
Is the K&N physically shorter than the old filter?

Wouldn't put Fram filters on a lawnmower. And that's coming from a good Canadian boy.
They don't do a good job. It's true they won't fall apart externally, but like they say "it's what's on the inside that counts".

Bob

If you really want a heavy duty drip tray, go to a restaurant supply company and buy a commercial sheet pan. They are built like a tank and fit right up under our cars with no problem and will last forever. They are abpout 24" x 36". They also make what are called half pans - half the size.

Robert

Stewert,

I had the same experience with a Fram filter on a Dodge Caravan about 10 years ago. Felt like it was threaded on tight but dumped all the oil when I turned on the engine. Unfortunately I had never had a problem with an oil change so had not developed the habit of checking for leaks. We drove about 10 miles before I noticed the oil pressure light was on.

Good news was there was amazingly no damage to the engine (repeated oil sample analysis etc). That sold me on Castrol GTX oil.
When I called Fram they asked me to send in the filter for examination. They said there was no way that the filter could have not been tapped properly.

I sent in the filter and sure enough 2 weeks later I get a letter saying the filter was fine in the pressure test. I called and stated it wasn't a question of holding pressure but rather not threading on all the way. The response was that "the filter held the pressure". I demanded they return the filter which they reluctantly did.

The filter came back and it was covered with pipe wrench teeth marks from where they forced it onto the test apparatus. They claimed that the marks were caused by the pressure test but it was blatantly obvious what had taken place.

Needless to say I have bought a Fram filter since.

BH

Here's the poop about Fram and who builds K*N...at least at the time of writeing as K&N can opt to anyone they choose.....

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html

I use the uniparts that Gordon at the BHive sells. Haven't had a problem.

I am leery of the garbage filters at the auto parts store. Also I got one of those huge pans at Advance Auto, I think it was 10 bucks.

I stick with Wix filters. Mine are branded CarQuest.

Ok, if we're being pedantic about it then no, K&N does not "manufacture" oil filters. Then again hundreds of thousands of quality car parts are sold by companies that don't manufacture the parts themselves. The automotive industry has always worked this way, and who makes the product has no bearing whatsoever on quality. Parts are made to a particular specification, nothing more, nothing less. It goes back to the "Chinese is junk" argument. Yes, I agree that the majority of Chinese goods are of poor quality but that's because this is what is ordered. They are as capable as anyone to manufacture a quality product, if that is what they are asked for.

So we can change "K&N sells oil filters" to "K&N offers oil filters which have been manufactured to their specification by a company who makes them for many brands". I think the former statement is much more practical.

As for cost, my opinion is that you don't pay any more for the K&N name than you do for any other premium brand. I use K&N, Wix and on occasion Napa Gold. All are great and I've found the prices to be fairly comperable, with K&N being about $1-2 more than the others. Considering how few filters are needed per year, I feel the cost difference is negligible so I usually go with K&N. Heck, to me the nut on top i worth a buck right there! ;)

I think he means that K&N might not actually manufacture them.

Exactly, they don't manufacture their filters, but rather contract the work to a company who makes them to their specification.

You know that computer monitor you're looking at? The name at the bottom is not who manufactured it! Last time I checked there were only three manufacturers making screens for laptops worldwide. The screens are simply made to specification. Some are good and some are bad - it just depends on how much the company placing the order is willing to spend per item.

I had the o-ring of the filter cannister fail on one of my MGCs on a road trip out to Vancouver, BC in 1999.

It's amazing hour fast one can lose 8qts of Castrol...and the under bonnet mess it makes.

I ALWAYS watch my gauges...and watched the oil psi go to ZERO by the time I could turn off the ignition...and fortunately carry a spare filter/o-ring with me...so it was an easy fix...and..I was right next to a truck stop, so I found oil without difficulty.

Would have been a different story had it happened out in the middle of Montana or in the Badlands...or had I NOT been checking the gauges!

Who actually makes the filter is not usually any issue. Each of them will manufacture a filter for you to your specifications (if you want to buy enough of them that is<G>).Filters made to a cheap price won't be as good as one built to a quality spec.For instance, there are multi[ple specs for Fram-branded filters and I'll bet the differences are more than just the paint or level and price.

By and large OEM filters--the ones used by GM/Ford/Etc on their assembly lines are good products. I like and use Delco filters, for example. But I do not believe that "STP" branded filters even though perhaps made in the same plant are made to the same quality standard as the Delco. .

Oil change places often buy their filters from places like "Service Champs" where they can get them for well under a dollar each and these units simply won't hold up under the extended drain intervals most new car manufacturers call for. I have personally seen one of these filters that had actually dissolved after 7-10,000 miles of service

After seeing that I will only use OEM or Wix/NAPA (preferably Wix) on the cars I get to work on.

I use K&N primarily for the nut on the end. It makes installation and removal so much easier.

I have the same pan as pictured. Only trouble is, my pan has been rolled over about a million times with my car wheels and my wheel dollies. I keep forgetting to move the pan out of the way, as its hidden under the car. Oh well, I just take some pliers can pull up the lip of the pan again!

[quote=mowog1

Do you ever find any "tootsie rolls" in the drip pan? ;)[/quote]

Nope we have no cat, only a dog, and she hasn't figured out how to use the kitty litter thank goodness.

A $6 wix works great. Plus is is cool that it is the same size as our Land Rover Discovery's filter! The autoparts guy wants to know what shop I work for (as I usually buy 10 -12 at a time)! Nope..all for me! I am stupid enough to own 3 British cars!

Wix is all my mechanic uses, never had any call back in 40 years for a wix filter.

On my chevy pickup, I use whatever is on sale. Used stp, fram, bosch with zero problems in 10 or so years owning the truck. No leaks, no oil pressure problems, nothing. Truck has 170k mi on it and runs like a champ, great oil pressure. I have nothing negative to comment on, from my experience, with Fram, et al.

Autozone sells those drip pans - 2 sizes. To tell the truth, I wouldn't buy them. Way too thin. You could do what my mechanic did, have a local machine shop make some out of stainless steel. The ones he had made decades ago still look great, weigh like 10# each (or just feel like they do), and are just short of being bullet proof. Probably overkill for a DIY'er, but you get what you pay for. But the pans I have seen at the parts store are barely thicker gauge than those $2 disposible turkey roasting pans you get from the supermarket. I would search around for a more robust pan myself. I do most of my work at the night class I am in at the high school, havent found a need myself for a pan..yet. I just use some large pieces of cardboard under my Bs to protect the floor..then toss them when they get crappy.

Purlolator here on everything I have.... Except the Honda ATV that is...

Many Thanks to all for the drip pan info, I particularly like the bakery pan idea, Cheers, Mike

Exchanged the filter and the new one screwed right on. Put the car into storage last night so other than a few odds and ends that need to be finished up I most likely wont see it again till march. I use the blitz drop pans and they are fairly beefy and have been run over more than once with my truck.

Now I just need to change the oil in my truck and hopefully that will go a lot smoother.

Been a fun year

I changed the oil on a Ford Escort in my apartment parking lot once long ago. The seal from the filter I was replacing stuck to the block and I did not know it. When I tightened the new filter up seal to seal, it felt right. Started the car and squirted 4 quarts of Castrol on the ground in just a blink. Had it have a friend drive me to the store to get more oil in order to finish up. What a gigantic mess that was. Bet the spot on the parking lot is still there and it has been 25 years!

Cheap oil filters [any parts] are NOT!

I had a Pro-Tec from Bumper to Bumper parts store.

It fell off driving down the road one night, and before you could say, 'Oh No' I had to rebuild the engine..
The threads were simply awful and not deep enough.

'The bitterness of poor quality, remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten'

I have seen many folk's say to use the Mann oil filter. Or a Wix # 51068 or the Amsoil EaO96 filter which filters down to 15 microns.

Fram filters used to be good, but when Allied bought the company, took a dive in quality.

Don't buy cheap folk's, it don't [sic] pay....