Crank That Bad Boy!

[BlueOvalFitter]

As I was watching an oil change tech yesterday changing oil on a vehicle (My vehicle story later) he never lubed the filter gasket and used a filter wrench to crank the filter onto the engine!

Being I have never did either one of these things to an oil filter (well, I always lube the gasket) I just wonder how long that gasket will last before it splits or fails. If not one of those, the poor soul that has to remove that filter better be a Gorilla!

 

[Chris142]

There's usually lots of oil on the filter base so not lubing the oring probly wont hurt anything.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Just another reason I do my own oil changes.

 

[dernp]

Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Just another reason I do my own oil changes.


+1 on that!

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
There's usually lots of oil on the filter base so not lubing the oring probly wont hurt anything.


+1. We probably way overthink this stuff. Oil filter cans are pretty flimsy to take that much cranking.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Chris142
There's usually lots of oil on the filter base so not lubing the oring probly wont hurt anything.


+1. We probably way overthink this stuff. Oil filter cans are pretty flimsy to take that much cranking.

You agree with the o-ring part of this reply, but I am confused to what you mean as to, "We probably way overthink this stuff."

 

[expat]

I believe that the cartridge filter case on our Matrix was tightened with an Air Wrench.
I recon I used over 130 ft lbs to remove it!

 

[morepwr]

Taking a filter off that has been over tightened and was dry on the install can be a real pain in the arse!

 

[Fleetmon]

And the bottom line is the oil change "tech" was paid (and probably properly trained) to do the job correctly and failed miserably. He is/was the poster child of why we change our own oil.

 

[RiceCake]

Originally Posted By: morepwr
Taking a filter off that has been over tightened and was dry on the install can be a real pain in the arse!


This.

There's a lot of "let the next guy deal with it-itus" that happens in repair shops. Its usually whatever gets the customer out the door and happy and nothing else.

Same reason you can often find RTV slathered everywhere when they find a leak or remove drain pans. The next guy can chisel it off, because getting a gasket for it now could take time.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Just another reason I do my own oil changes.


Yep, I've done EVERY oil change on EVERY vehicle I've had for 38 years.

That's about 550 - 600 oil changes!!

 

[KCJeep]

 

[Eddie]

I'm 75 years old and have done every oil change since 14 years old. I dread the day when I can't do them any more and they are getting more difficult. I used to look forward to doing oil changes and now I need to gear myself up mentally.

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
I'm 75 years old and have done every oil change since 14 years old. I dread the day when I can't do them any more and they are getting more difficult. I used to look forward to doing oil changes and now I need to gear myself up mentally.

No grandchildren around to help you out?

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
There's usually lots of oil on the filter base so not lubing the oring probly wont hurt anything.

You're probably right. If he didn't bother to lube the gasket, he sure as heck didn't bother to clean the mating surface.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Chris142
There's usually lots of oil on the filter base so not lubing the oring probly wont hurt anything.


+1. We probably way overthink this stuff. Oil filter cans are pretty flimsy to take that much cranking.

You agree with the o-ring part of this reply, but I am confused to what you mean as to, "We probably way overthink this stuff."

Because we are worried that the oring wasn't lubed. Most people wouldn't even think about it, the reality is that there is oil on the sealing surface, but yet likely we would all (myself included) be concerned, as we like to think about some of this stuff perhaps too much. Like Chris said, oil residue... likely not hurt anything...

And my speculation from dealing with oil filters is that the can will deform, and perhaps want the THAT much excess torque to really be concerned with people cranking on it (could be wrong).

 

[SS1970chrysler]

I had to use a breaker bar on a ratchet-grip wrench head to get the Fram can off of my '72 Fury when I bought it. Even that almost failed.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
And the bottom line is the oil change "tech" was paid (and probably properly trained) to do the job correctly and failed miserably.
I bet he wasn't paid all that well and I doubt he was properly trained, either. Working at a quick-lube is not usually a job people aspire to, and is likely minimum-wage or just slightly more. I bet he has little or no oversight, to boot. The "manager" is most likely on his cell phone all day trying to convince some bimbo that he's a player.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
And the bottom line is the oil change "tech" was paid (and probably properly trained) to do the job correctly and failed miserably.
I bet he wasn't paid all that well and I doubt he was properly trained, either. Working at a quick-lube is not usually a job people aspire to, and is likely minimum-wage or just slightly more. I bet he has little or no oversight, to boot. The "manager" is most likely on his cell phone all day trying to convince some bimbo that he's a player.

RF, were you there that day too?

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
The "manager" is most likely on his cell phone all day trying to convince some bimbo that he's a player.