Members dDigitalPimp Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 yesterday my girlfriend told me that after i left for work in the morning she noticed a decent sized oil spot in my parking space. so i automatically think the worst, rear main seal or some other major issue, grab a flashlight and go outside. i backed my car up and there was a decent sized oil spot so i popped the hood and took a look. under the oil filter is where i could see the oil stain on the engine block so i checked the tightness of the filter and sure enough it was loose. i was able to turn it about 1 and 1/2 rotations before it was tight again. im thrilled thats all it was but my question is should i get a new filter or did the guys that did my oil last (4000 miles ago) just not put it on well enough and it eventually became loose? i checked the oil after i tightened the filter and it was on the high side of the working range (the XXXXX's) i still topped it off because it usually sits just above the Xs. car is a 05 chevy impala if it matters at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 4000 miles ago? I'd say it's time for new oil and a new filter anyways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassordeath Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 If oil got out, things could have gotten in. I would change the oil and filter. With a leak, materials usually find a way to flow both ways. Even small amounts of road grime could get in and screw up a lifter or block an oil passage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bluescout Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 Don't worry about things having gotten in. The whole thing is pressurized. Normally tightening it up is fine but as said, 4K miles is more than time to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mike fitzwell Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 ...but as said, 4K miles is more than time to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dDigitalPimp Posted January 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 i use snythetic blend and wait for my car to tell me when its time to change it. i have an oil life sensor and the car will tell me when the oil is at 30% usable life (time to change). its usually around 5500-6500 miles. at first i thought it was on the high end but even at 5 grand the oil on the stick still is closer to a golden color than a dark brown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 17, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 No chance of anything getting in. What bluescout said. Don't overfill oil. If the level is too high, the crankshaft counterweights or rods can dip into the oil and churn it up into a nice froth. Bad for the oil, and the impact, which you'd think is minimal, is enough to hurt gas mileage. It's pretty likely the shop forgot to tighten the filter. I've worked professionally and on my own since 1977 and have never seen an oil filter loosen on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 17, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 I wouldn't change at 4000 miles. Today's oils last a lot longer, and it's good for the environment to do fewer oil changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 They should only be hand tight just a few lbs. needed , it's probably fine , too tight can cause problems , but you never want to top the oil off on the high side as oil pressure can blow out seals , a hair over shouldn't hurt but it's a good idea to keep it right at the line . I have see oil monkeys put the new filter over the old filters seal , as they tend to stick when removing , it usually rains oil when they start it they rarely wipe it down good so you often see a oil spot after a change anyway . I change my own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dDigitalPimp Posted January 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 I wouldn't change at 4000 miles. Today's oils last a lot longer, and it's good for the environment to do fewer oil changes. trut! esp. with the syn. blend oil i was told its cool to go to 6000 mi. without any damage to the engine. for the first few oil changes after i got the car i was always checking the oil after 3 grand and its still golden like almost brand new looking. a huge difference from my last car, a subaru 4 cyl POS that needed new oil after 2 grand (stuff was BLACK). ill never own a 4 cyl again in my life after that car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 17, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 They should only be hand tight just a few lbs. needed , it's probably fine , too tight can cause problems , but you never want to top the oil off on the high side as oil pressure can blow out seals More oil in the sump doesn't raise oil pressure. Overfilling is bad for the reasons I posted above. Proper tightening procedure for most filters is to put a film of clean oil on the ring, run it up til the ring contacts the engine, then tighten 1/2-3/4 turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 17, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 trut! esp. with the syn. blend oil i was told its cool to go to 6000 mi. without any damage to the engine. for the first few oil changes after i got the car i was always checking the oil after 3 grand and its still golden like almost brand new looking. a huge difference from my last car, a subaru 4 cyl POS that needed new oil after 2 grand (stuff was BLACK). ill never own a 4 cyl again in my life after that car. Nothing wrong with 4-cylinder engines in general. Many designs are really good, and the Subaru flat 4 is one of them. You just got stuck with a loser. Black oil is a result of combustion gases leaking into the crankcase, and indicates a problem with the piston compression rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 guess I should bust out the ASE books again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bluescout Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 True, synthetic oils last longer so you can wait longer but it gets dirty just as fast as any other so don't go too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dDigitalPimp Posted January 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 Nothing wrong with 4-cylinder engines in general. Many designs are really good, and the Subaru flat 4 is one of them. You just got stuck with a loser.Black oil is a result of combustion gases leaking into the crankcase, and indicates a problem with the piston compression rings. subaru had issues with the 2.5 (turbo, lol) 4 cyl engines from 99-01. most of them died right around 60K miles with an internal coolant leak which, from what i was told, ment the antifreeze would be sucked into the cylinder heads. they cheaped out and used a 10 cent cheaper gasket and it caused huge issues. subaru did the head gasket repair for free but the car was never the same again. once bitten, you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 I put Royal Purple in my truck...and it's good up to 12K miles. I usually change it at 10K. When you tightened up your oil filter, just make sure that it's not too tight. A good hand tightening is really all that it needs. And about the overfilling...I'd like to add that it can cause premature leaks at the gaskets and seals as well. Oil pressure is a tough thing to deal with if it's too great. When you overfill, you just asking for trouble with pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dDigitalPimp Posted January 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 And about the overfilling...I'd like to add that it can cause premature leaks at the gaskets and seals as well. Oil pressure is a tough thing to deal with if it's too great. When you overfill, you just asking for trouble with pressure. i more or less topped my oil off, used about 1/3rd of a quart to replace the oil that leaked out the past couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted January 17, 2008 Members Share Posted January 17, 2008 i more or less topped my oil off, used about 1/3rd of a quart to replace the oil that leaked out the past couple of days. Sounds good. Just throwin' in some extra info in case nobody knew. Or...hittin' you with some knowledge...like White Goodman would say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 17, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 I put Royal Purple in my truck...and it's good up to 12K miles. I usually change it at 10K. When you tightened up your oil filter, just make sure that it's not too tight. A good hand tightening is really all that it needs. And about the overfilling...I'd like to add that it can cause premature leaks at the gaskets and seals as well. Oil pressure is a tough thing to deal with if it's too great. When you overfill, you just asking for trouble with pressure. I'll repeat....too much oil in the crankcase does not increase oil pressure. The oil sump (pickup) sits permanently at the bottom of the crankcase. As long as there's enough oil to keep the sump covered, oil pressure will remain constant. Another misnomer is that oil seals are under pressure. Not true....engines are designed so that the crankcase is either at atmospheric pressure or (in all cars since around the late 60's) slightly under. This is to reduce emmissions...the crankcase gases vent to the intake manifold (the "PCV valve" controls this). If you look at an unassmebled engine, the main seals do not hold oil pressure. Pressurized oil leaks out past the bearings and drips back to the oil pan. It does indeed spray all over, and a failed seal will leak from this spray impacting the seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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