Ugh, filter came loose.
- Thread starter Torrid
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I recently had this happen on my garden tractor (Craftsman G5500 Briggs 24hp V-twin). Uses a spin on filter. One day I noticed a small pool of oil under the engine, thought it was A seal but upon closer inspection the filter was loose and leaking. No double gasket. So I tightened it up extra tight and topped off the oil (it was still in the safe crosshatch zone on the dipstick).
No idea how this happened, I have probably done a hundred oil changes and never had a filter come loose. It was a yellow OEM Briggs "extended life" filter.
No idea how this happened, I have probably done a hundred oil changes and never had a filter come loose. It was a yellow OEM Briggs "extended life" filter.
Originally Posted By: Torrid
I got home yesterday to find a decent sized oil puddle where the LS normally parks. Luckily my wife wasn't far away, so I raced over to check out the car. I found the filter to be loose and a decent drip coming from the bottom of it. At this point the car was already a bit under the minimum mark. I'm not sure what caused it. I've always hand tightened filters while holding a clean rag for grip. I've been changing my own oil for 10+ years and that method hasn't failed me until now. Has anyone had this happen to them? It seems it somehow worked its way loose because I changed the oil a month ago and there wasn't a drop on the garage floor until this week.
I tightened the filter back up on the spot and topped it up. At no point was there any unusual noise, but given the dipstick level I must have caught this just in time.
The oil filter for your Lincoln LS is subject to the date in which it was manufactured.
For the 2004 Lincoln LS from the fordparts.com website.
Before 9/30/2003 - FL-218
After 10/1/2003 - FL-2021
Which filter are you using?
I got home yesterday to find a decent sized oil puddle where the LS normally parks. Luckily my wife wasn't far away, so I raced over to check out the car. I found the filter to be loose and a decent drip coming from the bottom of it. At this point the car was already a bit under the minimum mark. I'm not sure what caused it. I've always hand tightened filters while holding a clean rag for grip. I've been changing my own oil for 10+ years and that method hasn't failed me until now. Has anyone had this happen to them? It seems it somehow worked its way loose because I changed the oil a month ago and there wasn't a drop on the garage floor until this week.
I tightened the filter back up on the spot and topped it up. At no point was there any unusual noise, but given the dipstick level I must have caught this just in time.
The oil filter for your Lincoln LS is subject to the date in which it was manufactured.
For the 2004 Lincoln LS from the fordparts.com website.
Before 9/30/2003 - FL-218
After 10/1/2003 - FL-2021
Which filter are you using?
2021. Same filter the dealer used and also the MC recommended filter for the 4.2 Jaguar V8. The difference between the two was the 218 was shorter for fitment on the retro Thunderbird supposedly, but they list the 2021 now too. I used the 2021s without issue on a 2000 Jaguar 4.0 V8 as well.
My research shows the early car used the 2008, then they went to the 218 02-04, but they both forward to the 2021 and supposedly the others are no longer made. I got about 25 filters from work when our fleet stopped using LSs and Jaguars back when I only had the 2000 Jaguar and still have about 18 filters. It's a good thing I wanted another Jag because I don't know how else I'd go through all these filters with yearly oil changes.
My research shows the early car used the 2008, then they went to the 218 02-04, but they both forward to the 2021 and supposedly the others are no longer made. I got about 25 filters from work when our fleet stopped using LSs and Jaguars back when I only had the 2000 Jaguar and still have about 18 filters. It's a good thing I wanted another Jag because I don't know how else I'd go through all these filters with yearly oil changes.
Maybe the dealer did a little damage to thread, doubtful though, maybe the gasket has a cut on it or defect, or maybe the filters are getting old, hardening up? Maybe it's like you say hard to grip well and so doesn't get tight enough, probably why the dealer left it loose too. I bet it will be tight from now on.
Fram lists a short and long version based on an oil cooler or not. No Fram Ultras, too bad. Well you probably have the good Purolators made before it was sold to Mann and they messed them up.
Fram shows a picture of their version with a red adbv, extra guard usually doesn't have it.
Fram lists a short and long version based on an oil cooler or not. No Fram Ultras, too bad. Well you probably have the good Purolators made before it was sold to Mann and they messed them up.
Fram shows a picture of their version with a red adbv, extra guard usually doesn't have it.
Originally Posted By: Torrid
Looks like it happens to the best of us. I feel much better chalking it up to a random fluke at this point.
It could have been a fluke, it can happen to the best of us! I'd check it again on a cold engine. If it needs tightening, tighten it up and run the engine looking for leaks.
Going forward, hand tight plus 3/4 turn with a wrench has never let me down.
Looks like it happens to the best of us. I feel much better chalking it up to a random fluke at this point.
It could have been a fluke, it can happen to the best of us! I'd check it again on a cold engine. If it needs tightening, tighten it up and run the engine looking for leaks.
Going forward, hand tight plus 3/4 turn with a wrench has never let me down.
Originally Posted By: Torrid
I torqued the filter down to the point that I can't remove it by hand, ran the car and checked for leaks.
I always go by the 3/4 turn after the gasket first touches the engine block rule. If I can do it by hand, then great. But if it needs a tool to achieve that 3/4 turn then I use that instead.
I torqued the filter down to the point that I can't remove it by hand, ran the car and checked for leaks.
I always go by the 3/4 turn after the gasket first touches the engine block rule. If I can do it by hand, then great. But if it needs a tool to achieve that 3/4 turn then I use that instead.
Originally Posted By: goodtimes
Maybe the dealer did a little damage to thread, doubtful though, maybe the gasket has a cut on it or defect, or maybe the filters are getting old, hardening up? Maybe it's like you say hard to grip well and so doesn't get tight enough, probably why the dealer left it loose too. I bet it will be tight from now on.
Fram lists a short and long version based on an oil cooler or not. No Fram Ultras, too bad. Well you probably have the good Purolators made before it was sold to Mann and they messed them up.
Fram shows a picture of their version with a red adbv, extra guard usually doesn't have it.
That's the thing too, it was actually loose. I grabbed the filter and easily turned it tighter with my bare hand when I saw the oil dripping. I left it running after wiping it off and haven't gotten a single drip off of it since. It's possible that the seal is getting old. The filters have been around since about 2007.
Maybe the dealer did a little damage to thread, doubtful though, maybe the gasket has a cut on it or defect, or maybe the filters are getting old, hardening up? Maybe it's like you say hard to grip well and so doesn't get tight enough, probably why the dealer left it loose too. I bet it will be tight from now on.
Fram lists a short and long version based on an oil cooler or not. No Fram Ultras, too bad. Well you probably have the good Purolators made before it was sold to Mann and they messed them up.
Fram shows a picture of their version with a red adbv, extra guard usually doesn't have it.
That's the thing too, it was actually loose. I grabbed the filter and easily turned it tighter with my bare hand when I saw the oil dripping. I left it running after wiping it off and haven't gotten a single drip off of it since. It's possible that the seal is getting old. The filters have been around since about 2007.
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Im Not saying that this is the problem but i have noticed in the past that the motorcraft filters have less threads than say a fram.. They may have improved a little within the last couple of years but fram still has the better threads and its not because i am a fram lover because i am not. However the ultra seems to be a good filter.
Originally Posted By: Fastzntn
I recently had this happen on my garden tractor (Craftsman G5500 Briggs 24hp V-twin). Uses a spin on filter. One day I noticed a small pool of oil under the engine, thought it was A seal but upon closer inspection the filter was loose and leaking. No double gasket. So I tightened it up extra tight and topped off the oil (it was still in the safe crosshatch zone on the dipstick).
No idea how this happened, I have probably done a hundred oil changes and never had a filter come loose. It was a yellow OEM Briggs "extended life" filter.
Maybe the gaskets are made differently nowadays, you know, with the extended drain intervals.
Also, take into consideration the filter circumference. More should allow you to hand tighten much more.
I recently had this happen on my garden tractor (Craftsman G5500 Briggs 24hp V-twin). Uses a spin on filter. One day I noticed a small pool of oil under the engine, thought it was A seal but upon closer inspection the filter was loose and leaking. No double gasket. So I tightened it up extra tight and topped off the oil (it was still in the safe crosshatch zone on the dipstick).
No idea how this happened, I have probably done a hundred oil changes and never had a filter come loose. It was a yellow OEM Briggs "extended life" filter.
Maybe the gaskets are made differently nowadays, you know, with the extended drain intervals.
Also, take into consideration the filter circumference. More should allow you to hand tighten much more.
Originally Posted By: Sawdusted
Hmm... changing this way for the last 10 years...
Didcha ever think age catches up and your hand can't tighten like it used to?
Oh pleeease. *****, I will argue against that idea any day. My father is 62 years old (I'm 21) and if it came down to a test of arm strength/torque... despite the fact that I've become stronger than him, he by NO means has "lost" any significant amount of strength. He still works for CAT, as an Audio/Visual Tech Manager, lifting heavy equipment (such as powered speakers, amps, etc.), and I've never once heard him say he feels as though he isn't strong enough to do it anymore.
Let me put it this way... (and do understand this is absolutely hypothetical, as I love my dad)...
If he and I got into a fight:
If we were both sober, I'd kick his butt!
If we were both under the influence of alcohol, my butt would be on the ground real darn fast (ergo, he'd kick my butt)!
It sounds bass-ackwards, but... as country folks, when it comes to car mechanics, we're smarter, better, and stronger after a few drinks.
That's just the way the cookie crumbles 'round here.
~ Triton
Hmm... changing this way for the last 10 years...
Didcha ever think age catches up and your hand can't tighten like it used to?
Oh pleeease. *****, I will argue against that idea any day. My father is 62 years old (I'm 21) and if it came down to a test of arm strength/torque... despite the fact that I've become stronger than him, he by NO means has "lost" any significant amount of strength. He still works for CAT, as an Audio/Visual Tech Manager, lifting heavy equipment (such as powered speakers, amps, etc.), and I've never once heard him say he feels as though he isn't strong enough to do it anymore.
Let me put it this way... (and do understand this is absolutely hypothetical, as I love my dad)...
If he and I got into a fight:
If we were both sober, I'd kick his butt!
If we were both under the influence of alcohol, my butt would be on the ground real darn fast (ergo, he'd kick my butt)!
It sounds bass-ackwards, but... as country folks, when it comes to car mechanics, we're smarter, better, and stronger after a few drinks.
That's just the way the cookie crumbles 'round here.
~ Triton
I bought a filter wrench finally. I just can't get enough grip in that spot. I must have only gotten a quarter of a turn out of the filter after butting the seal up originally. Not sure why it only happens on the LS but not the Jags. I drove the car again and was able to tighten it a bit after it cooled back down, but it didn't leak this time. Not worth taking the chance over a $5 tool.
I don't mind being called wimpy for using filter wrench to tighten the filter beyond my ability of doing it by hand. I rather being called any name than to loose an oil filter on highway or on surface street far away from home.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
Originally Posted By: Torrid
I bought a filter wrench finally. I just can't get enough grip in that spot. I must have only gotten a quarter of a turn out of the filter after butting the seal up originally. Not sure why it only happens on the LS but not the Jags. I drove the car again and was able to tighten it a bit after it cooled back down, but it didn't leak this time. Not worth taking the chance over a $5 tool.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I don't mind being called wimpy for using filter wrench to tighten the filter beyond my ability of doing it by hand. I rather being called any name than to loose an oil filter on highway or on surface street far away from home.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
For clarity's sake, I never meant to imply that someone who uses a wrench on their filter is wimpy. I just meant that, if so long as one stays active, he shouldn't lose much strength.
I totally understand that sometimes wrenches are necessary for places that are awkward...
But personally, having changed the oil and filters in many different vehicles myself, I can tell you my that 2001 F-150 has the most difficult oil filter location. And, there's no way I could get a wrench up in there. Which is why, in my mind, it seems that filters in which would be more likely to need a wrench to install/remove ironically don't have enough space for a wrench to fit. Thus, the only filters I could see being able to have a wrench used on are the ones most easily accessible (an example of a super easy filter would be my mom's '96 Ford Explorer 4.0L V6). Therefore adding to the irony of filter wrenches: you can use them when they really aren't needed (on easily accessible filters), but likely can't get them to work on filters in difficult locations due to space issues.
On a related note, when changing the oil in my F-150, I find it easier to install the filter with my right hand, and easier to remove it with my left hand, despite being a righty.
~ Triton
I bought a filter wrench finally. I just can't get enough grip in that spot. I must have only gotten a quarter of a turn out of the filter after butting the seal up originally. Not sure why it only happens on the LS but not the Jags. I drove the car again and was able to tighten it a bit after it cooled back down, but it didn't leak this time. Not worth taking the chance over a $5 tool.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I don't mind being called wimpy for using filter wrench to tighten the filter beyond my ability of doing it by hand. I rather being called any name than to loose an oil filter on highway or on surface street far away from home.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
For clarity's sake, I never meant to imply that someone who uses a wrench on their filter is wimpy. I just meant that, if so long as one stays active, he shouldn't lose much strength.
I totally understand that sometimes wrenches are necessary for places that are awkward...
But personally, having changed the oil and filters in many different vehicles myself, I can tell you my that 2001 F-150 has the most difficult oil filter location. And, there's no way I could get a wrench up in there. Which is why, in my mind, it seems that filters in which would be more likely to need a wrench to install/remove ironically don't have enough space for a wrench to fit. Thus, the only filters I could see being able to have a wrench used on are the ones most easily accessible (an example of a super easy filter would be my mom's '96 Ford Explorer 4.0L V6). Therefore adding to the irony of filter wrenches: you can use them when they really aren't needed (on easily accessible filters), but likely can't get them to work on filters in difficult locations due to space issues.
On a related note, when changing the oil in my F-150, I find it easier to install the filter with my right hand, and easier to remove it with my left hand, despite being a righty.
~ Triton
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I don't mind being called wimpy for using filter wrench to tighten the filter beyond my ability of doing it by hand. I rather being called any name than to loose an oil filter on highway or on surface street far away from home.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
The thing is before this I would have disagreed and could remove them by hand when changing the oil, but after this incident I'll always tighten with a filter wrench. I'm lucky I caught this when I did.
I don't mind being called wimpy for using filter wrench to tighten the filter beyond my ability of doing it by hand. I rather being called any name than to loose an oil filter on highway or on surface street far away from home.
Yes, I need a wrench to remove oil filter when time came to change oil, but it took only 1 extra minute to get the wrench.
The thing is before this I would have disagreed and could remove them by hand when changing the oil, but after this incident I'll always tighten with a filter wrench. I'm lucky I caught this when I did.
I use a filter cap wrench but, only tighten the prescribed 1/4 to 3/4 turn. Ed
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